Trump caves on 48h deadline, 'negotiates' with ghosts?; Jews invade Jersey; US troops question war; B-52's bomb Iran - IRAN WAR NEWS - 23-Mar-2026 (update 5)
"Netanyahu finally found someone stupid enough to do it." -- Max Blumenthal, referring to Trump's war on Iran
12bytes: In the purist spirit of 'FAFO' (fuck around, find out) Trump has started a religious war at the direction of his Chabad-Lubivitch Zionist masters that he has been losing badly since the opening salvo slaughtered a bunch of school girls. Any delusions Trump had of achieving his ever-changing goals in the Middle East have since evaporated. US bases in the region have been largely destroyed and abandoned, leaving their hosts and Israel blind to incoming munitions and no one can stop Iran's hypersonic or multi-warhead missiles. Israel and the Gulf states are running out of interceptors. Their reporting of incoming missiles and drones being "intercepted" or that they "fell out of the sky" or "missed their target" or caused only "superficial damage", etc., are largely lies. The damage to US bases and Israel is immense and worsens by the hour. The "Iron Dome" has been dismantled and reduced to providing, at best, a 1-2 minute warning to shelter, if any at all. It is strictly forbidden for people to report on the damage inflicted by Iran, many of which have been arrested. This is why we're not getting a lot of visuals from inside Israel or the Gulf states.
Trump seeks an exit ramp, but his back is against the Wailing Wall and 'plan B' is being fabricated on-the-fly. Worse still, it is a near certainty that even if the US pulled out, the Iranian's will continue attacking Israel until the parasitic Zionist cockroaches have paid a price that Iran deems sufficient and that price increases with every bomb the US/Israel drops on their civilians and leaders. Meanwhile, Iran controls shipping in the Hormuz Strait and thus has its enemies by their proverbial balls until its demands are met, including US withdrawal from the region and the elimination of sanctions. What will the end look like? Will the US and/or Israel deploy nuclear weapons? Russia and China are unlikely to allow Iran to fall.
Energy-related facilities in Iran's Isfahan province and the southwestern city of Khorramshahr were struck by US-Israeli strikes, causing damage, according to reports by Fars news agency.
A gas administration building and a gas reduction structure in Isfahan were hit, with nearby homes also being affected.
In Khorramshahr, a projectile struck outside a gas pipeline linked to a power plant, the report said.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announces staging the 78th wave of its underway retaliatory Operation True Promise 4, targeting such highly sensitive Israeli targets as Dimona, Tel Aviv, and Eilat as well as several US military bases in the region.
In a statement on Tuesday, the IRGC described the latest phase of the operation as a significant development featuring missiles raining down on enemy targets as the nation was leveling momentous support behind the Islamic Republic by attending millions-strong rallies with "clenched fists."
'A distinct record'
The latest phase, it noted, "has set a distinct record in the timeline of the war."
According to the statement, targets in the occupied port of Eilat, Dimona, a heavily fortified city that hosts the Israeli regime's notorious nuclear reactor in its vicinity, and northern Tel Aviv were struck using Emad and multi-warhead Qadr missile systems along with attack drones.
This was the second time the Corps was hitting Dimona, only days after the previous counterstrike that sent shockwaves across the occupied territories by causing more than 200 casualties in the city and the nearby city of Arad.
The IRGC added that several US military bases in the region were also targeted during the 78th wave.
A loud blast rang out over Jerusalem early Tuesday after Israel's military said it detected another Iranian missile launch, the second of the day, AFP is reporting.
A loud explosion was heard minutes after the military said it had detected missile launches from Iran and was "working to intercept the threat."
A US strike on a site belonging to Iraq's Shi'ite Popular Mobilization Forces in the western province of Anbar killed six fighters and wounded 15 others, AFP and Reuters are reporting.
The PMF is now part of Iraq's regular army, but also includes some pro-Iranian groups.
The war against Iran, originally conceived by Washington as a punitive demonstration of power, has instead become a glaring proof that the U.S. no longer possesses the political will to win a major conflict. The Strait of Hormuz has turned into a stress test for American hegemony-and it is a test the White House is successfully failing. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that the U.S. is increasingly acting like a geopolitical drone: paying with its resources and reputation to execute a foreign agenda shaped by decades of work by Israeli elites and their Washington lobby.
One of Israel's military heavyweights, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, described the current reality of the U.S.-Iran war with supreme cynicism: if you truly want to open the Strait of Hormuz, you need to deploy two American divisions there and keep them in place for months.
An Iranian academic and two of his children were killed in a strike on their home in northern Tehran, according to reports by Press TV.
The report said Dr. Saeed Shamghadri, an associate professor at Iran University of Science and Technology, died along with his son and daughter in the attack.
US-Iran conflict deepens: negotiation claims disputed as military buildup continues. Strait of Hormuz access restricted, driving up oil/fertilizer prices with global economic impact. Iranian air defenses demonstrate effectiveness against advanced aircraft; Western missile systems show vulnerabilities. Reports indicate US troop morale concerns. Gulf states face economic crisis amid disrupted trade. Analysis explores potential de-dollarization, Russia/China gaining strategic insights, and severe escalation risks if Iranian infrastructure targeted. No viable exit strategy visible as worldwide economic pressures intensify; Iran positioned to leverage energy control against Western-aligned nations.
Analysis of Iran-US/Israel conflict exposes Western strategic miscalculations. War based on flawed intelligence about Iran's weakness has trapped initiators. European nations decline involvement, recognizing diverging interests. Iran demonstrates calibrated military responses, targeting only military assets while maintaining escalation control. Claims of Iranian threats to Europe dismissed as propaganda; Tehran responds proportionally to attacks. Kharg Island offers symbolic value only, no strategic pathway. Iran seeks definitive resolution, not temporary ceasefires enabling future attacks. Regional actors like Houthis/Hezbollah act autonomously, not as proxies. West's credibility erodes as rhetoric outpaces capability; ideological biases undermine intelligence analysis. Conflict highlights global power shift where rational decision-making prevails over assumptions of technological superiority.
US-Iran tensions escalate amid ultimatum over Strait of Hormuz and Iranian missile strikes on Israeli strategic sites. Discussion analyzes conflicting negotiation claims, military realities of missile shortages versus Iran's substantial stockpiles, and nuclear escalation risks. Explores potential diplomatic exits, the "Greater Israel" agenda as underlying conflict driver, oil market volatility, and Europe's limited role. With a reported 5-day timeline for next developments, the conversation examines the fragile balance between de-escalation and further escalation in this volatile regional confrontation. Key questions remain: Can diplomacy prevail? What happens if military options run dry? And how do global energy markets withstand prolonged uncertainty? A critical analysis of one of today's most dangerous geopolitical flashpoints.
Analysis of Middle East conflict escalation examines air defense limitations, Iranian missile/drone capabilities, and nuclear war risks. Discussion highlights diplomatic failures after the collapsed nuclear deal and warns that any nuclear strike-even with low-yield weapons-would trigger catastrophic firestorms, radiation, and toxic fallout killing millions. Retaliation would be inevitable, making nuclear conflict unwinnable for all. The conversation urges policymakers and citizens to understand these harsh realities and prioritize de-escalation before irreversible decisions cause humanitarian catastrophe. Recognizing the true human cost of war is essential for achieving peace and stability in the region.
Avraham Burg, former speaker of the Knesset and interim president of Israel, on why Netanyahu can never settle, only kill.
Avraham (Avrum) Burg is an Israeli author, intellectual, and former Speaker of the Knesset, who has combined a career in public leadership with writing, teaching, and dialogue across cultures, and is known for his insightful reflections on Israeli society, Judaism, democracy, and global politics, with a consistent emphasis on ethics and peace.
Israeli settlers have been filmed vandalising a boys' school in Huwara, spray-painting racist graffiti and raising an Israeli flag on the roof. The attack comes as settler violence intensifies across the occupied West Bank with homes and cars set on fire, leaving at least nine Palestinians injured.
ranian armed forces and resistance groups across the region continue to carry out retaliatory military operations against the United States and the Israeli regime.
On Monday, March 23, 2026, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian Army conducted multiple operations as part of Operation True Promise 4, which was launched immediately after the US-Israeli coalition carried out an unprovoked act of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran on February 28.
Iranian armed forces have so far carried out 75 waves of missile and drone strikes with advanced weaponry targeting Israeli military facilities in the occupied territories, as well as US occupation bases and assets scattered across the West Asia region.
The Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq have also joined the front against the external aggressors, inflicting heavy blows on the enemy.
Hezbollah's operations have been primarily focused on Israeli military sites in the occupied territories. Its operations are both in response to the assassination of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and the relentless ceasefire violations by the Israeli regime over the past year.
Iraqi resistance groups have also been carrying out daily operations, primarily against American military assets in Iraq and other Arab countries.
Below is a list of operations carried out by the Iranian armed forces, as well as resistance movements in Lebanon and Iraq, against the US and the Zionist regime on March 23:
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) carried out the 77th wave of Operation True Promise 4 against Israeli and American targets late on Monday, deploying precision-guided Kheibar Shekan missile systems and solid-fuel Zolfaqar missiles as well as explosive-laden drones.
In a statement, the IRGC said the latest wave struck targets across the north, center, and south of the occupied territories using "super-heavy, precision-guided Kheibar Shekan systems and attack drones."
It added that US military bases in the region, including Ali al Salem in Kuwait, al-Kharj in Saudi Arabia, and al-Dhafra in the United Arab Emirates, were also targeted using precision-guided, solid-fuel Zolfaqar systems and kamikaze drones.
The operation was described as having been carried out with "complete success."
Dismissal of US messaging
The IRGC also addressed earlier remarks by US President Donald Trump alleging that he had ordered a five-day pause in planned attacks on Iran's energy sites, stating that his "contradictory behavior" would not divert the Islamic Republic from continuing its reprisal.
"Trump's psychological operations have become worn out."
12bytes: The video is AI generated. I don't know the source of the script. Value is in the detail it adds to particular operations in the ongoing war.
Iran's armed forces released official radar tracking footage showing the moment a surface-to-air missile acquired, tracked, and struck an F-15 fighter jet operating over the Strait of Hormuz near an Iranian island. The infrared targeting sequence is visible. The thermal impact signature is visible. CENTCOM has not denied the footage's authenticity. No search and rescue operation has been initiated in the area. And no government - American, Israeli, or Saudi Arabian - has publicly acknowledged losing the aircraft.
That collective silence is itself an analytical data point.
This is not the first time official silence has surrounded an aircraft loss in this conflict. Four combat jets attributed to friendly fire in Kuwait. KC-135 tankers described as crashes while Iranian-aligned forces claimed them. The pattern of official characterization for allied aircraft losses has been consistent throughout - and the cumulative record it has produced is now long enough that individual explanations no longer hold together analytically.
An attack targeted a base built by United States forces in the northeastern Syrian governorate of al-Hasakah on March 23, marking the first such attack on the country since the start of the American-Israeli war on Iran.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a United Kingdom-based monitoring group, said that multiple drones, possibly launched from Iraq, targeted the base located next to the town of Khrab al-Jir in the northeastern al-Hasakah countryside. From its side, the Hawar News Agency said that at least six drones hit the base.
Meanwhile, Reuters, citing Iraqi security sources, reported that rockets launched from the vicinity of the city of Mosul in the western Iraqi governorate of al-Anbar hit the base.
Israeli troops captured two Hezbollah fighters, members of the group's elite Radwan Force, during operations in southern Lebanon over the weekend, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on March 23.
Hezbollah fighters targeted Israeli soldiers in the northern Israeli town of Metula for the fourth time with attack drones and launched a rocket barrage in Khirbat al-Manara near Haifa.
Also in northern Israel, the group sent drones to attack a group of soldiers at the Yiftah barracks, and targeted soldiers north of the Kfar Yuval settlement for the third time.
An Israeli air strike in Lebanon's southern city of Tyre targeted a civil defence ambulance, killing one medic and wounding four others, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.
Israeli attacks since 2 March have displaced more than 1.16 million people, Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayyed told a press conference on Monday.
Lebanese authorities say at least 1,039 people have since been killed and 2,876 injured in Israeli bombardment.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed on March 23 that Israel had successfully assassinated two nuclear scientists in Iran.
"We are crushing the missile program and the nuclear program, and continuing to strike Hezbollah hard," the primer said in a video statement. "Only days ago, we eliminated two more nuclear scientists, and our arm is still outstretched."
Israel is reported to have assassinated at least 11 scientists during the 12-day June war on Iran last year, but it is still unclear how many have been killed since the start of the ongoing war.
The U.S. (especially Trump) claims Iran reached out seeking a deal, while sources cited here say the opposite-that the U.S. repeatedly tried to initiate talks and Iran ignored or "ghosted" those efforts.
No direct negotiations:
According to Iranian officials, there have been no direct U.S.-Iran talks. Communication has only happened indirectly through countries like Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, and Gulf states.
Mixed messaging from the U.S.:
Publicly, Trump threatens major escalation (e.g., targeting Iran's energy infrastructure), while privately-through intermediaries-the U.S. signals it wants to end the war.
Iran's hardened position:
Iran no longer trusts simple ceasefires and demands:
شروط (conditions) for any ceasefire, not temporary pauses
Inclusion of Iraq and Lebanon in any deal
Reparations (via the U.S., not directly from Israel)
No limits on its ballistic missile program
Shifting nuclear stance:
Iran suggests it may revise its nuclear doctrine, possibly moving closer to weaponization, especially after attacks on its infrastructure and failed negotiations.
Escalation risks:
Iran warns it can strike across Israel and the Persian Gulf, threatening global energy supplies and the world economy if attacked further.
Trump's claims vs. reality:
Trump says there's progress and even suggests the U.S. could seize Iran's enriched uranium. Sources here dispute that, calling such ideas unrealistic and dangerous (e.g., a special forces raid).
Why tensions eased (temporarily):
The pause in U.S. escalation may be due less to diplomacy and more to:
Pressure from Gulf allies
Fear of Iranian retaliation on regional energy infrastructure
Military warnings about escalation risks
Bottom line:
There is no real breakthrough yet-just competing narratives. Iran is taking a tougher stance, mistrust is high, and both sides are signaling very different versions of reality while the risk of wider conflict remains significant.
This week, Israel launched an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, prompting an Iranian retaliatory attack against Israel's secretive nuclear facility in Dimona. At the same time, reports began circulating in US media claiming the Iranians fired two ICBM's at the US base Diego Garcia located in the southern Indian Ocean, followed by a wave of western media outrage claiming Iran will strike Europe next. Only one problem: Iran denies firing the alleged missiles, which raises the prospect of an Israel or US false flag operation to try and stoke western fear and gain more support for an unpopular war of choice waged by Trump and Israel. Meanwhile, the US and Israel have engaged in new levels of barbarism against the native population of the Middle East. All this and more.
American B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers are now launching from Royal Air Force Station Fairford in the United Kingdom to attack targets in Iran with GBU-31 JDAM bombs.
Aviation photographer Lee Hathaway shared on March 23 photos of two B-52H bombers departing Fairford a day earlier with the external pylons fully loaded with bombs. Each of the bombers carried at least 12 GBU-21s on the pylons under its wings.
Asked if Iran would still be able to control the crucial waterway, one of the world's busiest oil shipping channels, Trump replied it would be "jointly controlled" by him and "whoever the next Ayatollah" is. Tehran, however, has already announced the Islamic Republic's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
Trump also claimed that there will also be "a very serious form of a regime change" inside Iran.
On Monday, Iran forcefully denied claims by President Donald Trump that the U.S. and Iran are in the midst of negotiations to end the war, saying that no direct talks are occurring.
Trump claimed on Monday via Truth Social that "GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS" had taken place with Iranian officials over the past two days, backtracking from his Saturday threat to destroy Iranian energy infrastructure if Iran did not open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.
Iran immediately dismissed his claims. "Fake news is intended to manipulate financial and oil markets and to escape the quagmire in which America and Israel are trapped," wrote Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of Iran's parliament, in a post on X.
A senior Iranian official confirmed to Drop Site that "no new developments have occurred" between Washington and Tehran. The official was not authorized to make public statements and spoke on condition of anonymity. The U.S. has continued to send messages through third countries, he said, but Iran has only reiterated its position and has not engaged in any back and forth.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Army has launched retaliatory drone strikes on Israeli and US air bases in the region, where their fighter jets are stationed.
In a statement released on Monday, the Army said drone units of its ground, air, and naval forces from across the country conducted the operations against Tel Nof Air Base near Tel Aviv and Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, also known as Azraq, in Jordan.
It said Tel Nof is one of the most vital bases of the Israeli regime's air force, adding that the facility has played a key role in long-range attacks and the ongoing aggression against Iran with its support and fighter jet squadrons.
BEIRUT, March 23 (YPA) - The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, Hezbollah, announced the execution of a series of intensive military operations targeting Israeli enemy positions, artillery emplacements, and troop gatherings along the Lebanese-Palestinian border, asserting that this comes "in defense of Lebanon and its people."
The operations included extensive missile and drone strikes, most notably targeting the Dovev, Avivim, and Zar'it barracks with drones and missile barrages, bombing troop concentrations in Tel Abu Madi, the vicinity of Naqoura municipality, and the vicinity of Taybeh town with a precision missile, in addition to targeting Nimr al-Jamal and the Naqoura school, and repeated shelling of the settlements of Manara, Metula, and Kiryat Shmona, along with artillery emplacements near the Marj site.
After three weeks of daily proclaiming that the United States military has already won the war of choice against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the White House and Pentagon are now requesting another $200 billion dollars to continue the bombing.
In the silence of the night, the communication lines of the Zionist regime are no longer calm. You don't hear the sound of our footsteps, but you feel our presence; just as now, the names of 50 senior officers from your Iran desk are on our list: numbers that are no longer just for work calls, addresses that are no longer just places to live, and titles that are no longer just simple words.
We slipped past the dark glass of your servers, bypassed your codes and defensive walls, and now, everything you tried to hide stands exposed before the eyes of the world.
Lebanon's health ministry says at least 1,039 people have been killed and 2,876 others wounded since the start of Israel's expanded offensive on 2 March.
At least 10 people were killed and 90 others wounded across Lebanon over the past 24 hours alone, added the ministry.
Zaher al-Wahidi, the director of the ministry's information department, said on Monday that "every day, between six and 10 patients who are waiting to travel abroad for treatment die".
He said there were at least 195 cases classified as life-threatening and warned that if they were not evacuated within the next few hours, their lives could be at risk.
There are 1,971 other emergency cases that need to be evacuated within weeks, or they could reach critical levels amid their deteriorating conditions.
Among these cases are 4,000 children and another 4,000 cancer patients.
America's food supply is being infiltrated by unlabeled cloned "beef" and "pork," quietly mixed into supermarket shelves and restaurant chains' menus and sold as real meat, without the knowledge of the public.
The revelation comes as Canada abruptly halted its own plan to greenlight cloned meat, following intense public backlash.
The US war unleashed on Iran was an "amateurish and ill planned operation that threatens the global economy and security," Mikael Valtersson, former Swedish Armed Forces and air defense officer, tells Sputnik.
The agression against Iran is the direct outcome of "major US intelligence and planning failures," Mikael Valtersson notes.
The Kharg island assault that is reportedly being considered is a "rushed attempt to reopen the Strait of Hormuz."
"An amphibious landing on Kharg island is a high-risk operation and to be sure that it will succeed ought to involve a vastly superior force that can take heavy casualties during a prolonged period of time. Otherwise, the operation might result in a clear US defeat," underscores the expert.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Former congresswoman and former ally of US President Donald Trump Marjorie Taylor Greene called Senator Lindsey Graham* a psychopath for his remarks about the possible seizure of Iran's Kharg Island.
On Sunday, Graham told Fox News that if the United States managed to capture the Japanese island of Iwo Jima during World War II, they would be able to do the same with Kharg Island.
"Lindsey Graham is a psychotic neocon who invokes Iwo Jima and is willing to send US Marines in to be slaughtered in Iran instead of working for America to get Homeland Security funded," Greene wrote on X on Sunday.
The war of words between Donald Trump and the Iranian government has seen sharp escalation and rapid shifts over the past four days amid an ongoing U.S.-Israeli military conflict with Iran, now in its fourth week. The verbal exchanges have centered on energy infrastructure, the Strait of Hormuz, threats of strikes, and mixed signals about de-escalation.
19 March: Trump distanced the U.S. from certain Israeli strikes on Iranian energy sites (e.g., the South Pars gas field) and warned Israel against repeating them. He also threatened to "massively blow up" Iran's South Pars gas field if Iran attacked Qatar's LNG facilities again, framing it as protection for U.S. allies while signaling reluctance for further escalation in energy targets.
20-21 March: Trump indicated the U.S. was "very close to meeting our objectives" and was considering "winding down" military efforts in the Middle East, emphasizing that other nations should police the Strait of Hormuz going forward. This suggested a potential de-escalation or shift in responsibility.
22 March (major escalation): In a dramatic reversal within about 24 hours, Trump issued a stark 48-hour ultimatum via Truth Social, threatening to "hit and obliterate" Iran's power plants (starting with the largest) if Tehran did not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz without threats.
Trump claimed the U.S. had already "blown Iran off the map," described Iran's military as devastated (air force and navy "dead"), and insisted objectives were nearly met-but warned of further action if the strait remained restricted. This all came along with soaring energy prices and the looming economic fallout from the war.
Iran responded defiantly, vowing to "completely" close the Strait of Hormuz indefinitely and strike regional energy/desalination infrastructure (including in Gulf states hosting U.S. bases) if the U.S. attacked its power plants. Iranian officials dismissed Trump's threats as bluster and signaled readiness for massive retaliation.
Then today, Trump may finally have blinked: he announced "very good and productive conversations" with Iran over the prior two days toward a "complete and total resolution of hostilities." He postponed any strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days, pending ongoing talks. This led to market relief (e.g., oil prices dropping sharply and U.S. equity futures rising).
Trump negotiating with imaginary Iranians?
However, Iran's Foreign Minister and other officials quickly denied any such talks, calling Trump's claims a ploy to calm energy markets, lower prices, and buy time for potential military moves. An unnamed Iranian official, speaking to the Fars News stated that, "There is no direct contact with Trump, not even through intermediaries," calling Trump's erratic messaging as psychological warfare. One official thought that,
"Trump backed off after hearing that our targets would be all power plants in West Asia."
President Donald Trump said Monday that if the US reaches a deal with Iran, the US will take the country's enriched uranium, Anadolu reports.
Asked by reporters how the US will get Iran's enriched uranium, a years-long bone of contention between the two, he said: "It's very easy."
"If we have a deal with them, we're going down, and we'll take it ourselves," he added.
Saying that the latest round of talks between Washington and Tehran happened late Sunday - talks denied by Iran - Trump told reporters before leaving for a trip to the southern US: "They want very much to make a deal. We'd like to make a deal too."
"We're going to get together today by probably phone," he said.
Claiming that it is "very hard" for Iranian officials to get out of the country, Trump also said US and Iranian officials will "at some point, very, very soon meet" in person.
On his announcement earlier today of a five-day pause in attacks on Iranian energy facilities, the US president said: "We'll see how that goes, and if it goes well, we're going to end up with settling this. Otherwise, we just keep bombing our little hearts out."
12bytes: This stupid moron essentially had a deal with Iran when he bombed them during negotiations for the second time.
TEHRAN, March 23 (YPA) - The Iranian Foreign Ministry categorically denied claims by US President Donald Trump that there were "fruitful" negotiations between Washington and Tehran to reach a comprehensive solution to the hostilities in the region.
The Foreign Ministry stressed that Iran adheres to its position of rejecting any kind of talks before achieving all of its war objectives.
In the same context, a security source confirmed to the Fars News Agency that there were no direct or indirect negotiations, considering that Trump's decision to postpone the military strikes came after he realized that the Iranian response would target all energy stations in the region.
12bytes: Well, somebody's lying. I would guess either Iran is lying about there not being any negotiations, which seems like a sign of weakness if there actually are talks happening, or those in Iran denying the talks to the media weren't informed of them, which is also problematic. The other possibility is that no negotiations have occurred.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The latest round of talks between the United States and Iran happened on the night of March 22 and involved US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushener, Fox News reported on Monday, citing President Donald Trump.
The president reportedly responded to a question on his thoughts about Iran's state television denying ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Earlier in the day, Trump said that the United States and Iran had very positive and productive talks over the past two days and announced the postponement of US strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure. The president also expressed hope that the progress will be achieved within five days, a CNBC journalist reported after an interview with the president.
Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan have been mediating the indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran over the past two days, Axios further reported on Monday.
Iran has firmly rejected Donald Trump's claim that ceasefire talks are underway, calling it false and misleading.
In this interview, Tehran University Professor Seyed Mohammed Marandi explains why Iran denies any negotiations, warns of severe retaliation if attacked, and argues that the United States is under pressure in the escalating conflict.
"Delaying the 48-hour ultimatum [Washington] gave Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is a strategic defeat," global energy expert Dr. Mamdouh G. Salameh tells Sputnik, casting doubt on Washington's narrative regarding the alleged negotiations.
The expert outlines three possible explanations:
It's an attempt to find a way to disengage from the war and declare victory
Alternatively, it could be a ploy to dupe Iran until the US Marines are in place to try to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by force, but it is doomed, the pundit warns
Third version: the US apparently wants to save Israel's Dimona nuclear center from destruction
President Trump's pronouncements over the past few days have been increasingly contradictory and confusing, from stating that the US doesn't need the Strait of Hormuz to threatening Iran with a full infrastructure attack if it is not opened. With the war going badly - and Iran far from running out of weapons - is Trump starting to crack under the pressure?
"If the US exits the war, we must continue. From our perspective, toppling the regime is essential," Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beytenu party, said at the opening of his party faction's meeting, as reported by the daily Yedioth Ahronoth.
Lieberman sharply criticized the Israeli government, saying it was focusing on internal legislative issues while security threats persist.
"While residents of the north hear an air raid siren every few minutes, the Knesset will discuss the fate of the people of Israel and the expansion of the powers of rabbinical courts-this is absolute madness," he said.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has launched a fresh wave of retaliatory airstrikes, targeting military infrastructure belonging to the hostile US and Israeli regimes.
In a statement released on Monday, the IRGC's Public Relations Department announced that it had successfully conducted the 76th wave of attacks as part of Operation True Promise-4, as part of the ongoing retaliation against illegal US-Israeli aggression against Iran.
During the operation, powerful drones, along with liquid-fuel Qiam and solid-fuel Zulfaqar missiles, struck the United States' Fifth Naval Fleet, as well as its bases of al-Dhafra, Victoria, and Prince Sultan across the region, it said.
The Zionist regime's military infrastructure in Tel Aviv, Ashkelon, Haifa, and Gush Dan were also targeted with heavy, solid-liquid and navigable missiles such as Kheybar Shekan and Qiam.
The elite military force said, "The sustained firing of Iranian missiles and drones, their passing through the enemy's advanced air defense systems, and their effective and widespread hitting of strategic targets have annulled the claims and delusions of warmongering American and Zionist officials about the destruction of the Islamic Republic of Iran's missile and naval capability."
The latest intelligence assessment of the conflict zone in northern occupied territories reveals that Hezbollah's sustained military operations have compelled the Israeli regime to reconfigure its air defense posture, effectively stripping the southern occupied territories of aerial protection.
According to the assessment, which was shared with Press TV, the Lebanese resistance movement's ceaseless attacks on the northern occupied territories and southern Lebanese areas under Israeli military control have led to a significant shift in the enemy's defensive deployment.
The regime has been compelled to transfer air defense systems from the south to the north, creating a critical vulnerability in the skies over the southern occupied territories.
The assessment further indicates that Israeli intelligence services fundamentally miscalculated Hezbollah's operational capacity after more than a year of strategic patience shown by the Lebanese resistance movement despite near-daily cease violations by Israel.
Iran used sophisticated, maneuverable missiles capable of evading the American-made Patriot air defense systems in its attacks on QatarEnergy's Ras Laffan Industrial City, the Financial Times reported on March 23, citing an official briefed on the attack.
Speaking on Sunday at a site in Arad struck by an Iranian missile, where more than a hundred people were injured, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged more countries to join the war effort.
"What more proof do you need that this regime that threatens the entire world has to be stopped? Israel and the United States are working together for the entire world. And it's time to see the leaders of the rest of the countries join up."
Yet, despite this call, the response from much of the region has been notably restrained. Even close partners appear reluctant to get involved, including Gulf states that have been feeling the war on their own skin.
Israel's intelligence agency Mossad had a plan to ignite public protests that would lead to the collapse of Iran's government, the New York Times has reported.
David Barnea, Mossad's chief, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu days before the US and Israel began their war on Iran and told him that the agency would be able to galvanise Iranian opposition in order to bring about regime change.
Barnea, according to the report, which cites interviews with US and Israeli officials, also presented this proposal to senior US officials during a visit to Washington in mid-January.
The plan was then taken up by Netanyahu and Trump, despite doubts among some senior American officials and Israeli military intelligence. Mossad's promises were, according to US and Israeli officials, used by Netanyahu to convince the US president that collapsing the Iranian government was possible.
The deputy governor of Lorestan province in Iran said US-Israeli strikes have killed at least 157 people and injured 2,667 there since the start of the war.
San Diego City Council adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism despite outrage from the community. They are coming for your freedom of speech on all levels: local, state and federal.
Ohio has become the new destination for Big Tech data centers and AI infrastructure. The state owes much of its rapid transformation into the so-called "Silicon Heartland" to the now vast array of public-private partnerships pioneered by the state's richest man, Leslie Wexner, and his former money manager and fixer, Jeffrey Epstein.
Arch-Technocrat Michael Kratsios, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, says this policy (his policy) will "unleash American ingenuity to win the global AI race, delivering breakthroughs that create jobs, lower costs, and improve lives for Americans across the country." In reality, it gives a raceway to a handful of megalomaniac AI companies to dominate society, destroy jobs and raise costs.
Andy Schectman, Founder & CEO of Miles Franklin Precious Metals, sits down with Don Durrett, Founder of GoldStockData.com and author of How to Invest in Gold and Silver.
As gold pulls back sharply, Durrett argues this is not the end of the bull market but the setup for the next major move higher. He breaks down why the global debt system is reaching a breaking point, why central banks are trapped, and why investors should be preparing for a potential monetary reset.
Durrett warns that the U.S. is entering a "debt doom loop" with no clear exit, and says the next phase could include recession, market dislocation, and even a 30-40% devaluation of the dollar. In that environment, he believes gold could ultimately reach $7,000, with silver and mining stocks offering even greater upside.
He also explains why this current correction is an opportunity, not a risk and why "smart money" is accumulating while most investors remain on the sidelines.
In this episode of Little by Little with Andy Schectman:
Why the debt bubble has reached a point of "no way out"
Why central banks are trapped between inflation and collapse
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened to retaliate if power plants were targeted, hitting power plants in Israel as well as those supplying electricity to the US bases in the region.
The Israeli military said it launched a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure in Tehran. Powerful explosions were reported in the central, southern and eastern parts of the capital. Footage, verified by Al Jazeera, shows columns of fire and smoke rising over the city of Karaj, west of Tehran, following an air attack.
One person was killed in a US-Israeli attack on a 100-kilowatt AM transmitter of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting radio station in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, according to the Mehr news agency.
An air attack flattened residential buildings in Urmia city in northwest Iran, and rescuers are searching for people under the rubble, according to state-affiliated Nour News.
In an X post, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it targeted a turbine engine production site in north-central Iran's Qom province that it said was used for drone and aircraft components linked to the IRGC.
In the Gulf
Saudi Arabia: The country's Ministry of Defence said two ballistic missiles were launched towards Riyadh; while one was intercepted, another fell in an uninhabited area. An IRGC spokesperson said its forces attacked Prince Sultan airbase in Saudi Arabia.
UAE: The Abu Dhabi Media Office said an Indian national suffered minor injuries from falling debris in the al-Shawamekh area after the United Arab Emirates' air defence systems intercepted a ballistic missile targeting the country's capital. On Monday, the UAE said it was "responding to incoming missile threat from Iran".
Qatar: Seven people were killed on March 22 in a helicopter crash in Qatar's territorial waters following a technical malfunction during "routine duty", according to the Defence Ministry. Four of those killed were Qatari armed forces personnel, while three were from Turkiye.
Bahrain: An IRGC spokesperson said its forces attacked the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain using missiles and drones.
Kuwait: Kuwaiti news agency KUNA reported on Sunday that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation had submitted an official protest letter to the International Civil Aviation Organization over "airspace violations and attacks on airport facilities" by Iran, saying the incidents constituted a blatant breach of international civil aviation conventions and exposed passengers, airlines and airport personnel to serious risk.
In the US
Democrat Chuck Schumer, the US Senate's minority leader, has called for an end to the US military operation against Iran in a post on X.
Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia wrote in an X post that Trump is "sending our sons and daughters to war" because he is still unable to accept that he lost the 2020 election.
In Israel
Alerts went off around Jerusalem and central Israel, and explosions were reported.
The casualty toll from Iran's Saturday attack on the towns of Dimona - which hosts Israel's main nuclear facility on its outskirts - and Arad has risen, with at least 180 people injured.
In Iraq, Lebanon
Lebanon: At least 1,029 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since March 2, according to Lebanese authorities. The World Health Organization and Lebanese health authorities said more than 100 of those killed were children.
Iraq: At least 60 people have been killed in the country so far, according to authorities. Most of them were members of the pro-Iran Popular Mobilisation Forces. One foreign crew member was killed in an attack on tankers near an Iraqi port, according to port security officials.
United States President Donald Trump revealed on March 23 that his administration has been engaged in productive talks with Iran, leading him to temporarily pause his pledge to bomb the Islamic Republic's power plants if it didn't allow the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
"I am please to report that the United States of America and the country of Iran have had, over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"Based on the tenor and tone of these in depth, detailed and constructive conversations, which will continue throughout the week, I have instructed the Department of War to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions," he added.
The surprise announcement came just hours before the end of the two-day ultimatum Trump gave to Iran late on March 21.
The Islamic Republic had responded to the ultimatum by renewing its threat to infrastructure in the region, including even water desalination plants.
[...]
The Iranian Foreign Ministry, from its side, said that there are no talks with the U.S. and accused Trump of buying time while regional de-escalation efforts go on.
"With this kind of psychological warfare, neither will the Strait of Hormuz return to pre-war conditions nor will calm return to energy markets," a senior Iranian official told the semi-official Tasnim News Agency. "Trump's five-day ultimatum means the continuation of this regime's plans for crimes against people, and we will continue to respond and defend the country extensively."
US President Donald Trump initially suggested that the military campaign, which has entered its fourth week, would last four to five weeks and has repeatedly said that operations were running "ahead of schedule."
The recent Israeli attack on the South Pars gas field was a calculated move to deepen American entanglement, and provoke a direct confrontation between Iran and the Gulf Arab states. Announcing the raid, Israeli officials claimed the strike was coordinated with, and approved by the U. S., implicitly tying Washington to this action. Yet within hours, Donald Trump pleaded ignorance and, for the second time, demanded that Israel halt its targeting of energy facilities. Soon thereafter, Benjamin Netanyahu hastily convened a press briefing, professing that the attack did not involve the U.S.. This contradiction indicates either another Israeli-manufactured lie, or a calculated division of roles that allows Trump to deny foreknowledge and thereby assuage Gulf states' concerns over targeting energy infrastructures, which could incite a similar Iranian response.
The Israeli strike on the major gas hub marks a dangerous strategic escalation. The choice of target reflects not an unintended move, but a purposeful attempt to instigate a broader war.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Chris Muphy of Connecticut have urged US President Donald Trump to end aggression on Iran as he has lost control of the situation.
In a post published on social media platform X on Sunday, Schumer wrote, "Even some Republican senators are openly admitting they have no clue what the administration is trying to accomplish in the Middle East."
Schumer concluded his post, saying, "Enough is enough" and demanding that Trump should "end this war."
Commenting on Trump's threat to destroy Iran's infrastructure if Tehran does open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, Murphy wrote on X on Monday, "He has lost control of this war and he is panicking."
Murphy predicted that as long as Trump continues to align itself with Israel and continues the aggression against Iran, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed, and the price of oil will skyrocket even further.
Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak on Monday launched a blistering attack at the regime's incumbent political and military leadership, slamming them for peddling "blatant" lies over the war against Iran and noting that the regime has no strategy to end the war.
In an interview with Channel 13, Barak, who also previously acted as the regime's military chief and military affairs minister, delivered a stark assessment of the Israeli wars on Gaza, Lebanon and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
"We cannot open the Strait of Hormuz, nor destroy Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities, so don't lie to us too much," Barak said, directly challenging the regime's claims regarding its capacity to confront the Islamic Republic.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman says the world has grown thoroughly exhausted with the US-Israeli "false flag storylines."
In a post on his X account on Monday, Esmaeil Baghaei reacted to the NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's stance, which rejected the recent claims by Israeli regime officials regarding Iran's missile program posing a threat to Europe.
"That even the NATO Secretary General (who is infamously pressing Alliance members to appease the US and support their illegal war on Iran) declines to endorse Israel's most recent disinformation, speaks volumes: the world has grown thoroughly exhausted with these tired and discredited "false flag" storylines," he noted.
The US is considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran's Kharg Island, the country's main oil export hub, to pressure Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping, according to Axios.
"Any attempt to attack Iran's coasts or islands will cause all access routes in the Gulf... to be mined with various types of sea mines, including floating mines that can be released from the coast," the statement read.
"In this case, the entire Gulf will practically be in a situation similar to the Strait of Hormuz for a long time... One should not forget the failure of more than 100 minesweepers in the 1980s in removing a few sea mines."
At least one person has been killed in two separate attacks conducted by the United States and the Israeli regime on Bushehr Provincial Meteorological Office in southern Iran.
Netanyahu faces long-running domestic corruption charges related to favors and benefits he allegedly received in exchange for regulatory favors, legislative action, and diplomatic support to wealthy businessmen and media moguls.
Four ambulances operated by a Jewish volunteer organization in London were set on fire overnight in what authorities are investigating as a hate crime.
The incident took place in the Golders Green area of the Barnet borough at around 1:45 AM local time, officials said. CCTV footage reportedly shows at least three masked individuals setting fire to vehicles belonging to the local branch of Hatzola, a network of volunteer emergency medical services which works with Jewish communities.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that illegal settlers launched simultaneous assaults since late Saturday across several governorates, setting fire to homes and vehicles and throwing stones at Palestinian cars.
The most severe attack targeted the village of al-Funduq near Jenin, where illegal settlers burned homes and vehicles and smashed windows, while residents attempted to confront them and extinguish fires, Wafa said.
In the northern Jordan Valley, settlers attacked Palestinians in the Ein al-Hilweh community and sprayed them with pepper spray, according to the agency.
Israeli settlers escalated attacks against Palestinians across the occupied West Bank over the weekend, including torching a clinic, shooting at civilians and vandalising a school.
Brood parasitism describes a fascinating behavioral pattern in the animal kingdom in which a parasite species manipulates a host species into raising and feeding its young.
[...]
Something like this is going on in Lakewood, New Jersey, and I'm not talking about birds. About a month ago YouTuber and independent journalist Tyler Oliveira published an hour-long exposé entitled "I Exposed New Jersey's Jewish Invasion . . ." which covers how Orthodox Jews have ruthlessly taken over Lakewood and are currently expanding into the surrounding townships. And by "taking over" Oliveira discovered that this means that Orthodox Jews have. . .
"consolidated political power in Lakewood taking majority control of the township committee planning board, zoning board, and school board. Financially depleting the public school system for non-Jewish kids, overwhelming local infrastructure, and turning a once quiet town into a densely populated, over-trafficked Jewish enclave, prioritizing Jews over non-Jews."
Not only this, but each Orthodox family has anywhere from seven to ten children and are gaming the system-both legally and illegally-to acquire as much free money as possible to afford them. They have their own economies, their own publicly funded police and fire departments, their own emergency services, school systems, grocery stores, everything that will allow their men to study Torah while supposedly earning a living. And according to Oliveira many of these organizations are tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profits.
Meanwhile, Orthodox Jews buy property and build before they get permits, they refuse to sell houses to the goyim, they're backed by Jewish billionaires, they apply pressure and intimidation tactics to get gentiles to sell their homes, they disregard traffic laws causing many "Kosher collisions," they turn residences into places of worship, and they behave clannishly until the goyim get fed up and leave. If a goy grew up in one of these towns and holds a certain fondness for the place, well that's just too bad. And if you complain, that makes you an anti-Semite.
When Iranian drones and missiles slammed into Ras Laffan in Qatar and when warships began circling the Strait of Hormuz, they did not just interrupt LNG flows. They tore out a hidden load-bearing beam of the AI economy, of modern medicine, of space launch and high-end manufacturing. That beam is helium.
Videos show the aftermath of strikes in Iran, as search teams recover bodies from rubble. Residents are using torches to look for loved ones, as air raids appear to have knocked out power in some parts. Iran's health ministry says more than 1,500 people have been killed during the US and Israel's war.
Powerful explosions described as "unprecedented" were reported across eastern Tehran, with Iranian air defence systems activated, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.
Five days after a strike destroyed a building in Tehran, Mahdi Mirzahosseini's brothers are still searching through rubble for signs of their youngest sibling. They are holding onto hope of finding their brother who had gone to work insisting on serving customers for the Persian New Year.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) said emergency teams were deployed to a residential area in Urmia after an air strike caused significant damage to buildings.
Some US military personnel are disappointed with the military attack against Iran and say they "do not want to die for Israel," the HuffPost website reported citing sources.
The publication, which interviewed military personnel, reservists, and human rights organizations advocating for military personnel, claims that some US military personnel involved in this conflict are complaining of vulnerability, severe stress, disappointment, and disillusionment, to the point that they are even considering leaving the military.
"I'm hearing out of service members' mouths the words, 'We do not want to die for Israel - we don't want to be political pawns,'" a reservist and mentor of young soldiers is quoted as saying in the article.
The United States is reportedly planning a weeks-long operation to force Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Times of Israel reported, as officials signal a prolonged phase of the conflict.
Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warned that financial entities linked to funding the US military could be considered "legitimate targets," in remarks posted on social media.
"US treasury bonds are soaked in Iranians' blood... Purchase them, and you purchase a strike on your HQ and assets," he said, adding, "We monitor your portfolios. This is your final notice."
International Energy Agency (IEA) director, Fatih Birol, speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra, said the global economy is facing a "major, major threat" as the energy crisis deepens amid the Middle East conflict.
TEHRAN- The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps' Navy announced that the IRGC Navy has destroyed facilities at Al Minhad and Ali Al Salem air bases, including hangars and fuel depots used by U.S. and Israeli aircraft, with a massive barrage of ballistic missiles and strike drones.
Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said the two bases were the launchpad for aggression against Iranian islands. He also warned that across all Iranian islands, "graves have been dug for child-killing aggressors."
The Lebanese Islamic resistance movement Hezbollah has announced that it carried out 63 military operations targeting positions and centers of the Israeli regime's occupation army over the past 24 hours.
In a statement issued on Monday morning, Hezbollah said that these operations were launched within the framework of defending Lebanese territory and its people, and in direct response to the Israeli regime's continuous aggressions.
The statement detailed that the operations included rocket barrages, offensive drone strikes, and artillery fire.
The targets primarily focused on Israeli military gatherings, armored vehicles, bases, and troop deployment centers along the border areas and in northern occupied Palestine.
TEHRAN - President Donald Trump's recent 48-hour ultimatum threatening strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure if Tehran does not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz has once again laid bare contradictions in his statements about Iran.
The threat illustrates a recurring pattern of misleading claims that, when measured against facts and the current situation, undermine U.S. credibility and expose the gap between rhetoric and reality.
12bytes: This is likely the Zionist pigs in Israel again.
Last night, social media was buzzing with claims that Iran's armed forces had put out a statement calling on residents of Doha to evacuate the city.
The alleged message said that due to the presence of U.S. forces and American interests in the area, Doha had become a "legitimate target" and that residents needed to leave as soon as possible.
A source with the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) told Tasnim News Agency that despite the false rumors making the rounds online, Iran has not issued any kind of warning about evacuating Doha or Qatari media outlets.
Iran reiterates its view that the countries in the region and governments are its brothers, and that it only targets the U.S. and Zionist interests in the region, the source added.
TEHRAN - Sorkheh Hesar and Khojir national parks, in east of Tehran, are in good condition despite the ongoing war and attacks by the U.S. and the Zionist regime against the country's natural environment, an official with Tehran Province's Office of the Department of Environment has said.
Is Iranian society united these days? Should we expect the US to withdraw from the conflict in the coming weeks? Is the role of the chief negotiator and defender of Iranian interests in the international arena shifting from Russia to China? Read about this and much more in an exclusive interview with Alexander Maryasov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia, with New Eastern Outlook.
It sure looks like the Donald is on the receiving end of a double-whammy. His victory declaration in Iran looks to rank right up there with George Dubya Bush's "mission accomplished" pratfall on the deck of a US aircraft carrier in 2003; and that also means that his SOTU boasting about defeating "Joe Biden's" inflation and getting the gas pump price under $2 per gallon is out the window, too.
What's back in play front and center, therefore, is the AFFORDABILITY issue come November. The Dems have no clue about how to fix it, of course, but they sure as hell will be brutally pounding the GOP candidates and the Donald with the latter's own bogus hot air on the matter.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wants $200 billion for the Trump administration's illegal, ill-advised, undeclared war on Iran.
Well, maybe. "That number could move," he says, to get "properly funded for what's been done, for what we may have to do in the future, ensure that our ammunition is refilled, and not just refilled, but above and beyond."
You won't need two guesses to guess which direction "that number" will likely move in.
This week, Benjamin Netanyahu stood before the cameras amid the smoke of his expanding wars and declared with the confidence of a man who believes history still belongs to the ruthless: "Jesus Christ has no advantage over Genghis Khan. Because if you are strong enough, ruthless enough, powerful enough, evil will overcome good."
This was no gaffe. It was a theological confession delivered in the middle of a self-inflicted regional inferno.
One of the frequent claims about Iran is that the Shia are fanatical, suicide bombers. Turns out that is just one more lie. The data on incidents of suicide bombers tells a different story. This is not my opinion... The numbers are from data sources that include the Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST) Database on Suicide Attacks (1982-2019), Combating Terrorism Center reports, Global Terrorism Database (START), and academic studies (e.g., Choi/Piazza 2022). Exact percentages vary by dataset inclusion criteria and time frames, but the Sunni dominance (especially post-1990s) is consistent across sources.
Since 1980, the vast majority of suicide bombings (often termed suicide attacks or suicide terrorism in databases) have been carried out by Sunni Muslim perpetrators or groups, with Shia involvement being significantly lower and largely limited to specific historical periods. Why am I belaboring this issue? Because the United States has a 40-year record of supporting and financing some of this Sunni extremists. The most recent example... Backing the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, who is currently rebranded as Al-Shara and was appointed President of Syria by the West. On more example of the US being a major sponsor of terrorism that is directed against Shias.
Cuba is prepared to defend itself against a potential US invasion, Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio has said, following remarks by US President Donald Trump about taking over the island.
The comments come as Cuba faces a deepening economic crisis triggered by an oil blockade imposed by Trump in January.
