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Iran weighing possible withdrawal from Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

File picture dated April 3, 2007 shows an Iranian flag outside the building housing the reactor of the Bushehr nuclear power at plant Natanz facility [BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP FILES/AFP via Getty Images]

The possibility of Iran’s withdrawal from the Nuclear Non‑Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is under discussion in Tehran, Iranian media reported on Saturday, Anadolu reports.

Relevant government bodies, including parliament, are currently “urgently” mulling withdrawal, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported.

On the US social media company X, Tehran Deputy Malek Shariati said an “emergency plan to support the nuclear rights” of Iran has three main areas.

These include a declaration of withdrawal from the NPT, the cancellation of the countermeasure law in implementing the 2014 Iran nuclear deal, and support for a new international agreement with like-minded countries for the development of peaceful nuclear technologies, including Shanghai and the BRICS bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and others.

The possibility of withdrawal comes with the entire region on alert since the US and Israel launched an air offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, since killing over 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Though analysts say the US has not been clear in its objectives in the war, Washington has long objected to Iran enriching nuclear material to weapons-grade.

Iran responded to the offensive with drone and missile attacks targeting Israel, as well as Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military bases, causing casualties, infrastructure damage, and disruption to global markets and aviation.

READ: Over 230 children killed in US-Israeli attacks in first month of war, says Iran

Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is participating defensively in Trump and Israel's criminal war for Israel's genocidal expansion in Iran and states that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said "I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is participating defensively in Trump and Israel’s criminal war for Israel’s genocidal expansion in Iran and states that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an obviously insane, xenophobic Fascist.
Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an obviously insane, xenophobic Fascist.
Continue ReadingIran weighing possible withdrawal from Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

With No End in Sight, Cost of Trump’s Illegal Iran War Balloons to at Least $25 Billion

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Original article by Jake Johnson republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

A member of the Iranian Red Crescent comforts a resident of an apartment block in northern Tehran destroyed by US-Israeli airstrikes on March 23, 2026. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)

The new estimate comes amid warnings that the war, now in its fourth week, could “cost the US trillions of dollars in the decades to come.”

The price tag of US President Donald Trump’s illegal war on Iran is on track to surpass $25 billion by the end of this week as more American troops head to the Middle East, signaling a protracted conflict and possible ground invasion that would explode the war’s already massive financial and human costs.

The latest estimate of the dollar cost of the Iran assault to US taxpayers, who are also facing significantly higher prices at the pump because of the war, comes from the Center for American Progress (CAP). The liberal think tank noted Tuesday that, based on a combination of official figures from the Pentagon and outside estimates, “the Iran war’s cost has likely surpassed $20 billion already and will likely surpass $25 billion by the end of this week.”

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CAP found that $25 billion would be enough to provide Medicaid coverage to around 3.1 million people for a year, or fund free school lunches for more than 29 million children for a full school year.

“While the cost of the war is funded through the Pentagon’s budget, and that money could not have been legally spent on domestic social programs, the spending nonetheless reflects a choice both Congress and the president made in allocating the country’s limited resources,” wrote Bobby Kogan, CAP’s senior director for federal budget policy. “This trade-off is particularly salient as Congress considers the president’s upcoming request.”

“Before Congress chooses to provide $200 billion in new funding for the US Department of Defense,” Kogan added, “it should seriously consider other ways that funding could be used, including improving people’s lives.”

“One of the officials lamented that Americans would be paying off the war for generations.”

The updated price tag came amid reports that the Pentagon approved a deployment of around 2,000 elite Army soldiers to the Middle East, heightening concerns that the Trump administration is preparing for a deeply unpopular ground invasion of Iran even as the president publicly declares victory.

Experts believe the true financial cost of the Iran war is likely much higher than what publicly available estimates indicate so far.

The Intercept’s Nick Turse reported last week that the Trump administration is “drastically undercounting the price tag of the US war with Iran, peddling fragmentary estimates that offer Americans a skewed understanding of the costs.”

Citing analysts, lawmakers, and unnamed US officials briefed on Iran operations, Turse reported that “the war is burning through between $1 billion and $2 billion per day—or roughly $11,500 to $23,000 per second.”

“The cost, the officials told The Intercept, could rise to a quarter trillion dollars or more over the coming months,” Turse added. “Even that is a drop in the bucket compared to the long-term expenses, which could cost the US trillions of dollars in the decades to come. One of the officials lamented that Americans would be paying off the war for generations.”

Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Continue ReadingWith No End in Sight, Cost of Trump’s Illegal Iran War Balloons to at Least $25 Billion

‘We Must Act Now’: Tlaib Introduces Pair of Bills to Block US Support For Israel’s Lebanon Invasion

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Original article by Stephen Prager republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

US Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) speaks during a press conference with families of Americans killed by Israeli forces on September 16, 2025, in Washington DC. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“We are witnessing the same genocidal playbook used against Palestinians in Gaza, now in Lebanon,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib said.

As Israel ramps up its devastating invasion of Lebanon, Rep. Rashida Tlaib has introduced legislation in the US House of Representatives aimed at blocking US support.

Israel’s latest onslaught against Lebanon, launched after the militant group Hezbollah retaliated against the joint US-Israeli attack against Iran at the end of February, has already killed more than 1,100 people, including at least 121 children, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

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Many pieces of civilian infrastructure—including hospitals, schools, and residential buildings—have been attacked, and Israel has issued forced evacuation orders that have led more than 1 million people to be displaced from their homes.

“Thousands of families in our district with strong ties to Lebanon are living through immense pain,” said Tlaib, who represents a district that includes parts of Detroit and surrounding suburbs. “Many have lost loved ones, watched their grandparents’ towns and villages be completely destroyed, and seen relatives uprooted from their homes, not knowing if they will ever be able to return.”

Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, introduced two resolutions on Friday. The first calls on the US to use its leverage to end Israel’s land and air assaults against Lebanese territory, denounce efforts at territorial expansion, and investigate alleged crimes against humanity.

The second, cosponsored by Reps. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) and Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), is a war powers resolution that would require President Donald Trump to remove US forces from participation in all military actions in Lebanon that have not been authorized by Congress.

In recent days, Israel has expanded its ground operation, aiming to control the entire territory south of the Litani River indefinitely. Leaders of the military campaign, such as Defense Minister Israel Katz, have suggested using the genocidal war in Gaza as a “model” for Lebanon, including the full destruction of residential areas.

“We are witnessing the same genocidal playbook used against Palestinians in Gaza, now in Lebanon,” Tlaib said. “Israeli leaders are openly celebrating it. This ethnic cleansing campaign is only possible because of US support, funded by our tax dollars. We must act now to stop these crimes against humanity and illegal invasion of Lebanon.”

Nathan Thompson, a senior analyst at Just Foreign Policy, which advised Tlaib on the legislation, told Common Dreams that although the US military and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are “deeply operationally integrated, and have only become more so since October 7, 2023,” the extent of direct US involvement in Lebanon has been kept secret from the public.

“Military officials wouldn’t say whether or not they provided targeting assistance for Israel’s airstrikes on Hezbollah in 2024, and that’s exactly the type of action Congress has considered to be unauthorized ‘hostilities’ under the War Powers Act in the past,” Thompson said.

However, he said, “We know that the IDF and the US military are linked at the hip—on weapons sales, missile defense, targeting assistance, everything.”

Tlaib’s resolutions come as another war powers resolution to limit Trump’s ability to launch more attacks against Iran appears to have gained enough support to pass the House, although Democratic leadership has chosen to delay the vote until mid-April despite warnings that Trump may soon dramatically escalate the war, including with US ground troops.

That bill remains viable due to limited Republican support, including from Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.), Warren Davidson (Ohio), and Nancy Mace (SC). While Massie has been a consistent anti-war vote, it’s unclear whether other Republicans, as well as some pro-Israel Democrats, would similarly sign onto a resolution concerning Lebanon.

Thompson said the Lebanon-related legislation is an “urgently necessary tool to end US complicity” as Israeli officials are “talking about functionally annexing southern Lebanon and recreating Gaza-level destruction there.”

He said, “A war powers vote forces all of Congress to go on the record: Do you want the US to enable this genocide, or not?”

Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Continue Reading‘We Must Act Now’: Tlaib Introduces Pair of Bills to Block US Support For Israel’s Lebanon Invasion

‘A Revolting Moral Outrage’: Israeli Soldiers Reportedly Torture Gaza Toddler

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Original article by Brett Wilkins republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Karim Abu Nassar is held by his mother after he was reportedly tortured by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza. (Photo by Osama Al-Khalout/X)

Reports of 1-year-old Karim Abu Nassar being burned with a cigarette and pierced with a nail followed the publication of a United Nations analysis detailing Israel’s “systematic” torture of Palestinians since October 2023.

Israeli soldiers in Gaza allegedly tortured an 18-month-old Palestinian toddler in an effort to force a confession from his father, local and international media outlets reported Monday.

According to Al Jazeera, Karim Abu Nassar was with his father, Osama Abu Nassar, near the al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza on Saturday when they came under Israel Defense Forces fire. Eyewitnesses told Palestine TV that IDF troops ordered the man to leave the child on the ground and advance to a nearby checkpoint, where he was stripped naked and searched.

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Witnesses said IDF soldiers then tortured Karim in front of his father to pressure him to confess to something. Journalist Osama Al-Kahlout interviewed the child’s mother, who said the toddler suffered a cigarette burn to one leg and a nail puncture to the other. Al-Kahlout’s video shows wounds on the child’s legs—injuries reportedly confirmed by an unspecified medical authority.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWLw3WyigrQ/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=14&wp=540&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org&rp=%2Fnews%2Fpalestinian-toddler-tortured#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A9389.699999999997%2C%22ls%22%3A5230.300000000003%2C%22le%22%3A7245.5%7D

Karim was reportedly released to relatives via the International Committee of the Red Cross after 10 hours of detention. The ICRC has not issued a statement regarding the matter and rarely does so absent an investigation.

The Palestine Chronicle reported that Osama Abu Nassar remains in custody, in a system rife with torture—sometimes deadly—and other abuse.

The IDF has not commented on the alleged incident.

In the United States, the story is being amplified by prominent figures including Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and the Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR), which issued a statement calling the accusations “revolting.”

“Israel’s use of a nail and cigarette burns to torture a 1-year-old child and force a confession from his father is a revolting moral outrage that demands immediate action from Congress,” the group said. “No child, anywhere in the world, should be subjected to such cruelty, especially with American taxpayer dollars. These actions constitute grave violations of international law and basic human decency.”

“Our nation must end its complicity in these crimes,” CAIR added. “Congress has a responsibility to ensure that American taxpayer dollars are not used to support the torture or slaughter of more children. Every lawmaker with a conscience must vote to end military aid for the out-of-control Israeli regime.”

The US has given Israel hundreds of billions of inflation-adjusted dollars in aid to Israel since the country was established in 1948, including more than $20 billion since October 2023.

A new report published by UN Palestine expert Francesca Albanese examines the “systematic use by Israel of torture against Palestinians,” finding “practices that meet the threshold for genocide” under the Genocide Convention—the basis of the ongoing International Court of Justice (ICJ) case brought by South Africa.

A summary of the report states:

Torture has become integral to the domination of and punishment inflicted on men, women, and children—both through custodial abuse and through a relentless campaign of forced displacement, mass killings, deprivation, and the destruction of all means of life to inflict long-term collective pain and suffering. A continuous, territorially pervasive regime of psychological terror is being imposed, designed to break bodies, deprive a people of their dignity, and force them from their land. This is not incidental violence. It is the architecture of settler-colonialism, built on a foundation of dehumanization and maintained by a policy of cruelty and collective torture.

Palestinian victims—including minors—and witnesses, as well as Israeli soldiers, veterans, and medical professionals have described widespread torture and other abuses including rape and sexual assault by male and female soldiers, electrocution, mauling by dogs, beatings, denial of food and water, sleep deprivation, stress positions, and exposure to loud music and temperature extremes.

At least scores of Palestinian detainees have died or been killed in Israeli custody, including one who died after allegedly being sodomized with an electric baton. Many bodies of former Palestinian prisoners returned by Israel have shown signs of torture, execution, and mutilation.

Since the Hamas-led attack of October 2023, Israeli forces have killed or wounded at least 250,000 Palestinians, including more than 65,000 children. Israeli troops have been accused by Palestinians, Western medical volunteers, and their own colleagues of deliberately targeting children with sniper fire and executing them along with their adult relatives during massacres.

In addition to facing the ICJ genocide case, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, are fugitives from the International Criminal Court, where they are wanted for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza, including murder and forced starvation.

Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is participating defensively in Trump and Israel's criminal war for Israel's genocidal expansion in Iran and states that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said "I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is participating defensively in Trump and Israel’s criminal war for Israel’s genocidal expansion in Iran and states that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.

Continue Reading‘A Revolting Moral Outrage’: Israeli Soldiers Reportedly Torture Gaza Toddler

US military assets worth billions damaged or lost in Iran war: Report

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

A view of US military refueling aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport as the US-Israel attacks on Iran continue and retaliatory actions from Iran against Israel, primarily are ongoing in the capital Tel Aviv, Israel, on March 22, 2026. [Nir Keidar – Anadolu Agency]

Billions of dollars in US military equipment have been damaged or destroyed since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran, mostly due to Iranian missile and drone attacks, according to a Wall Street Journal report published on Friday, Anadolu reports.

Losses in the first three weeks of the conflict are estimated at $1.4 billion to $2.9 billion, Elaine McCusker, a former Pentagon budget official now at the American Enterprise Institute, told the newspaper.

Among the incidents cited, three F-15E fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by a Kuwaiti aircraft on March 1, while an F-35 stealth jet made an emergency landing on March 16 after reportedly coming under fire. Iran claims it targeted the aircraft, according to the report.

A midair collision between two KC-135 refueling planes over Iraq also killed six crew members. Five more KC-135s were damaged in an Iranian missile strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia and are undergoing repairs.

More than a dozen MQ-9 Reaper drones have been lost, including several shot down by missiles and others destroyed on the ground. Iranian strikes also damaged aircraft and radar systems at US bases in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan.

A fire broke out on the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford on March 12; the ship is now undergoing repairs at Souda Bay, Greece, according to the US Navy.

The Pentagon plans to replace some of the damaged systems through a proposed $200 billion supplemental spending request.

Anadolu could not independently verify the reported losses.

Regional tensions escalated after Feb. 28, when the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran, killing more than 1,340 people. Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel and Gulf countries hosting US military assets.

So far, 13 US service members have been killed and roughly 290 others injured since the operations began.

READ: Israeli gov’t ‘sending army into multi-front war without strategy,’ says opposition leader

Keir Starmer explains that UK is participating defensively in Trump and Israel's criminal war for Israel's genocidal expansion in Iran and states that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said "I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is participating defensively in Trump and Israel’s criminal war for Israel’s genocidal expansion in Iran and states that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.

Continue ReadingUS military assets worth billions damaged or lost in Iran war: Report