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This Awful Iran War Belongs to Trump—and It’s Going Horribly

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

US President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with the Taoiseach of Ireland Micheál Martin in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on March 17, 2026. (Photo by Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images)

The absence of any US strategy becomes clearer by the day. Trump has thrown everything at the wall in the hope that something will stick. So far, nothing has.

President Donald Trump is a victim of his own success. After a quick strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities last June and the capture of Venezuela’s president and First Lady in January, the US military, the illegality of those operations notwithstanding, made war look easy and Trump feel omnipotent.

Three weeks into a more daunting excursion into Iran, Trump is now a desperate leader.

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With Trump, everything is personal. A growing body of evidence suggests that a principal objective in attacking Iran was the assassination of the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. For example:

When the CIA learned that the Ayatollah and top Iranian officials would be meeting in a militarily accessible location, a previously planned nighttime strike was moved up to the middle of the day.
On Sunday night, March 1, shortly after reports that the US-Israeli attack had killed the Ayatollah, Trump said, “I got him before he got me.” He was referring to an alleged plot to kill Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign as retribution for the January 2020 US strike that killed Iran’s military leader Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps,
The desire to downplay Trump’s desire for vengeance explains why he and his minions have offered more noble—and contradictory—justifications for the war, including:
To help the Iranian people secure their freedom (Trump);
To attack Iran because Israel was going to do it and that would result in Iran’s attack on US assets in the Middle East (Secretary of State Marco Rubio);
To attack Iran first, not because Israel was going to do it anyway, but because Trump had a gut feeling that Iran was going to attack the US (Trump). But Pentagon officials informed Congress that no intelligence supported Trump’s opinion;
To eliminate Iran’s nuclear capability (although Trump claimed to have done that with the June attack).

Mission Accomplished?

Whatever his motivations, deploying the might of the military force was the beginning and the end of Trump’s thinking. He and his advisors are now flailing in the aftermath.

Iran has divided its global adversaries by holding the world’s economy hostage. Closing the Strait of Hormuz to the US and its allies sent world markets reeling as the price of oil increased by 40 percent and the price of gasoline in the US rose by almost $1.00 per gallon. Trump is trying to sell the line that such costs in the short run will pay off in the long run, but few are buying it.

Trump’s Desperate Ploys

The absence of any US strategy becomes clearer by the day. Trump has thrown everything at the wall in the hope that something will stick. So far, nothing has.

He floated a $200 million insurance guarantee for ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz – but not everyone lives in Trump’s world in which everything has a price.
He suggested using US military escorts for the tankers but offered no timeline; the risks to US military personnel and equipment would be enormous.
He tried shaming oil tanker crews to “show some guts” and continue sailing through the Strait – even as tankers burst into flames when trying to do so. Maybe Trump should go first.
He pleaded with world leaders to join his “team” to reopen the Strait for shipping, saying, “Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some aren’t. Some are countries that we’ve helped for many, many years. We’ve protected them from horrible outside sources, and they weren’t that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm matters to me.”
He ridiculed allies refusing his requests to join a war that he started without consulting them: “We have some countries where we have 45,000 soldiers, great soldiers, protecting them from harm’s way, and we have done a great job. And when we want to know, ‘Do you have any mine sweepers?’ ‘Well, would rather not get involved, sir.’”
He made threats that are not-so-veiled: “If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO.”

Attacking the Messenger

In a futile effort at damage control, Trump accused media outlets of dispensing “fake news” about the growing Iran debacle. They “should be brought up on charges of TREASON,” he posted. In the same tirade, he said that he was “thrilled to see Brendan Carr, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), looking at the licenses of some of these Corrupt and Highly Unpatriotic ‘News’ Organizations.”

Hearing and heeding his master’s voice, Carr shared another Trump post criticizing news coverage of the Iran war and issued this hollow threat: “Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions – also known as the fake news – have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up… Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s lengthy criticism of Iran war coverage included a special message for CNN: “The sooner David Ellison [the son of billionaire Trump supporter Larry Ellison] takes over that network, the better.”

This much is certain: Trump will never take responsibility for any failure of his policies, including the Iran war. When his deportation operation became a scandal and one of his worst political liabilities, Kristi Noem became a casualty. If Trump’s Iran war continues to go badly, he’ll need another scapegoat. Hegseth has been living on borrowed time since the Signalgate scandal. He should have been fired long ago.

But make no mistake. Hegseth is just Trump’s useful idiot. This is and always has been Trump’s war. It began as his personal war of retribution, ignored predictable consequences for the world, and never had an endgame strategy.

And now it has gone terribly wrong.

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

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Post author:dizzy
Post published:19 March 2026
Post category:Donald Trump Fascism Israel Neo-liberalism new authoritarianism plutocracy politics the filthy rich Zionism
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Trump suggests ‘finishing off what’s left’ of Iran

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

United States President Donald Trump departs the White House en route to Hebron, Kentucky in Washington DC, United States, on March 11, 2026. [Celal Güneş – Anadolu Agency]

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested “finishing off” what is left of the “Iranian Terror State” and urged countries relying on the Strait of Hormuz to take responsibility, criticizing “non-responsive” allies, Anadolu reports.

“I wonder what would happen if we ‘finished off’ what’s left of the Iranian Terror State, and let the Countries that use it, we don’t, be responsible for the so called ‘Straight?’ That would get some of our non-responsive ‘Allies’ in gear, and fast!!!,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

His remarks came as the tensions in the region have escalated since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing around 1,300 people so far, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.

Tehran has also effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since March 1, forcing Trump to urge US allies, as well as China, to help reopen the strategic waterway.

READ: Russia condemns ‘murder’ of Iranian officials amid killing of Tehran’s security chief

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

Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying only 9 days ago 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 only 9 days ago that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9dn3j04lydo

Post author:dizzy
Post published:18 March 2026
Post category:Donald Trump Fascism genocide Israel Neo-liberalism new authoritarianism plutocracy politics the filthy rich Zionism
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Israel shocked by Hezbollah capabilities amid fears of prolonged war

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Firefighters work where rockets fired by Hezbollah reportedly struck several locations in Nahariya, Israel’s northern Galilee region, on March 16, 2026. [Samir Abdalhade – Anadolu Agency]

Signs of growing shock within Israeli political and military circles are emerging over Hezbollah’s military capabilities, with officials acknowledging that previous intelligence assessments may have significantly underestimated the group’s strength.

The reassessment follows Hezbollah’s forceful entry into the confrontation alongside the ongoing regional war involving Iran, prompting concerns in Israel about the prospect of a prolonged war of attrition.

According to Hebrew media reports and analysis, earlier Israeli evaluations suggested that Hezbollah’s capabilities had weakened, particularly after disruptions to supply lines linked to developments in Syria.

However, recent battlefield developments appear to have contradicted those assumptions.

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Momen Miqdad, a researcher specialising in Israeli affairs, said a state of surprise now prevails within the Israeli establishment, particularly given Hezbollah’s military performance after months of relative silence.

“Hezbollah maintained silence despite Israeli strikes and assassinations targeting its members in southern Lebanon, which gave the occupation the false impression that its capabilities had declined,” he said.

Miqdad added that Israeli media outlets, including Channel 12, had previously reported intelligence assessments indicating that Hezbollah had become weaker than in previous years.

“These assessments have now been proven inaccurate by developments on the ground,” he said.

The shift in perception has raised concerns within Israel about the scale of Hezbollah’s preparedness and the potential for an extended and costly confrontation along the northern front.

READ: Hezbollah says it struck Israeli military communications station in Ella Valley

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Post author:dizzy
Post published:17 March 2026
Post category:Benjamin Netanyahu Donald Trump Fascism Israel Neo-liberalism new authoritarianism plutocracy politics the filthy rich Zionism
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Tehran warns US against attacks on Kharg Island oil facilities

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A general view of the Port of Kharg Island Oil Terminal, in the Persian Gulf on March 12, 2017. [Fatemeh Bahrami – Anadolu Agency]

Tehran has warned the United States that it will respond if there are any new attacks on its oil facilities on Kharg Island, Iranian Armed Forces spokesman Abu al-Fazl Shekarchi told Tasnim News Agency on Monday.

Shekarchi said Iran would destroy all oil and gas facilities of any country involved in such attacks.

On Saturday, US forces struck around 90 Iranian military targets on the island, a key hub for Iran’s oil exports, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

US President Donald Trump also warned that any interference with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would lead to action against Iran’s oil infrastructure on the island.

READ: Pezeshkian sets terms for ceasefire talks

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Post author:dizzy
Post published:17 March 2026
Post category:Donald Trump Fascism Israel Neo-liberalism new authoritarianism plutocracy politics the filthy rich Zionism
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Amnesty Says US Must Be Held to Account for Bombing Iran School ‘Packed Full of Children’

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

People are seen at the site of the February 28, 2026 bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab, Iran. (Photo by Mehr News Agency/Wikimedia Commons)

“This harrowing attack on a school, with classrooms full of children, is a sickening illustration of the catastrophic and entirely predictable price civilians are paying during this armed conflict.”

Amnesty International on Monday published an investigation that found the United States violated international humanitarian law by failing to take measures to avoid harming civilians before bombing a girls’ school in southern Iran last month and killing around 175 people, most of them children.

Evidence gathered by Amnesty “indicates that the school building was directly struck, alongside 12 other structures in an adjacent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) compound, with guided weapons,” the group said. “This points to a failure by US forces to take feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm in carrying out the attack, which is a serious breach of international humanitarian law.”

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“The fact that the school building was directly targeted and was previously part of the IRGC compound raises concerns that US forces may have relied on outdated intelligence and failed in their obligation to do everything feasible to verify that the intended target was a military objective,” Amnesty added.

Satellite imagery analyses confirmed eyewitness accounts that the February 28 attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab was a “triple-tap” airstrike, in which an initial bombing was followed up with two additional strikes meant to kill survivors and rescue workers.

Fragments of a Tomahawk cruise missile found at the school and marked with the names of US weapons companies, a Pentagon contract number, and “Made in USA” added to the body of evidence pointing to the United States as the perpetrator of what numerous experts have called a likely war crime.

President Donald Trump, who initially blamed Iran for the attack, later said he is “willing to live with” whatever the military’s investigation concludes.

“US authorities must ensure that the investigation they have announced is impartial, independent, and transparent,” Amnesty said. “Investigations into the strike must consider the intelligence gathering and assessments, targeting decisions, and precautions taken, as well as how artificial intelligence may have been employed in each of these steps, to evaluate how targeting decisions were made. The results of the investigation should be made public.”

Both the US and Israel have increasingly relied upon artificial intelligence systems to select bombing targets, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) having first used Gaza as what on expert called “a live-fire, live-ordnance lab experiment on people.” Proponents of these systems note that they can select targets and approve strikes exponentially faster than humans, enabling more strikes, but critics warn such targeting methods are inherently more dangerous, pointing to higher error rates which translate to more civilian casualties and less accountability.

In the case of the Minab strike, Amnesty said, “Where sufficient evidence exists, competent authorities should prosecute any person suspected of criminal responsibility. Victims and their families have the right to truth and justice and should receive full reparation, including restitution, rehabilitation, and compensation for civilian harm.”

Erika Guevara-Rosas—Amnesty International’s senior director of research, advocacy, policy and campaigns—said in a statement Monday that “this harrowing attack on a school, with classrooms full of children, is a sickening illustration of the catastrophic and entirely predictable price civilians are paying during this armed conflict.”

“Schools must be places of safety and learning for children,” she said. “Instead, this school in Minab became a site of mass killing. The US authorities could, and should, have known it was a school building. Targeting a protected civilian object, such as a school, is strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law.”

“If the attackers failed to identify the building as a school and nevertheless proceeded with the attack, this would indicate gross negligence in the planning of the attack and would point to a shameful intelligence failure on the part of the US military and a serious violation of international humanitarian law,” Guevara-Rosas continued.

“On the other hand,” she said, “if the US was aware that the school was adjacent to the IRGC compound and proceeded to attack without taking all feasible precautions, such as striking at night when the school would have been empty, or giving effective advance warning to civilians likely to be affected, this would amount to recklessly launching an indiscriminate attack which killed and injured civilians and must be investigated as a war crime.”

“For their part, Iranian authorities must immediately remove, to the extent feasible, civilians from the vicinity of military objectives and allow independent monitors into the country,” Guevara-Rosas added. “They must also restore internet access to ensure that the 92 million people in Iran have access to life-saving information and be able to contact their loved ones.”

Amnesty joins other organizations—including the United Nations Human Rights Office, Human Rights Watch, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor—in urging accountability for the officials responsible for planning and executing the school strike.

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

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Post published:17 March 2026
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