NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to SEVENTEEN-plus reports, commentaries, analyses, interviews and summaries (more than 20): from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, ScheerPost, the Associated Press, the Cradle, Middle East Eye, National Public Radio, Middle East Monitor; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-22-26 and CUBA.) — MCM

* Among the news organizations with frequent war updates, photos and occasionally maps are Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, the Cradle, and Middle East Monitor: HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. AP and El País reports in Spanish are HERE and HERE. *

–   –   –

NEWER  Three countries reportedly mediating between U.S. and Iran, by Maayan Lubell, Alexander Cornwell and Idrees Ali | Reuters  TEL AVIV / JERUSALEM / WASHINGTON  A reporter for the U.S. news outlet Axios, Barak Ravid, said Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan had met White House envoy Steve Witkoff and, separately, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Ravid cited an unnamed U.S. source. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Iran says coastal attack will lead to full Gulf closure and mine-laying. From Reuters. An attack on Iran’s southern coast and islands will lead to Gulf routes being cut with the laying of sea mines, the country’s Defense Council said today, according to state media. The U.S. is considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran’s Kharg Island. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

U.S., Iran talks have ‘major points of agreement’: Trump. From AFP. President Donald Trump said today that there are “major points of agreement” in U.S.-Iran talks, which he said must result in Tehran giving up its nuclear ambitions and enriched uranium stockpile. Iran denies the talks are taking place. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for similar AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others. Click HERE for report from NPR.

–   –   – 

FROM MARCH 22  U.S. official says Israel may use nuclear weapons against Iran. From ScheerPost. A top advisor to President Trump has warned that Israel may resort to using nuclear weapons as its war on Iran spirals out of control. Billionaire venture capitalist David Sacks, Trump’s White House AI and Crypto czar, acknowledged that Israel is taking unprecedented damage and could face “destruction” if the conflict continues. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

U.S. will hold off on Iran power plant strikes for five days, extending Trump deadline on Hormuz Strait, by Jon Gambrell, David Rising and Samy Magdy | AP  DUBAI — President Donald Trump today extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz to international shipping, saying the U.S. would hold off on strikes against Iranian power plants for five days. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from the Cradle and Middle East Eye.

–   –   –

Iran expert on what success would look like for U.S. or Iran amid growing threats. Michel Martin of NPR talks with Karim Sadjadpour. Click HERE for interview, and HERE for links to all eight Iran war-related NPR reports on “Morning Edition.” 

–   –   –

Pope Leo says aerial military strikes should be banned. From Middle East Eye. Pope Leo today sharply criticised aerial bombardments in warfare, saying they are indiscriminate and should be banned, in his latest anti-war comments as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran enters its fourth week. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

–   –   –

The Strait of Hormuz and Israel’s hidden agenda, by Jamal Kanj | Middle East Monitor  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. READ MORE . . .

–   –   – 

FROM MARCH 22  Iraqi pro-Iran group prolongs pause in U.S. embassy attacks. From AFP. Kataeb Hezbollah, an influential pro-Iran Iraqi armed group, announces it will extend a pause on its attacks on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad by five days. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for longer version of same AFP report in French, and HERE for others.

–   –   – 

FROM MARCH 22  Trump’s changing course on Strait of Hormuz strategy raises questions about U.S. war preparation, by Collin Binkley | AP  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — At war with Iran, President Donald Trump is cycling through an increasingly desperate list of options as he searches for a solution to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 22  Israel’s war strategy involves high-level assassinations. But will it win the war?  Adrian Ma of NPR speaks with journalist Yossi Melman, who reports on Israeli intelligence, about the state of the war between the U.S., Israel and Iran as it enters its fourth week. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 22  Iran’s strike near Dimona raises old questions about Israel’s nuclear secrets, by Jasim Al-Azzawi | Middle East Monitor  Iran’s missile strike near Israel’s Dimona nuclear facility on Saturday night was more than a dramatic escalation in the shadow war between the two nations. It was a reminder of the fragility of Israel’s decades-long policy of “nuclear ambiguity” . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 21  Iran attacks Israel’s Dimona nuclear site in retaliation, dozens wounded, by Elis Gjevori | Middle East Eye  Iranian state television says a missile strike on Dimona, home to a nuclear facility in southern Israel, was a “response” to an earlier attack on its Natanz nuclear site. READ MORE . . .

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to THREE reports: from the Associated Press, Drop Site News, and MintPress News; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for CUBA 3-6-26, or click HERE. Scroll up for IRAN.) — MCM

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 22  Cuba begins to restore power after nationwide grid collapse, by Andrea Rodríguez | AP  HAVANA — Cuba began restoring its energy system on Sunday, a day after a nationwide collapse of the entire grid left millions of people in the dark for the third time this month. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 22  Cuba Is prepared to offer compensation to Americans who lost property in the 1959 revolution, by Ryan Grim and José Granados Ceja | Drop Site News  HAVANA — The Cuban government is prepared to offer compensation to Americans and U.S. firms that saw property nationalized after the 1959 revolution, Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio told Drop Site News in an interview. The “lump sum” agreement . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   – 

FROM MARCH 22  Maximum pressure, maximum blackouts, by Alan Macleod | MintPress News  Havana is unusually quiet. A city normally buzzing with traffic and nightlife lies still, dark, and silent. The Trump administration’s economic strangulation of the island has led to frequent and extended blackouts across the country. Click HERE for article and for Macleod’s interview with Havana-based journalist Luis de Jesus Reyes.

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to TWELVE-plus reports, commentaries, analyses, interviews and summaries (twenty or so): from the Cradle, Middle East Eye, National Public Radio, Reuters, the Associated Press, Consortium News, and Politico others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-21-26 and BAHRAIN, WEST BANK and LEBANON.) — MCM

* Among the news organizations with frequent war updates, photos and occasionally maps are Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, the Cradle, and Middle East Monitor: HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. AP and El País reports in Spanish are HERE and HERE. *

–   –   – 

NEWER  Iran threatens to close Strait of Hormuz and hit power plants after Trump’s 48-hour ultimatum, by Alon Bernstein, Sam Metz and Samy Magdy | AP  ARAD, Israel — Iran and the allied Lebanese militant group Hezbollah stepped up attacks on Israel today as the United States and Iran threatened to target critical infrastructure in the war in the Middle East. Iran said the Strait of Hormuz would be “completely closed” immediately if the U.S. follows up on President Donald Trump ‘s new threat to attack its power plants. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

–   –   –   

Eight Iraqi resistance attacks hit U.S. Victoria base near Baghdad airport. From the Cradle. Iraqi resistance factions targeted the U.S. Victoria Base near Baghdad airport in at least eight separate rocket and drone strikes, just days after video footage showed the site engulfed in flames as a result of non-stop attacks. Click HERE for report and HERE for others from the Cradle.

–   –   –   

Iran outlines conditions to end war, demands complete U.S. withdrawal from region. From Middle East Eye. An Iranian official outlined a set of conditions for ending the war, including guarantees against future conflict, the closure of U.S. military bases in the region and full reparations from the United States and Israel, according to a report by Al-Mayadeen. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for March 21 report from the Cradle.

–   –   –   

Trump threatens to ‘obliterate’ Iran’s power plants as Iran strikes 2 Israeli cities. From NPR. After warning of retaliatory attacks on U.S. and Israeli infrastructure, Iran on Saturday night launched missiles at two southern Israeli cities close to the country’s main nuclear research center. The Israel Defense Forces said about 180 people had been injured, some severely. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and Middle East Eye.

–   –   – 

U.S. and Iran trade threats of expanding war after strikes near sites tied to nuclear programs, by Sam Metz and Samy Magdy | AP  CAIRO — Iran and its ally, the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group, stepped up pressure on Israel today, with intense attacks on the country’s north and south. Top Israeli leaders traveled to the Negev Desert, home to the country’s main nuclear research center and the site where Iran’s barrages struck two towns on Saturday. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 21 and TODAY  As the war in Iran expands, can diplomacy help end it? Reported by Adrian Ma, Tinbete Ermyas, Michael Levitt and Eric McDaniel | NPR  After weeks of escalation, can diplomacy end the conflict between Iran, the U.S.and Israel? Ma poses that question to former Iranian diplomat Hossein Mousavian. Click HERE to listen and, later, read. Click HERE and HERE for all seven or eight Iran war-related reports on NPR’s “All Things Considered” on Saturday and “Weekend Edition Sunday.”

–   –   –   

Gulf war: India is in a Catch-22 situation, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  The salience of the two readouts of the phone call on Saturday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian is that the bilateral relationship between the two ‘civilisation states’ has become fraught lately. The divergence of opinion is all too apparent. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 21  The World This Week – w/Ray McGovern. Joe Lauria of Consortium News and author and CN columnist Patrick Lawrence talk with ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern about the late Robert Mueller and his role as FBI director  in “Russiagate”; and the Iran war and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s and recently resigned National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent’s recent statements about it. Click HERE for video.

–   –   – 

FROM MARCH 20  U.S. pauses sanctions on some of Iran’s oil as gas prices surge, by Aaron Pellish | Politico  Sanctions on some Iranian oil will be temporarily lifted to allow the sale of shipments already in transit, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Friday. The partial pause on sanctions is intended to help ease what the administration sees as . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for March 19 report from Reuters.

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

First, a link to a report from Reuters; headlines of others are accessible by clicking on its name as highlighted. (Scroll up or down for IRAN, WEST BANK and LEBANON.) — MCM

–   –   – 

Patriot missile involved in Bahrain blast likely U.S.-operated: analysis. From Reuters. An American-operated Patriot air defence battery likely fired the interceptor missile involved in a pre-dawn explosion that injured dozens of civilians and tore through homes in U.S.-ally Bahrain 10 days into the war on Iran, according to an analysis by academic researchers examined by Reuters. READ MORE . . .

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to FOUR reports from the Cradle, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, and (in French) Agence France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 3-12-26, and up or down for IRAN, BAHRAIN, and LEBANON.) — MCM

–   –   –   

Overnight pogroms by Jewish settlers target Palestinian villages across the occupied West Bank. From the Cradle. Overnight pogroms by Jewish settlers target Palestinian villages across the occupied West Bank. From the Cradle. Israeli settlers rampaged through multiple Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank overnight, smashing cars, burning homes, and attacking and injuring Palestinians defending their homes. Click HERE for report and HERE for others from the Cradle. Click HERE, HERE and HERE reports from AP, Middle East Eye, and in French from AFP.

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

For now, link to a report from Reuters; and to commentary from MintPress News via Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on its name as highlighted. (Scroll down for LEBANON 3-14-26, and up or down for today’s IRAN, BAHRAIN and WEST BANK.) — MCM

–   –   –   

Israel strikes main bridge in south Lebanon, orders destruction of homes near border, by Ahmed Fahmy, Amr Abdallah Dalsh and Alexander Cornwell | Reuters  Israel struck a main bridge linking Lebanon’s south to the rest of the country on Sunday after ordering its military to destroy all crossings over Lebanon’s Litani River and to step up the demolition of homes near the southern border — a significant escalation in Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon. READ MORE . . .

–   –   – 

FROM MARCH 17  Manufacturing a Lebanese civil war, by Robert Inlakesh | MintPress News / Consortium News  Surprised by the intensity of Hezbollah’s retaliatory attacks aganst it, Israel appears to be pivoting to sow internal chaos within Lebanon’s borders to trigger a civil war. An attempted coup against the Lebanese military’s leadership may be the catalyst. READ MORE . . .

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Including a late addition (just after the advisory below), links to TWELVE-plus reports, commentaries, analyses, interviews, summaries, and an advsory (well over 20): from Consortium News, ScheerPost, the Grayzone, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, the Cradle, Kyoto News, Middle East Monitor, CBS News, and Anadolu Ajansi (20 or so); others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-20-26.) — MCM

* Among the news organizations with frequent war updates, photos and occasionally maps are Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, the Cradle, and Middle East Monitor: HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. AP and El País reports in Spanish are HERE and HERE. *

–   –   –

ADVISORY  Watch: The World This Week – w/Ray McGovern, at 8 p.m. EDT. Joe Lauria of Consortium News and CN columnist and author Patrick Lawrence talk with ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern about (among other things) a U.S.-Israel split on hitting energy targets; President Trump’s see-saw on pulling out or sending in ground forces, while calling NATO “cowards”; and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and some of what intel says. Click HERE at or shortly after 8 p.m. EDT to livestream talk, or for subsequent video.

–   –   –

MARCH 18  How Israel convinced Trump to wage war. Chris Hedges of the Chris Hedges Report talks with Max Blumenthal, editor-in-chief of the Grayzone, about the forces, “ensconced in the shadows of statespeak and bureaucracy,” that have determined the Trump administration’s path toward fighting Israel’s war against Iran. Click HERE for video of interview as reposted by Consortium News, with print intro by Hedges. Click HERE for article on same subject by Blumenthal in Spanish, dated March 6 on the Grayzone.

–   –   –   

How the war against Iran could end U.S. hegemony in the Gulf, by Fabian Scheidler | ScheerPost  History shows that airstrikes alone do not usually lead to victory, let alone the overthrow of governments. On the contrary . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –   

FROM MARCH 20  Trump White House plagiarized Iran war manifesto from Israel-aligned think tank, by Wyatt Reed and Max Blumenthal | The Grayzone  The Trump Administration appeared to plagiarize its official justification for its war on Iran, copying almost word-for-word a document originally produced by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a pro-war think tank with close ties to Israeli intelligence. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –   

Israel threatens a surge in attacks as Iran fires missiles farther than ever, by Samy Magdy and Sam Mednick | AP  CAIRO — Israel’s defense minister threatened a surge in attacks against Iran  today and Britain condemned Iran for targeting a joint U.K.-U.S. base in the Indian Ocean as the war in the Middle East entered its fourth week. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE for some of other recent Iran war-related  AP reports.

–   –   –   

The Iran war after three weeks. Reported by Emily Feng, Scott Simon and Eric McDaniel | NPR  Heavy airstrikes overnight in Tehran as President Trump says he’s considering winding down military operations. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE and HERE for all nine or more reports from NPR via “Weekend Edition Saturday” and yesterday’s “All Things Considered.”

–   –   –   

Pezeshkian: Iran is not seeking conflict with neighboring states and other Muslim countries. From Middle East Eye. “To Islamic countries and our dear neighbours: you are our brothers and we are not engaged in any conflict with you,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a statement on X. “The only beneficiary of our disagreements is the Zionist entity.” READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report in French from Anadolu / Anadolu.

–   –   –   

Iran will not accept ceasefire that repeats ‘past scenarios’: FM. From the Cradle. Iran says it is seeking a complete, comprehensive, and lasting end to the war while offering to facilitate the safe passage of Japanese vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, according to remarks by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Kyodo News on 21 March. Click HERE for other recent Iran war-related reports from the Cradle.  Click HERE for report from Kyoto News.

–   –   –

Trump administration making detailed preparations for ground troops in Iran: report. From Middle East Monitor. Word from Washington comes one day after President Donald Trump told reporters at a news conference, “No, I’m not putting troops anywhere,” but added, “If I were, I certainly wouldn’t tell you.” READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from CBS News.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 20  Trump says he doesn’t want ceasefire in Iran, by Rabia Iclal Turan | Anadolu  WASHINGTON — “I don’t want to do a ceasefire,” U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday. “You know, you don’t do a ceasefire when you’re literally obliterating the other side.” READ MORE . . .

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

First, links to NINE-plus reports, commentaries, analyses, interviews and summaries (25 or so): from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, the Cradle, Consortium News, and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-19-26.) — MCM

* Among the news organizations with frequent war updates, photos and occasionally maps are Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye and Middle East Monitor: HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. AP and El País reports in Spanish are HERE and HERE. *

–   –   –   

–   –   –

Global oil and energy prices are reeling as the war in the Middle East escalates. Reported by Carrie Kahn and Steve Inskeep | NPR  Israel and Iran continue to exchange airstrikes with a focus on energy infrastructure. President Trump says Israel acted alone in striking a key gas field and better not do it again. Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE for links to all nine Iran war-related reports today on NPR‘s “Morning Edition.”

–   –   – 

Seven U.S. allies endorse Hormuz ‘coalition,’ offer ‘no commitment’ for military action. From the Cradle. The UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, and Canada issued a joint statement on 20 March in support of a potential “coalition” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while specifying “no commitment” to a concrete military role. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for several other Iran war-related reports from the Cradle.

–   –   –

Days 19 & 20: War on Iran, by Joe Lauria | Special to Consortium News  The past two days of the aggression against Iran has exposed a significant split between the master, Israel, and its more powerful servant, the United States. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 19  Israel is rapidly killing Iran’s leaders. Experts warn the strategy could backfire, by Sam Metz | AP  As a strategy, targeted killing has rarely been employed against a state. While it may provide tangible achievements that leaders can brand as victories it rarely addresses the underlying grievances that propel conflicts. Click HERE to read, and HERE for links to other Iran war-related AP reports.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 19  As the Iran war continues, what are the potential off-ramps for Trump? Reported by Ailsa Chang, Connor Donevan and Tinbete Ermyas  |  NPR  The Trump administration says the Iran war will end when the president decides. Thomas Wright of the Brookings Institution argues that’s easier said than done. Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE for links to at least four Iran war-related reports Thursday on NPR’s “All Things Considered” program.

–   –   –

Tit-for-tat strikes on energy assets gift Iran another tactical lever, by Sean Mathews | Middle East Eye  The U.S. “clumsy” handling of attacks on Iran’s energy assets has handed Tehran a lever of escalation dominance in a rapidly spiraling war, according to two Arab officials. “First . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

The U.S.-Israeli strategy against Iran is failing, by Sami Al-Arian | Middle East Eye  The aggression launched by the United States and Israel against Iran has produced a striking strategic paradox. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

TO BE CONTINUED

NOTE : Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to FIFTEEN-plus reports, commentaries, analyses, interviews and summaries (more than 20): from Reuters, the Cradle, Middle East Eye, France-Presse, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, El País, and Consortium News; others or just headlines are accessible by clicking on their names as highlighted. (Scroll down for Iran 3-18-26.) — MCM

* Among the news organizations with frequent war updates, photos and occasionally maps are Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye and Middle East Monitor: HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. AP and El País reports in Spanish are HERE and HERE. *

–   –   –   

NEWER  U.S.-Israeli war with Iran causes major oil, gas disruptions, by Ahmad Ghaddar, Stephanie Kelly and Nerijus Adomaitis | Reuters  LONDON / OSLO  — The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and Tehran’s attacks on Gulf neighbours have damaged major energy facilities and brought shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — which handles about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows — close to a halt. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for March 18 report from the Cradle.

–   –   –   

FROM MARCH 18  U.S.-Israeli war on Iran ‘unjustified and unlawful’: French ambassador to Oman, by David Hearst | Middle East Eye  France believes the U.S.–Israeli war on Iran is unjustified and unlawful, the French ambassador to Oman, Nabil Hajlaoui, has told Middle East Eye in an exclusive interview. Click HERE for report including video of interview on the David Hearst Podcast.

–   –   –   

Iran again threatens to destroy region’s energy facilities if own attacked. From AFP. Iran’s military renewed threats on Thursday to destroy the region’s energy infrastructure were its facilities to be attacked again during the U.S.-Israel war with the Islamic Republic. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AFP report in French, and HERE for others.

–   –   –   

FROM MARCH 18  Strikes hit world’s largest natural gas field in Iran; Tehran retaliates with more attacks, by Jon Gambrell, Sam Metz and Julie Watson | AP  DUBAI — Iran broadened its strikes on major energy facilities in the Middle East, eliciting strong warnings today from Gulf Arab states that called it a dangerous escalation that threatened to draw them into direct combat with Tehran. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

–   –   –

What did President Trump know about Iran before going to war? Steve Inskeep | NPR  speaks with Nate Swanson, former director for Iran at the National Security Council, about what President Trump understood about Iran before going to war. Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE for all seven Iran war-related reports today on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

–   –   –   

FROM MARCH 18  U.S. weighs military reinforcements as Iran war enters possible new phase, by Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Erin Banco and Gram Slattery | Reuters  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration is considering deploying thousands of U.S. troops to reinforce its operation in the Middle East, as the U.S. military prepares for possible next steps in its campaign against Iran, said a U.S. official and three people familiar with the matter. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –   

The EU is preparing to slam the door on Trump and cling to multilateralism, by María R. Sahuquillo, Silvia Ayuso and Manuel V. Gómez | El País  BRUSSELS — Faced with the international disorder created by Donald Trump, the European Union is clinging to multilateralism. The 27 EU countries agree that . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same El País report in Spanish, and HERE and HERE for others.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 18  Pedro Sánchez’s ‘No a la Guerra,’ by Patrick Lawrence
 | Special to Consortium News  Sánchez, Spain’s Socialist primer ministro since June 2018, has distinguished himself and his nation these past few years by taking strong stands against the Zionist terror regime’s genocide in Gaza, against the West’s support of it, against wasteful defense budgets and more recently against the U.S.–Israeli war of aggression against Iran. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 18  Saudi Arabia hosts Arab, Islamic officials as U.S. war pushes region to the brink. From the Cradle. Saudi Arabia was hosting a consultative meeting of Arab and Islamic foreign ministers in Riyadh on Wednesday to discuss regional security coordination and stability s the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran destabilizes West Asia. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 18  Iran hits Qatar refinery, targets Saudi Arabia, after huge gas field struck, by Parisa Hafezi, Rami Ayyub and Maya Gebeily | Reuters  DUBAI / JERUSALEM / BEIRUT — Iran’s huge Pars gas field was hit on Wednesday in a major escalation in the U.S.-Israeli war that sent oil prices shooting higher, and Tehran struck Qatar and fired missiles ‌at Saudi Arabia after vowing attacks on oil and gas targets throughout the Gulf. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –   

FROM MARCH 18  Tracing recent events that led Netanyahu to launch the war against Iran. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  A chain of events in recent years led Israel and the U.S. to do what they had hesitated to do for decades: launch all-out war against Iran. Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE for links to all five or so Iran war-related reports Wednesday on NPR’s “All Things Considered” program.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 18  Days 17 & 18: War on Iran, by Joe Lauria | Special to Consortium News  A pragmatic Iranian leader who took part in nuclear negotiations with the U.S. and who was a philosopher specializing in Immanuel Kant  was murdered Tuesday by Israel in an airstrike as he was visiting his daughter in Pardis, a city east of Tehran. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –   

FROM MARCH 18  U.S. intelligence chief admits Iran ‘made no effort’ to rebuild nuclear program after 12-day war. From the Cradle. U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard admitted to lawmakers during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing in Washington that there had been “no efforts” by Iran to rebuild its nuclear enrichment capability following joint US-Israeli strikes in June 2025. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from  Middle East Eye.

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to SEVENTEEN-plus reports, commentaries, analyses and interviews (two dozen?): from the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, Agence France-Presse, Reuters, the Cradle, ScheerPost, Geopolitical Economy Report, National Public Radio, Common Dreams, MintPress News via Consortium News, and Breaking Points; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for 3-17-26.)

* Among the news organizations with frequent war updates, photos and occasionally maps are Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye and Middle East Monitor: HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. AP and El País reports in Spanish are HERE and HERE. *

–   –   –   

Trump’s failed strong-arming of allies on Iran shows that pressure is losing its effect, by John Leicester and Emma Burrows | AP  PARIS — We’ve long had your back, now it’s our turn. That is how the famously transactional U.S. President Donald Trump is framing his demands that allies help him with the Iran war. He wants to call in IOUs for decades of U.S. security guarantees. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

–   –   –

Iran tells Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE to evacuate energy facilities after Israel hits gas plant, by Alex MacDonald | Middle East Eye  Iran has issued an order to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE to evacuate their petrochemical facilities, implying an impending attack. The warning, issued from state media, comes shortly after a U.S.–Israeli attack on the South Pars gas field in Iran. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –   

Israel, U.S. hit Iranian facility at major Gulf gas field: Iranian state media.  From AFP. “Moments ago, parts of the gas facilities located in the South Pars Special Economic Energy Zone in Asaluyeh were struck by projectiles fired by the American-Zionist enemy,” Iranian state television reported. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for similar report in French from Connaissance des Énergies with AFP, and HERE and HERE for headlines of others in English and French from AFP / AFP. Click HERE for report from Reuters.

–   –   –   

Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib killed, Israel defense minister says. Edited by Bridget Brown, Lorian Belanger, Brian P.D. Hannon and Menelaos Hadjicostis | AP  Israel’s defense minister said today that the Israeli military killed Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib. Israel Katz made the announcement. Khatib’s killing follows Israel’s killing of top Iranian security official Ali Larijani and the head of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from NPR, and HERE for other Iran war-related AP reports.  Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye.

–   –   –   

IRGC launches ‘revenge strikes’ on Israel after assassination of Ali Larijani.  From the Cradle. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced early today a series of retaliatory missile strikes on Israel, launched shortly after Tehran confirmed the assassination of Supreme National Security Council chief Ali Larijani. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –   

The Strait, the dollar and the limits of empire, by Joshua Scheer of ScheerPost and Ben Norton of Geopolitical Economy Report. What is unfolding around Iran is not simply another regional . . . Click HERE for text of Scheer article and video of Norton analysis from a day or three ago.

–   –   –  

FROM MARCH 17  Iran launches barrage of missiles after Israel kills 2 of its top officials, by Jon Gambrell, Julie Watson and Samy Magdy | AP  DUBAI — Israel killed two senior Iranian security officials in a major blow to the Islamic Republic’s leadership as it faces its greatest test in decades, and Iran responded today with renewed missile and drone attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbors and Israel. Click HERE for rest of report and several photos. Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

–   –   –

With strikes above and crackdowns on the ground, Iranians describe life under siege. Reported by Arezou Rezvani and Steve Inskeep | NPR  A state-imposed internet blackout has obscured the reality of life in Iran as the war rages on. Those fleeing through neighboring countries share a rare glimpse of what life is like in Iran. Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE for all four of Iran war-related reports today on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

–   –   –   

FROM MARCH 17  USS Ford heads to Greek port days after fire that raged for over 30 hours: report. From the Cradle. Washington’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, is returning from the Red Sea to the Greek island of Crete for refueling, and to probe the recent fire which erupted on board the ship days ago, Greek media reported on Tuesday. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 17  Netanyahu shows off kill list ‘punch card’ to a fawning Mike Huckabee, by Brad Reed | Common Dreams  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday posted a video of himself showing off what he said was a list of kill targets to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –   

FROM MARCH 17  Iran made ‘unexpectedly substantial’ offer during Geneva talks, U.S. envoys ‘dragged’ Trump into war: report. From the Cradle. UK National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell attended the final U.S,–Iran talks in Geneva last month and concluded that a deal was in reach, The Guardian reported on Tuesday, citing sources as saying that Washington’s leading envoys were acting as “Israeli assets” who “dragged” the U.S. into war. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –   

FROM MARCH 16  Iran’s Larijani calls on Muslim world to confront ‘Great Satan.’ From the Cradle. Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, issued a six-point statement on Monday addressed to Muslims and Islamic governments across the world, accusing regional states of failing to support Iran during the US-Israeli war and urging them to reconsider their political alignment. READ MORE . . .

–   –   – 

FROM MARCH 17  Five steps to end the Trump-Netanyahu war, by Jeffrey Sachs and Sybil Fares | Common Dreams / Consortium News  The conflict is likely to spiral out of control because the U.S. and Israel are dead set on hegemony in the Arab world and West Asia – one that combines Israeli territorial expansion with American-backed regime control across the region. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –   

FROM MARCH 17  A crack in U.S. war machine & a slap in Trump’s face, by Ramzy Baroud | MintPress News / Consortium News  Joe Kent’s resignation is not an anomaly but an alarm: elite dissent is surfacing early because this war is built on deception. Kent’s resignation is shocking, but not for the obvious reason. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 17  Diesen: U.S. hegemonic world order is over. Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti of Breaking Points talk with analyst Glenn Diesen of the Glenn Diesen Show about developments in the Iran war and what he sees as its effects worldwide. Click HERE for video of interview.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 16  Mojtaba’s message to Trump: ‘Bring it on!’ by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  There is an English proverb, “The darkest hours are just before the dawn.” Maybe, hope should linger on that the cruel, senseless bombing of Iran by the U.S. and Israel is leading to what strategists call the ‘endgame.’ READ MORE . . .

.