This is the archived website page in The Multiplural World of world news headlines and analysis for the month of March 2026. Items with red headlines indicate they were published in full on the home page of the website; notices of these published items are emailed to website subscribers as they appear. Comments and information in square brackets [ ] are by the website editors. World news headlines for the preceding month of February 2026 are archived here; all previous months of ‘World news headlines and analysis’ (since March 2024) are archived here. The ‘World news’ page of The Multiplural World website is the most active page on the website, updated daily by website editors.
World news headlines and analysis for March 2026
One month of the U.S./Israel war has shown the strategic failure of attacking Iran, analysis by Murad Sadygzade, re-published in The Multiplural World, March 30, 2026 (Including three recommended, related readings. Murad Sadygzade is the president of the Middle East Studies Center and a visiting lecturer at HSE University, in Moscow. This analysis was first published in RT News on March 29, 2026.) What the U.S. and Israel saw as a quick campaign, Iran sees as a fight for survival. Costs are rising and the end is nowhere in sight.
Judge rejects but may reconsider dismissing Maduro’s case due to U.S. blocking his legal funds, by Marjorie Cohn, in Truthout.org, Mar 27, 2026
Iran armed forces deal severe blows to U.S.-Israeli targets, vessel hit, Al Mayadeen English, Mar 31, 2026
Related: What’s wrong with America’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford?, RT News, Mar 30, 2026 The vessel experienced a devastating ‘laundry fire’ during the US-Israeli attack on Iran and is now withdrawn and expected to undergo lengthy repairs
From Mach 0 to 6: this engine may power China’s future fighter jets and missiles, South China Morning Post, Mar 30, 2026 Revolutionary engine prototype three decades in the making could replace combined turbine-ramjet systems in high-speed flight (Here in pdf format: This revolutionary engine design may power China’s future warplanes and missiles)
Will Trump go kamikaze in Iran?, brief, informed commentary by Professor John J. Mearsheimer (U. of Chicago), published on his Substack page, March 30, 2026 (here in pdf format: Will Trump go kamikaze in Iran?)
Russian oil tanker MV Anatoly Kolodkin arrives in Cuba, three weeks after leaving Russia’s Baltic Sea waters, Oil Price.com, March 30, 2026 [Western media is reporting that the MV Anatoly Kolodkin has successfully defied the U.S. oil blockade against Cuba, though this media is treating this as a generous gesture by the Trump regime in Washington. Reuters news agency and Washington Post headlines, for example, both read that the U.S. has ‘allowed’ the tanker to dock in Cuba. The ship was accompanied during the first part of its voyage through the English Channel by a Russian warship, the Steregushchiy-class frigate RFN Soobrazitelny. The tanker left Primorsk, Russia, on the Baltic Sea, on March 9. Might the existence of Russia’s powerful fleet of submarines have also played a role in assuring the safe transit of the Anatoly Kolodkin across the Atlantic Ocean? The U.S. and Russian submarine fleets are close to equal in size. These are powerful warships not to be underestimated, as seen by the recent scattering of several U.S. aircraft carrier groups away from the Persian Gulf. Missile technology has altered the face of naval warfare in the 21st century; modern submarines are very powerful, floating missile launchers.]
Japan completes its first outfitting of a navy destroyer to carry U.S.-made ‘Tomahawk’ missiles, further boosting its military threats against China. Reference: Report in South China Morning Post, Mar 29, 2026 Analysts say the move marks a fundamental shift in Tokyo’s military strategy and places China on ever-higher alert (Read the report here in pdf format: Japan completes its first outfitting of a navy destroyer to carry U.S.-made ‘Tomahawk’ missiles, further boosting its military threats against China
North Korea tests new, high-thrust engine for missile capable of striking US mainland, France 24, Mar 29, 2026
Related: Was South Korea’s decision to pursue dialogue, not war, in 1994 a ‘strategic error’?, as the U.S. and Israel claim today?, commentary by By Gil Yun-hyung, editorial writer,in The Hankyoreh, Mar 30, 2026 Israel and the U.S. are pointing to the first North Korean nuclear crisis to justify their war with Iran, but does history support this comparison?
Yemen joins the war: Red Sea could be blocked next, interview with Professor Seyed Mirandi (Tehran U.), broadcast on the YouTube channel of Glenn Diesen, Mar 29, 2026 (54′)
Yemen military launches missile attack against Apartheid Israel as U.S./Israel war against Iran intensifies. Reference: Report in Al Jazeera, Mar 28, 2026 Yemen’s rebel government has attacked Israel with a barrage of ballistic missiles – the first such strikes since the United States-Israeli war against Iran began. Sirens went off around Beersheba and in Dimona for the third time overnight Friday into Saturday as Iran and Hezbollah continued to fire on Israel…
[The two small cities in southern Israel are 40 km apart. Israel’s main nuclear research site, where weapons-grade uranium is processed, is some 18 km from Dimona. Severe media censorship by Apartheid Israel limits any global reporting of damage being inflicted against the military of the apartheid regime. Yemen’s military has so far have stayed out of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. Its attacks against Israeli shipping during the most active phase of Israel’s genocide in Gaza from 2023 to 2025 upended commercial transit in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion worth of goods passes each year.]
Related: Pentagon prepares for weeks of ground operations in Iran, report in MSN News, Mar 28, 2026 The United States military is drawing up plans for sustained ground operations inside Iran, potentially spanning several weeks, including a possible seizure of Kharg Island and strikes on coastal positions near the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Washington Post report dated March 28, citing unnamed American officials. The plans, which involve special operations and conventional infantry units, have not yet received presidential approval, and a full-scale invasion is not on the table. The Washington Post reports that the Trump administration is discussing the possible seizure of Kharg Island and raids into other coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz to “find and destroy weapons” that can target commercial and military shipping… Meanwhile, inside Iran, the state-run Tehran Times has published a front-page warning directed at Washington under the headline ‘Welcome to Hell’, stating that any American troops crossing into Iranian territory would return only in coffins. Iranian authorities claim more than one million citizens have volunteered to fight, with many enlisting through the Basij militia and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. (end report)
The worsening situation over the U.S./Israel war against Iran, interview with military analyst Lawrence Wilkerson, broadcast on the YouTube channel of Glenn Diesen, Mar 29, 2026 (49′)
Related: Essential US AWACS plane destroyed amidst new Iranian attacks, as U.S. continues losing critical capability in region, situation published on the Substack page of ‘Simplicius The Thinker’, Mar 28, 2026
Reopen the Strait of Hormuz? There’s one big problem: sea mines, commentary, by Alexander Wooley, in Washington Post, Mar 27, 2026 (Alexander Wooley is a former British Royal Navy officer and director of the research lab AidData at the College of William and Mary, in Virginia. He is the author of the forthcoming ‘Battleship Yamato: The Ship, The Myth, The Legend’, forthcoming in August.) President Donald Trump may get his wish of a reopened Strait of Hormuz, but that doesn’t mean the waterway will be safe for transit. The reason: It’s likely lined with mines that take ages to clear… (Read the report here in pdf format: Reopen the Strait of Hormuz? There’s one big problem: sea mines)
‘No Kings’ rallies draw millions across the U.S. and Europe to protest Trump regime and its wars, at home and abroad. Reference: Report by Associated Press, Mar 28, 2026
The U.S.-Israeli war against Iran become a fiasco, interview with two liberal academics: John Mearsheimer (U. of Chicago) and Trita Parsi (Exec. VP of the Quincy Institute); broadcast on the YouTube channel of the Community Alliance 4 Peace and Justice (New England, USA), Mar 26, 2026 (highly informative interview, 70′)
Iran has severely damaged American military bases in the Middle East, officials say, New York Times, Mar 25, 2026 (Read the report here in pdf format: Iran has severely damaged several American military bases in the Middle East, officials say)
And read: Report in India Today, updated on Friday, March 26
Baltic states attack Russia ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga with drones; Persian Gulf states face collapse, interview with Russian military analyst Stanislav Krapivnik, broadcast on the YouTube channel of Glenn Diesen, Mar 26, 2026 (55’)
Related: Russia’s Baltic ports halt oil loadings after heavy Ukrainian drone attack, Reuters, Mar 25, 2026
Israel hammered; Trump doomed, interview with military analyst Lawrence Wilkerson, broadcast on the YouTube program ‘The Peacemonger’ (host Ian Proud), Mar 23, 2026 (49’)
The silent axis: Why Iran has yet to call upon its allies for direct assistance, analysis by Farhad Ibragimov, in RT News, Mar 25, 2026 (Farhad Ibragimov is a lecturer at the Faculty of Economics at RUDN University in Moscow and a lecturer at the Department of Political Science, Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, also in Moscow.)
Iran rejects US ceasefire plan, issues its own demands as strikes land across the Mideast, Associated Press, Mar 25, 2026
Related news: Iran has fired a new round of missiles on March 25 against countries surrounding the Persian Gulf that are enabling the U.S,/Israel war effort. It has also targetted the U.S. aircraft carrier group of the USS Abraham Lincoln, forcing it to further withdraw from range of Iranian missiles.–Report by Agence France presse, March 25. [The other U.S. carrier group in the region, the USS Gerald Ford, has withdrawn entirely from the battle region, reportedly caused by acts of sabotage by U.S. sailors on board, whose tours of duty have reached an unprecedented one year in length. It is now berthed in Cyprus and likely headed back to the U.S.]
China’s strategy to stay out of Iran war is working; and crisis may spur opportunity, analysis in South China Morning Post, Mar 25, 2026 Beijing is watching, waiting and safeguarding its core interests – oil flows, Taiwan and trade – as war consumes the resources of its geopolitical rival (here in pdf format: China’s strategy to stay out of Iran war is working, while crisis spurs opportunity)
Iran’s missiles pierce Israel’s defenses, raising doubts about interceptors, report in Washington Post, March 25, 2026 (Read the report here in pdf format, text only: Iran’s missiles pierce Israel’s defenses, raising doubts about interceptors)
[Concern that Iran was amassing missiles to overwhelm defenses was a key factor in Israel’s push for war, say officials of the apartheid state. Recent strikes have laid bare Israel’s vulnerability, notably the recent strike against the small city of Dimona, located in the Negev Desert in southern Israel. Largely unreported by Western media (surprise!) is that the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center (‘Dimona Reactor’) is located a mere 18 km from Dimona. Active since the mid-1960s, the Dimona Reactor has been involved in the production of nuclear materials for use in Israel’s nuclear weapons program. (Wikipedia).]
Closure of the Strait Of Hormuz brings the U.S. Empire to the brink, by Kit Klarenburg (correspondent), in Al Mayadeen English, Mar 24, 2026
How the Iran war is testing an already strained U.S.-S. Korea military alliance, analysis in Peninsula Dispatch, Mar 24, 2026
In Trump regime’s war messaging, veterans see something new and disturbing: trivializing military service, paywalled report in Washington Post, Mar 25, 2026 Service members and families who have lost loved ones say the Trump team’s memes and jokes trivialize combat and sacrifice. Trump aides say the backlash sends views soaring.
China’s two new Type 055 destroyers to serve in East China Sea undergo first live-fire drills, South China Morning Post, Mar 24, 2026 (read the report here in pdf format: China’s two new Type 055 destroyers undergo first live-fire drills)
Is Trump’s claimed pause on Iran strikes a bid for time ahead of a weekend offensive?, by Kim Won-chul (Washington correspondent), The Hankyoreh (S. Korea), March 24, 2026 …Trump’s five-day negotiation period happens to line up precisely with the New York Stock Exchange’s weekday trading schedule. That suggests the possibility of a transition to a more concentrated offensive over the weekend…
Related: Iran blasts Trump’s claims of direct talks as ‘fake news’ aimed at manipulating markets, by Jeremy Scahill, Drop Site News (on Substack), Mar 24, 2026
The U.S./Israel war duo wage heavy strikes against Iran as Trump blather on social media makes headlines in Western media. References:
* Report in Al Jazeera, March 23, 2026 …All in all, the Iranian Red Crescent Society has said more than 80,000 civilian [building] units have been hit, with some of them fully demolished. That number includes hospitals, schools, academic institutions and Red Crescent facilities… Iran’s death toll in the war has surpassed 1,500, its Ministry of Health reports. In Israel, 15 people have been killed by Iranian attacks…
* Daily update in Al Jazeera, March 24, 2026 …Trump has claimed on social media that discussions are ongoing with Iran to reach a peace agreement. Iranian officials have firmly rejected these claims, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and leaders of the national legislature calling the statements “fake news” and a “big lie”. Iranian officials have accused the U.S. of fabricating these claims to manipulate global oil and financial markets, and to buy time as more U.S. troops deploy to the region…
How Iran is beating back the U.S. and Israel, analysis by Robert Inlakesh, in Palestine Chronicle, March 24, 2026
Related:
* Seeing clearly the Trump regime and phenomenon, analysis by Craig Murray, published on his website blog, Mar 21, 2026
* Most Americans don’t understand how extreme Israeli society has become, by Dave Reed, in Mondoweiss, Mar 22, 2026 Ninety-three percent of Israeli Jews support the war against Iran
Trump regime climbdown in the offing? New York Times early on Monday, March 23: President Trump said Monday that the United States and Iran were negotiating “a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East” and that he would postpone his deadline for attacking Iranian power plants by five days after the two countries traded threats over the weekend. Iran did not immediately comment. It was unclear what kind of communication might be taking place and who might be mediating; Iran has previously denied seeking a ceasefire…
Related: The Washington Post headlines a March 23 report (paywalled) with ‘Trump says U.S. is negotiating end to war with Iran’.
How the US-Israeli aggression against Iran is affecting the war in Ukraine, report from Ukraine by Dmitri Kovalevich, re-published in The Multiplural World, March 22, 2026
The US-Israeli war against Iran is already worsening Ukraine’s economic and military strain, especially through fuel shortages and rising costs, exposing the limits of Western capacity to sustain both the war in Ukraine and a broader regional conflict at the same time. (Dmitri Kovalevich is the special correspondent in Ukraine for Al Mayadeen English, where this report first appeared on March 22, 2026. He writes two reports per month for the publication.)
Cuba readies for first Russian oil shipment of the year as energy crisis deepens, Associated Press, March 20, 2026 …The Russian-flagged Anatoly Kolodkin is expected to reach the island in 10 days. If so, that would mark the first time any oil shipment from any country reaches Cuba in the past three months due to a U.S. energy blockade of the island... Another vessel, the Hong Kong-flagged Sea Horse, is also reportedly carrying Russian oil to Cuba, transporting approximately 200,000 barrels of diesel…
Related:
China’s solar power assistance brings electricity to health centers in Cuba, report by Telesur English, March 17, 2026 Beyond the hospital network of more than 280 hospitals and 430 polyclinics, the project will also reach some 2,000 homes in isolated rural areas that historically lack stable access to electricity
Total war by the U.S./Israel aggressors, attacking Iran’s nuclear power plants and desalination and other civilian infrastructure, interview with Professor Seyed Mohammed Mirandi (Tehran University), broadcast on the YouTube program of Glenn Diesen, Mar 22, 2026 (50′)
Related:
* Trump issues 48-hour Hormuz Strait ultimatum, threatening Iran’s power plants, Al Jazeera, Mar 22, 2026 Tehran has responded to Trump’s threat by saying all U.S. energy infrastructure in the Middle East region will be targeted if Iran’s facilities are attacked.
* The world’s largest gas field is bombed by U.S./Israel aggressors: How close is a global energy crisis?, analysis in RT News, Mar 20, 2026 [Note that this report in RT News relays the fiction being propagated by the Trump regime in Washington that Israel alone struck the South Pars natural gas installation in Iran on March 19, that the regime had nothing to do with it.]
Glacier loss across the Himalayas mountain range directly threatens two billion people, report re-published in The Multiplural World, March 22, 2024 (with related reports) Military conflicts such as the war in Iran are diverting global attention away from global warming and the ecological crisis, scientists warn. This report was first published in the South China Morning Post on March 21, 2026.
Cuba ‘categorically’ rejects prospect of removing its president Miguel Diaz-Canel in talks with U.S., Al Jazeera, Mar 20, 2026
Hungary continues opposing 90 billion Euro EU loan to Kiev regime so long as its oil supply from Russia remains blocked, Reuters news agency, Mar 18, 2026
Iran ready to help passage of Japan ships in Strait of Hormuz, report by Mohammad Gharebagh, in Kyodo News, Mar 21, 2026 Iran has signaled a conditional easing of restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz for Japan, positioning the move as a targeted response that maintains pressure on states involved in the war while allowing limited energy flows to non-hostile countries. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a telephone interview with Kyodo News on March 20 that Iran has not closed the strategic waterway; it has imposed restrictions on vessels belonging to countries involved in attacks against Iran while offering assistance to others…
How Ukraine became an enemy of Iran, by Farhad Ibragimov, in RT News, Mar 20, 2026 Tehran and Kiev stand on the brink of a direct conflict (Farhad Ibragimov is a lecturer at the Faculty of Economics at RUDN University in Moscow and at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, also in Moscow.) …Iran’s stance toward Ukraine has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, from cautious neutrality to outright confrontation. Tehran has ceased to regard Kiev as a neutral or peripheral player and has begun to see it as part of a hostile anti-Iran coalition associated with the Western military-political bloc…
Israel’s psychological warfare campaign in Lebanon threatening death and destruction against its people, by Mayssoun Sukarieh, Mondoweiss, Mar 20, 2026
How to oppose the imperialist war drive while ignoring the imperialist war drive against Russia and China. Reference: Report by ‘Counterfire’ Trotskyist group (which leads the ‘Stop The War’ coalition in Britain) saying nothing about imperialism’s war drive against Russia and China, Mar 19, 2026 [The report speaks of an ‘imperial’ war drive, shunning the word ‘imperialism’ as well as the science behind it. A March 17 report by Stop The War coalition on its annual conference held on March 14 also had nothing to say on Russia or China.].
The Iran war as a gateway to war against China and Russia, interview with analyst Brian Berletic, by Glenn Diesen, re-broadcast on The Multiplural World, March 20, 2026 (61′ broadcast; with related readings included. )
From Turkey To Tabriz: A ground-level view of the West’s war of aggression on Iran, report by Dimtri Lascaris, broadcast on the ‘Reason To Resist’ YouTube program he co-produces, March 20, 2026 (17′ report)
The U.S.-Israel war on Iran is decoupling Persian Gulf security, report in South China Morning Post, Mar 19, 2026 (here in pdf format: The U.S.-Israel war on Iran is decoupling Persian Gulf security)
Related: How hubris created an ‘invincible’ U.S. military, analysis by Thomas Neuburger, published on his Substack page ‘God’s Spies’, March 19, 2026 ‘You go to war with the army your contractors give you…’
Dossier: The state of the U.S. economy, March 20, 2026:
* The Iran war and the state of the U.S. economy, lengthy analysis by Michael Roberts (Marxist economist in UK), Mar 19, 2026
* US federal debt becoming ‘alarmingly unsustainable’ as Iran war fuels spending analysts warn, report in South China Morning Post, Mar 19, 2026 (Read the report here in pdf format: U.S. federal debt becoming ‘alarmingly unsustainable’ as Iran war fuels spending, analysts warn)
* I predicted the 2008 financial crisis. what is coming may be worse, commentary by Richard Bookstaber, in New York Times, March 16, 2026 (Richard Bookstaber is the author of A Demon of Our Own Design, a book published in 2007 which warned of the coming financial crisis. Read the commentary here in pdf format: I predicted the 2008 financial crisis. what is coming may be worse)
Trump says he has delayed planned visit to China by ‘five or six weeks–Reports by news agencies on March 19 [This announcement sure looks like a polite exit ramp proposed by the Chinese government for delaying a Trump visit to China. This as the political, economic and military disaster of the U.S./Israel war against Iran unfolds.].
Related:
* Delayed U.S.-China summit raises stakes for Japanese PM ahead of her three-day visit to Washington and meeting with Trump, South China Morning Post, Mar 18, 2026 (Read the report here in pdf format: Delayed U.S.-China summit raises stakes for Japanese PM ahead of her three-day visit to Washington and meeting with Trump)
Oil and gas prices soar after new U.S./Israel attacks, including striking Iran’s South Pars natural gas site. Iran is responding in kind with attacks against fossil fuel facilities in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Reference: Reporting by NBC News, Mar 19, 2026
Related:
* USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier quits Iran attack, heads to Crete for repairs following on-board fire of unidentified source. Report by Bloomberg News, Mar 18, 2026 [Earlier reports spoke of sailors sabotaging the ship’s waste disposal plumbing. Today, there is silence over the exact source of the laundry room fire that has knocked the ship out of war service entirely. The South China Morning Post reports on March 19: “The U.S. Navy said the fire started in the warship’s laundry facility and the cause was still under investigation. One scenario reportedly being examined was whether the fire was deliberately set by sailors to end their prolonged deployment.”].
* Massive crowds in the streets of Tehran attended a funeral procession on March 18 for countrymen killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes. Crowds honored high-level officials killed in Iran as well as the dozens of sailors killed when a U.S. submarine struck an Iranian naval vessel, the IRIS Dena, off Sri Lanka two weeks ago.–New York Times, Mar 18, 2026 (with photos)
U.S. attacks world’s largest gas field in Iran while Iran declares economic war, interview with Professor Seyed Mohammed Mirandi (Tehran University), Mar 18, 2026 (51′)
Related:
* U.S. military options and war narratives collapse, interview with military analyst Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, broadcast on the YouTube channel of Glenn Diesen, Mar 18, 2026 (26′)
Is Trump trying to use reverse psychology to get allies to support Iran war?, report by Kim Won-chul (Washington correspondent), The Hankyoreh (S. Korea), Mar 19, 2026
Related: Korea must say no to sending soldiers into Trump’s war, editorial, The Hankyoreh, Mar 17, 2026
Cuba restores electricity network, vows ‘unbreakable resistance’ to U.S. pressure, report by Agence France presse, Mar 17, 2026
Apartheid Israel’s war rampage in Lebanon: Since Apartheid Israel launched an intensified war against Lebanon on March 2, more than one million people have been displaced (17% of the country’s population). At least 912 people have been killed, including 111 children, and more than 2,200 are wounded. The United Nations warned on March 17 that Israeli attacks on residential buildings and civilian infrastructure may constitute war crimes under international humanitarian law.—Al Jazeera, Mar 18, 2026
Signs of implosion of the Trump regime in the resignation of war hawk Joe Kent, analysis by Ramzy Baroud (publisher), in Palestine Chronicle, Mar 17, 2026
Silicon Valley bet on war; the bets are paying off, New York Times, Mar 17, 2026 After years of criticism and financial risk, Palantir, Anthropic and small start-ups are generating rewards from their investments in defense tech (Read the report here in pdf format: Silicon Valley bet on war; the bets are paying off)
U.S. strategic defeat in Iran will reshape the world, interview with Lawrence Wilkerson (retired colonel in the U.S. Army and the former chief of staff to the U.S. Secretary of State), broadcast on the YouTube channel of Glenn Diesen, Mar 17, 2026 (54′)
Situation report on Ukraine, interview with Russian military analyst Stanislav Krapivnik, broadcast on the YouTube channel of Glenn Diesen, Mar 16, 2026 (52′)
Iranian officials say they have been been ignoring requests to talk by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, by Jeremy Scahill, Drop Site News, Mar 16, 2026
Related: Drop Site News has posted on X on March 16: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is rejecting a White House claim reported by Axios that he sent text messages to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff seeking talks to end the war. As Drop Site reported earlier, Iranian officials said the opposite: Witkoff sent messages to Tehran exploring negotiations and Iran chose not to respond. Araghchi said his last contact with Witkoff occurred before Washington “decided to kill diplomacy with another illegal military attack on Iran”, adding that claims otherwise appear designed to “mislead oil traders and the public”.’
Israeli attacks hit Beirut and southern Lebanon, displacing more than one million, Al Jazeera, Mar 17, 2026 Israeli air attacks have rained down on three neighbourhoods in Beirut, reports Lebanese state media, as officials there say the beleaguered country now has more than one million people displaced. Punishing attacks by the Israel apartheid army began more than two weeks ago…
Related: Israel expands its ground invasion of southern Lebanon, report in the Globe and Mail (pro-Israel daily in Canada), Mar 16, 2026 Israel has expanded its ground invasion and aerial attacks in southern Lebanon holding out the possibility of occupying the area immediately north of the Israeli border (Read the report here in pdf format: Israel expands its ground invasion of southern Lebanon)
European leaders rebuff Trump’s call to open the Strait of Hormuz, report in Washington Post, Mar 17, 2026 (here in pdf format: European leaders rebuff Trump’s call to open the Strait of Hormuz)
Related:
* New Japanese PM to Takaichi to meet this week with Trump and juggle his demand for warships to assist U.S./Israel war to subjugate the Iranian people and gov’t. Reference: report in Japan Times, Mar 17, 2026
* A U.S. attack on Iran’s Kharg Island will destroy the Gulf States, interview with military analyst Larry Johnson, broadcast on the YouTube channel of Glenn Diesen, Mar 16, 2026 (60′)
The long shadow of the Strait of Hormuz closure, by Hala Farhat, in Al Mayadeen English, Mar 15, 2026 The economic damage radiating outward from the world’s most consequential maritime chokepoint is more granular, more structural, and considerably longer lasting than rising oil futures prices suggest
Imperialist wars being waged against the Global South in Ukraine and Iran, report from Ukraine by Dmitri Kovalevich, re-published in The Multiplural World, March 15, 2026 (Dmitri Kovalevich is the special correspondent in Ukraine for Al Mayadeen English, where this report was first published on March 14, 2026. He writes two reports per month for the publication.)
Toxic pollution from U.S./Israel war against Iran will spread and last for decades, Bloomberg News, Mar 15, 2026
The ‘law of the jungle’ signaled by U.S. actions could spur more countries to pursue nuclear weapons, feature interview with analyst Zhao Tong, in South China Morning Post, Mar 15, 2026 (Zhao Tong is a senior fellow with the Nuclear Policy Programme at Washington-based think tank the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and with its East Asia-based research centre on contemporary China, Carnegie China.) Read the interview here in pdf format: The ‘law of the jungle’ signaled by U.S. actions could spur more countries to pursue nuclear weapons)
A humane Chinese AI versus a dog-eat-dog American AI, commentary by Alex Lo (columnist), in South China Morning Post, Mar 16, 2026 From killing jobs to killing people, the vision of artificial intelligence supremacy in the United States is truly terrifying (Read the column here in pdf format: A humane Chinese AI versus a dog-eat-dog American AI)
Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran will fight the U.S. ‘war of choice’, sees no reason for talks, report by Al Mayadeen English, Mar. 14, 2026
Related:
* On Day 15, the U.S. ‘plan’ for Iran falters, with implications for the entire world, analysis by Brian Berletic, broadcast on his YouTube channel ‘The New Atlas’, March 14, 2026 (48′)
* How the U.S. fell for its own Iran propaganda, analysis by Robert Inlakesh, in Al Mayadeen English, March 13, 2026
Iran sets terms for ending war, but U.S. unlikely to acquiesce, analysis in The Hankyoreh (S. Korea), March 13, 2026
How the natural gas crisis enveloping the Middle East affects India, report by Betwa Sharma, in Consortium News, Mar 13, 2026 What began with unprovoked U.S.–Israel airstrikes against Iran on February 28 has rapidly grown into a regional West Asian war. Daily life for people in India, the world’s most populous country, has been deeply affected. There is now a sudden critical shortage of cooking gas in the country, pushing up prices for what fuel is available… Crude oil imports to India are less affected because India has a diverse supplier base, including Russia, (from which the U.S. is now ‘allowing’ sovereign India to import again). LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) is a different story: of the 60 percent that India imports, 90 percent passes through the Hormuz Strait… India’s electricity system is reasonably safe because most of it runs on home-grown coal [emphasis added]…
Threats of seizing Iran’s Kharg Island and U.S.use of nuclear weapons, interview with Professor Seyed Mohammed Mirandi, broadcast on the YouTube channel of Glenn Diesen, Mar 12, 2026 (44′)
China adopts law promoting ethnic unity and development, report by Xinhua, March 13, 2026 China’s top legislature adopted a new law on March 12 to promote ethnic unity and progress, reinforcing the legal foundation for national cohesion and common prosperity among 56 ethnic groups as the country enters the final decade in its drive to basically achieve modernization by 2035…
Related: China enshrines Xi-era ethnic policy in new law, report by Changhao Wei, in NPC (National People’s Congress) Observer, Mar 13, 2026
Iran cows U.S. Navy into submission in Hormuz Strait standoff, report published on the Substack page of ‘Simplicius The Thinker’, Mar 11, 2026
Another war we’re not supposed to see, analysis by Patrick Lawrence, in Consortium News, Mar 10, 2026 The wall of suppression that has gone up around the U.S.–Israeli war, including the apparent success of Iran’s counterattacks, is a comparable case to the U/S./NATO war in Ukraine, which the departed journalist John Pilger once called “one of the most complete news blackouts I can remember”.
Related:
* The information gap amidst the war against Iran, by Thomas Neuburger, published on his Substack page ‘God’s Spies’, March 8, 2026
* At least 17 U.S. military sites damaged in war against Iran, analysis shows, report in New York Times (paywalled), Mar 10, 2026
Australia’s role in supporting the US-Israel war against Iran, by Peter Cronau, in Declassified Australia, Mar 8, 2026
Over 1,200 killed in Haiti during the past year by police and drone-equipped U.S. and Salvador mercenaries, report in Al Jazeera, Mar 10, 2026 Since March last year, Haitian security forces with support from Vectus Global, a United States-licensed private military firm, have carried out antigang operations using quadcopter drones strapped with explosives, often in densely populated parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Related: Police and mercenary gunmen carry out a month of horrific massacres in Belair district of Port au Prince, by Kim Ives in Haiti Liberté (print weekly), Jan 28, 2026
Iran rejects ceasefire, demands new world status quo, interview with Professor Seyed Mohammed Mirandi (Tehran University) , broadcast on the YouTube channel of Glenn Diesen, Mar 9, 2026 (50’)
Iran’s water crisis: a national security imperative, analysis by Scott N. Romaniuk, Erzsébet N. Rózsa and László Csicsmann, in Geopolitical Monitor (Toronto), Feb. 12, 2026 (The writers are Hungarian; this analysis was first published on December 27, 2025, original source is unidentified.) …Over the past two decades, Iran’s renewable water resources have declined by more than one third, pushing Iran to the brink of absolute water scarcity. Drought cycles are becoming more frequent and severe; this past autumn marked one of the driest periods in the last 20 years in contemporary Iranian history. For decades, national development policies assumed that engineering and extraction could overcome environmental limits. Today, those limits are reasserting themselves, and shortages are moving from rural peripheries into major cities, placing pressure on a political system already managing numerous economic, social, and national security challenges…
Related: Drastic water shortages and air pollution are fuelling Iran’s protests, by Rachael Jolley (environment editor), The Conversation, Feb 2, 2026
India humbled as U.S. dictates where it my but its crude oil, report in South China Morning Post, Mar 9, 2026 (here in pdf format: India humbled as U.S. dictates where it my but its crude oil)
How Tehran is raising the cost of war to the aggressors, analysis by Ramzy Baroud, re-published in The Multiplural World, March 9, 2026 Iran is pursuing a multi-layered strategy to raise the cost of war and prevent regime change: military, economic, political, and diplomatic. (Ramzy Baroud is the publisher of Palestine Chronicle. This analysis was first published in Middle East Monitor on March 9, 2026.)
The fraud of missile defence exposed in Iran war, interview with Professor Theodore Postal (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), broadcast on the YouTube channel of Glenn Diesen, Mar 8, 2026 (63 minutes) MIT Professor and Pentagon advisor Ted Postol explains why the missile defence systems are failing in the war against Iran, and why the US and Israel will not win this war
Iraqi Kurds resist pressure to join Iran war, report by Axios, Mar 7, 2026
Oil built the Persian Gulf, desalinated water keeps it alive, and war now threatens both, Associated Press, Mar 8, 2026 In Kuwait, about 90% of drinking water comes from desalination, along with roughly 86% in Oman and about 70% in Saudi Arabia. These are human-made, fossil-fueled water superpowers.
An America in decline will keep losing wars to weaker foes – including in Iran, commentary by Alex Lo (columnist), South China Morning Post, Mar 8, 2026 (Read the commentary here in pdf format: An America in decline will keep losing wars to weaker foes, including Iran) [This informed commentary is too clever by half: the columnist is an anti-Russia ideologue and so he fails entirely to integrate into his analysis the implications of the U.S./NATO defeat in Ukraine. Such weakness and failure can be expected to be widespread in the analyses of the Iran war published in the weeks and months ahead.]
Iran war shifts to cynical ‘Plan B’ after U.S./Israel attacks fail to fracture Iran gov’t, analysis published in the Substack page ‘Simplicius The Thinker’, Mar 7, 2026
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un inspects new warship, claims progress toward nuclear-armed navy, Associated Press, Mar 5, 2026
Related: North Korea’s new destroyer demonstrates cutting edge missile warfare capabilities in live fire drills, report by Military Watch magazine (South Korea), Mar 5, 2026
Trump regime ‘allows’ India to buy Russian crude oil for its refineries following U.S. attack against Iran, by Betwa Sharma, in Consortium News, Mar 8, 2026 Recent statements suggest the U.S. has more control over India’s energy policy than have been previously acknowledged
Textile industry in China’s Xinjiang autonomous region is growing despite U.S. sanctions, South China Morning Post, Mar 7, 2026 Despite U.S.-led sanctions, Xinjiang’s textile industry expanded last year to create tens of thousands of jobs. Wang Kuiran, secretary general of the far western Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region government, said yarn output rose more than 20 per cent in 2025… (Read the report here in pdf format: Textile industry in China’s Xinjiang autonomous region is growing despite US sanctions)
Hundreds of U.S., Israeli targets struck in first week of Operation True Promise 4, report by PressTV (Iran), Mar 7, 2026 …’The Armed Forces during the first week of the battle have altered the balance of power in the region by implementing a multilayered offensive strategy… ‘The Armed Forces, in a precise and highly advanced operation, have succeeded in paralyzing the defensive and intelligence infrastructure of the United States and the Zionist regime in the region …This radar blindness means that the region’s airspace is now open for the next waves of Iran’s powerful attacks…’
Classified U.S. intelligence report warned large-scale war ‘unlikely’ to oust Iran government, page one report in Washington Post, Mar 7, 2026 (Read the report here in pdf format: Classified U.S. intelligence report warned large-scale war ‘unlikely’ to oust Iran gov’t)
Related: Iran military deploys Fattah, Emad missiles in 25th wave of ‘Operation True Promise’, Al Mayadeen English, Mar 7, 2026
Russia-Iran cooperation, and Western escalation in Ukraine, interview and military analysis by Stanislav Krapivnik, broadcast on the YouTube program of Glenn Diesen, Mar 6, 2026 (Stanislav Krapivnik is a former U.S. Army officer now living in Russia, born in Lugansk during Soviet times. His family migrated to the U.S. when he was a child.)
Iran’s hypersonic missiles ‘outmatch’ U.S. efforts to defend against them, South China Morning Post, Mar 6, 2026 (Here in pdf format: Iran’s hypersonic missiles ‘outmatch’ U.S. efforts to defend against them)
Related:
* Khamenei the martyr and Trump the fool? Why a wider, longer war may be in store, by Kim Ji-hoon (staff reporter), The Hankyoreh (S. Korea), Mar 5, 2026 Despite losing its leader, Iran appears to be succeeding in its strategy of expanding a costly war for its enemies (Read the report here in pdf format: Why a wider, longer war may be in store over Iran)
* The scope of the US military network in the Middle East, by Dmitry Kornev, in RT News, Mar 7, 2026 (with map showing the 18(!) U.S. naval and air bases in the Middle East)
Infantile Western leftism speaks as imperialism wages war for survival. Reference: ‘China and the U.S. are two imperialist powers jockeying for position, but the Iran War proves that Beijing is not in the same league as Washington.’ Excerpt from Iran war briefing, by ‘Counterfire’ leftist group in UK on March 7, which heads the ‘Stop The War’ coalition in that country.
Trump’s Iran fantasy is crashing down, commentary by columnist Liba Polgreen, in New York Times, Mar 5, 2026 (Read the commentary here in pdf format: Trump’s Iran fantasy is crashing down)
Related:
* Trump’s Iran conflict cuts the world off from a crucial source of natural gas, report in Washington Post, Mar 5, 2026 Liquified natural gas from Qatar was a safe energy bet for countries across Europe and Asia; now they face an energy crisis (here in pdf format: Trump’s Iran conflict cuts the world off from a crucial source of natural gas)
* Trump wants a quick victory in Iran, but the war may be costly, report in New York Times, Mar 4, 2026 The opening days of the conflict are challenging the idea that President Trump can project force abroad while safeguarding American lives and the economy (here in pdf format: Trump wants a quick victory in Iran, but the war may be costly)
Iran blinds U.S. with unprecedented campaign of strikes against its strategic radars, situation report on the Substack page of ‘Simplicius The Thinker’, Mar 5, 2026
More than 100 killed and more than 600 injured in Israeli aggression against Lebanon, by Al Mayadeen English, Mar 5, 2026
Previously reported: The situation in Lebanon, interview with Laith Marouf of Palestine TV, broadcast on Reason To Resist program on YouTube (host Dimitri Lascaris), Mar 3, 2026 (79′)
Report to National People’s Congress projects hi-tech growth over stimulus-driven growth for China, with focus on the people, South China Morning Post, Mar 5, 2026 The report elevates “investment in people” to equal footing with traditional outlays on physical assets such as infrastructure, hardware and industrial capacity’ (Read the SCMP report here in pdf format: Report to National People’s Congress projects hi-tech growth for China with a focus on the people)
Related:
* China to put state-owned firms and capital to work nurturing tech champions, South China Morning Post, Mar 5, 2026 (here in pdf format: China to put state-owned firms and capital to work nurturing tech champions)
* China’s ‘two sessions’ show plans for resilience in a stormy world, commentary by Jianxi Liu , in South China Morning Post, Mar 5, 2025 Beijing signals it is prepared to recalibrate its development model rather than cling to the habits of the boom years Writer Jianxi Liu is a Beijing-based analyst of political and international relations. (Read the commentary here in pdf format: China’s ‘two sessions’ show plans for resilience in a stormy world)
Iranians get by as U.S., Israeli bombs and missiles rain down, internet blocked, report by Al Jazeera, Mar 5, 2026 Officials say some water and electricity facilities were damaged by U.S.-Israel bombing, but no widespread outages have been reported so far. They have asked people to conserve resources.
U.S. set to escalate its war against Iran with a ground operation using Kurdish proxies, situation report published on the Substack page ‘Simplicius The Thinker’ Mar 4, 2026 [This informative Substack page has long promoted the myth of a Donald Trump presidency seeking to end the ‘forever wars’ by the USA. This myth is slowly receding into the background as events themselves expose its falsehood and the naivete of those promoting it.]
Barbarians at the gate: U.S. and Israeli strikes damage Golestan Palace in Tehran, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, report in The Architects Newspaper, Mar 3, 2026 The 400-year-old Golestan Palace was partly destroyed on March 2 by debris and shock waves from an airstrike on Tehran’s Arag Square
China a fortress of stability in a world descending into chaos and brutal violence, commentary by Chow Chung Yan (editor-in-chief), South China Morning Post, Mar 4, 2026 The television historical drama and smash hit ‘Swords into Ploughshares’ tells us a lot about Beijing’s approach to the crisis in Iran, cross-strait relations, and this year’s ‘two sessions’ legislative meetings. (Read the commentary here in pdf format (with photos): China a fortress of stability in a world descending into chaos and violence)
China waits and watches as the U.S. fights all its tigers at once, commentary by Wenran Jiang, in South China Morning Post, Mar 4, 2026 The explosion of violence in the Middle East is the ultimate rebuke to naïve belief in a central promise of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second election term: that America could disengage from distant quagmires and focus on confronting China (Wenran Jiang is the founding director of the China Institute and Mactaggart Research Chair Emeritus at the University of Alberta, Canada. Read the commentary here in pdf format: China waits and watches as the U.S. fights all its tigers at once)
China’s annual legislative session begins today, March 5 in Beijing and will last for eight days. The National People’s Congress will run in parallel with the annual gathering of the top political advisory body – events that together are known as the “two sessions”. The two sessions will lay out the country’s economic targets and strategic priorities as Beijing tries to address domestic bottlenecks and boost innovation, and as Washington’s foreign policy upends the international order. The White House says the Trump figure will travel to China from March 31 to April 2 for talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, God forbid.—SCMP, Mar 5, 2026 (paywalled)
On March 4, Day Five of the U.S./Israel attack against Iran begun on February 28, panic is taking hold in Western media reporting as its hoped-for, quick and miracle destruction of the Iranian government and Iranian popular resolve appears to be evaporating. ‘Omigod, where does this lead?’ This same media continues its stream of lies concerning Iran, its people, and their long history of resistance to Western imperialism and genocidal Zionism. The U.S./Israel attack is backed by all the Western imperialist countries excepting Spain.
Iran’s military strategy and U.S. miscalculations, interview with Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi (Tehran University), broadcast on the YouTube channel of Glenn Diesen, Mar 3, 2026 (41′) (Professor Marandi hosts a weekly video program on Al Mayadeen English, ‘Demystifying Iran’.)
Liberal imperialist John Mearsheimer on the U.S./Israel war against Iran (interview on Mar 3, 2026):
…It seems that victory for the aggressive, U.S.-Israel tag team requires not only regime change in Iran but replacing the regime with new leaders who are subservient to Israeli and American wishes. If those two things do not happen, Iran will surely keep its nuclear enrichment capability; keep building ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, & long-range drones; and keep supporting Hamas, the Houthis, and Hezbollah. The likelihood of this war producing an Iranian regime that is subservient to Israel and the U.S. is close to zero in my estimation.
For Iran to win, all it has to do is survive and not end up as a pawn of Israel and the US. Even if its missile inventory is greatly diminished, its nuclear enrichment capability is crippled, and its infrastructure is badly damaged, it matters little if the regime survives or is replaced by a regime that refuses to kowtow to the tag team. Remember that in the Vietnam War, the U.S. won virtually every battle and lost the war…
The U.S./Israel attack against Iran normalises a global descent into the ‘law of the jungle’, commentary by Captain (Retired) Andy Tian Shichen, in South China Morning Post, Mar 2, 2026 (Captain (Retired) Andy Tian Shichen is founder and president of the Global Governance Institution and director of the Center for International Law of Military Operations, in Beijing. Read the commentary here in pdf format: The U.S.-Israel attack against Iran normalises a Western led, global descent into the ‘law of the jungle’)
Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school for girls in Minab, northern Iran, struck by a U.S.-Israeli missile on Feb 28, 2026, leaving dozens of children and teachers dead (photo from Wikimedia Commons):
Related: Minab bids farewell to 165 schoolgirls killed in US-Israeli strike, report by Al Mayadeen English, Mar 3, 2026
[According to latest news, a total of 168 people were killed at the Shajareh-ye Tayyebeh Girls’ Elementary School on February 28, most of them students, also including teachers, school staff and several parents. The attack also left 96 others wounded.]
Iran will win this war and Israel may not survive, analysis by Douglas Macgregor (former U.S. army officer), broadcast on the YouTube channel of Glenn Diesen, Mar 2, 2026 (43’)
Iran’s strategy: Evict the U.S. from the Middle East, analysis by Alistair Crook, broadcast on the YouTube channel of Glenn Diesen, Mar 2, 2026 (43’)
The Iran war could have unexpected consequences in Ukraine, analysis by Sergey Poletaev, in RT News, Mar 3, 2026 Whether a swift U.S. victory, a grinding stalemate, or a strategic U.S. failure, each scenario carries direct military and political consequences for the warmaking regime in Ukraine. Iran has withstood the initial blows and now has an opportunity to shift the conflict into the realm of a war of attrition in the air and at sea. There are three main potential scenarios for what may happen next in Iran. Here we examine them and consider how they may impact another major conflict – the war in Ukraine.
How much damage has Iran done to U.S. bases in the Middle East?, report in RT News (with map), Mar 3, 2026 American military targets in six countries, including Bahrain and Qatar, have come under Iranian missile and drone fire
The U.S./Israel attack against Iran is a ‘wake-up call’ for China on electronic warfare and intelligence, say Chinese and Western analysts, report in South China Morning Post, Mar 2, 2026 (Read the report here in pdf format: The U.S./Israel attack against Iran is a ‘wake-up call’ for China on electronic warfare and intelligence)
Trump’s unjustified war with Iran threatens chaos for us all, editorial in The Hankyoreh (S. Korea daily, English online edition), Mar 3, 2026 A prolonged conflict in the Middle East is bound to have major consequences for Korea and the rest of the world
Related:
* North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong-un appears in public amid U.S. strikes on Iran, confident in his country’s nuclear deterrent, report in The Hankyoreh, Mar 3, 2026 ‘The decisive difference between North Korea and Iran is the former’s nuclear weapons capability, specifically the ability to strike the national and U.S. militaries in South Korea and Japan using medium- and long-range missiles… North Korea’s strategic position has risen due to its nuclear deterrence and its mutual-defense pact [Wikipedia]) reached with Russia in 2024.’
* In U.S. strikes against Iran, North Korea sees nuclear vindication, South China Morning Post, Mar 2, 2026 (here in pdf format: In U.S. strikes against Iran, North Korea sees nuclear vindication)
Western/Israeli attack against the people of Iran: Economic disaster, and end of Trump-led regime?, interview with economic analyst Alex Krainer, broadcast on the YouTube channel of Glenn Diesen, Mar 2, 2026 (Alex Krainer is a market analyst, author & former hedge fund manager. In this interview, Krainer discusses the economic shockwaves from the U.S./Israel attack on Iran, and how this failed regime-change operation could bring down the Trump administration. Krainer explains he is ‘heartbroken’ by events because he shared much of the original social ideology of the Trump regime elected by a minority of the U.S. electorate in 2024.)
Trump declares ‘success’ in attacks against Iran, but says war will continue and more U.S. troops to die, analysis by Brian Berletic, broadcast on his YouTube channel ‘The New Atlas’, Mar 2, 2026 (15’)
Sayyed Ali Khamenei: The man who refused to bow to global arrogance, essay by the editors of Al Mayadeen English, March 1, 2026 Al Mayadeen English honors the life of Sayyed Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Revolution and Republic of Iran, detailing his upbringing, revolutionary struggle, presidency, and 36-year leadership
Iran strikes back against U.S./Israeli aggression, interview with Professor Seyed Marandi (Tehran University), broadcast on the YouTube program of Glenn Diesen, Mar 1, 2026 (35′)
The war against Iran could destroy the U.S. republic, interview with former U.S. diplomat Chas Freeman (former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia), broadcast on the YouTube program of Glenn Diesen, Feb 28, 2026 (43′)
Why the Epstein investigations took so long and achieved so little, analysis in New York Times, March 1, 2026 (Read the report here in pdf format: Why the Epstein investigations took so long and achieved so little)
The hypocrisy behind the Trump regime’s pretensions of peace (and the reckless fools in alternative media who have promoted it, for years). Reference: Analysis in New York Times, by its chief White House correspondent, published on Feb 28, 2026 (Read the analysis here in pdf format: The self-declared ‘peace president’ Donald Trump goes to war seeking regime change) [From the editors of RT News and The Grayzone‘s Aaron Maté, to Consortium News and a long list of ex-CIA podcasters and writers, the list of reckless and dangerous fools in alternative media is a long one, indeed. Interviewer Glenn Diesen admits that he was for a long time fooled by the claims by and surrounding Donald Trump, who resumed the mantle of head of the global Epstein regime in January 2024. He told his audience on March 3, “When Trump came to power last year, he seemed to have a lot of the right ideas… It all made sense”[!] Will any of the heads in such media now roll?]
