For now, links to THREE-plus reports (9 or so): from the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Eye, and National Public Radio; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 4-5-26.) — MCM

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FROM APRIL 5   Trump issues fiery new threat against Iran as details of U.S. aviator’s rescue emerge, by Mattew Lee, Bassem Mroue. Konstantin Toropin and Samy Magdy | AP  TEHRAN — U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday made expletive-filled threats against Iran and its infrastructure if it doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz by his Tuesday deadline, after American forces rescued a wounded aviatorwhose Iran-downed plane fell behind enemy lines. A defiant Iran . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters., and Middle East Eye.

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FROM APRIL 5  U.S. was arming Iranian dissidents through Kurds while negotiating with Tehran, Trump reveals, by Elis Gjevori | Middle East Eye  Donald Trump spent Easter Sunday making a series of explosive admissions about the Iran war – revealing that the United States covertly armed protesters inside the country weeks before launching military strikes, even as American negotiators were sitting across the table from senior Iranian officials in Europe. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 5  Legal expert discusses an open letter that says the Iran war violates the U.N. charter. Ayesha Rascoe of NPR asks Stanford Program in International and Comparative Law’s Allen Weiner about international law and an open letter calling the war with Iran a violation of the U.N. charter. Click HERE to listen and read; and HERE and HERE for all five Iran war-related reports from NPR’s “Weekend Edition Sunday” and “All Things Considered” Sunday evening.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to a report from the Associated Press and an interview from Consortium News; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for Iran 4-4-26.) — MCM

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U.S. rescues aviator whose fighter jet was shot down in Iran, by Matthew Lee, Konstantin Toropin, Sam Metz and Samy Magdy | AP  WASHINGTON — The United States said today it rescued a service member missing behind enemy lines since Iran downed a fighter jet, as President Donald Trump escalated pressure on Tehran with a new looming deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

* 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. *

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FROM APRIL 4  The World This Week — w/ Scott Ritter: ‘Back to the Stone Age.’ Joe Lauria of Consortium News talks with author Scott Ritter, former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer and former UN Special Commission weapons inspector, about the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, Russia as a beneficiary and a potential actor in ending it, the Ukraine war, NATO and the UE, Donald Trump in “panic” mode, Joe Biden, the possible use of atomic weapons, Pete Hegseth and recent Pentagon firings, the F-15 pilot rescue mission, and other related topics. Click HERE for video of conversation.

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TO BE CONTINUED

Links to TWENTY-plus reports, analyses, commentaries, interviews, and summaries (27 or so): from Reuters, the Associated Press, Middle East Monitor, Indian Punchline, Middle East Eye, the Cradle, National Public Radio, Consortium News, and thefactsaboutiran.com; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-3-26.) — 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, HERE, and HERE. AP and El País reports in Spanish are HERE and HERE. *

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Iran approves humanitarian passage through Strait of Hormuz: report. From Middle East Monitor. Iran today approved the passage of ships carrying humanitarian and essential goods through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a letter by the Agriculture Ministry’s trade development office, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported. READ MORE . . .

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There is no military solution to Strait of Hormuz, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  A military confrontation with Iran  is not even in the wildest dreams of anyone in Europe. The U.S. didn’t even attend the London meet. The statement issued after the event does not contemplate coercive measures, leave alone military solution. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for an April 3 commentary by Bhadrakumar.

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Iran announces new air defence used to down U.S. fighter jet. From Middle East Eye. Iran has unveiled a new air defence system which it said was used in the downing of a U.S. fighter jet on Friday. A spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya joint military command said Tehran would achieve full control over its airspace. READ MORE . . .

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Iran forces 1,500 U.S sailors out of key Bahrain base with sustained missile, drone strikes: NPR. From the Cradle. One thousand five hundred sailors were evacuated back to the U.S. from their naval base in Bahrain after it was attacked by Iranian missiles and drones early in the war, National Public Radio reported today. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for that NPR report. 

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ADVISORY  Watch: The World This Week — w/ Scott Ritter, at 8 p.m.: ‘Back to the Stone Age.’ Joe Lauria of Consortium News talks with author Scott Ritter, former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer and former UN Special Commission weapons inspector, about “Donald Trump’s escalating Stone Age War, Emmanuel Macron telling Trump to shut up, and F15 Down” — and other Iran war-related topics. Click HERE at or shortly after 8 p.m. EDT to livestream talk, or for subsequent video.

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How does Trump intend to bring the war with Iran to an end? Reported by Greg Myre and Scott Simon | NPR  Two U.S. planes went down in the war in Iran on Friday, even as President Trump said the conflict will end soon. Click HERE to listen and, later read; and HERE and HERE for links to all nine Iran war-related reports on NPR‘s “Weekend Edition Saturday” and “All Things Considered” for Friday, April 3.

FROM APRIL 3  Two U.S. aircraft shot down as war in Iran escalates. At least 1 crew member is missing, by Sam Mednick,Konstantin Toropin and Seung Min Kim | AP   WASHINGTON — Iran shot down two U.S. military planes in separate attacks Friday, with one service member rescued and at least one missing — the first time U.S. aircraft have been downed in the conflict. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE and HERE for reports from NPR and Reuters.

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FROM APRIL 3  Iran says it rejects Trump offer of 48-hour ceasefire: report. From Middle East Eye. Iran said it has rejected the U.S. proposal for a 48-hour ceasefire between both sides, the Fars News Agency said on Friday, citing an unnamed official source. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 3  Triple veto blocks Arab push to reopen Strait of Hormuz by force. From Middle East Monitor. Russia, China and France have blocked a broad Arab initiative aimed at securing international backing for military action against Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the New York Times reported. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 3  Top EU energy official warns of ‘long-term’ crisis amid Hormuz disruption: report. From the Cradle. EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said the bloc is assessing fuel rationing and the release of additional oil from strategic reserves as it prepares for a “long-lasting” energy shock caused by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the resulting shipping disruptions across West Asia, he told the Financial Times on Friday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 3  Israel hit by missile attacks from 3 fronts, heavy damage in Petah Tikva near Tel Aviv. From Middle East Monitor. Sirens sounded on Thursday evening in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and surrounding areas, as well as the Dead Sea region, after three waves of missile launches from Iran and Yemen within less than two hours. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 3  Iran’s unseen commandos, by Peiman Salehi | The Cradle  For years, when Iran’s military capabilities surface in international media, the conversation collapses into a single name: the Quds Force. But the Islamic Republic’s system was never built around a single elite formation. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 2  Watch: CN Live! ‘Escalating madness.’ Joe Lauria of Consortium News and author Scott Horton of the Scott Horton Show consider in some detail a host of political, military, historical, and other aspects of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which, among other things, did not start on Feb. 28 of this year. Click HERE for their conversation, a print intro by Lauria, and two comments.

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The Facts About Iran. A course from the Scott Horton Academy of Foreign Policy and Freedom. From the intro: “For years, and especially now, the U.S. government, the Israeli government and their media sock puppets have saturated the landscape with endless lies meant to demonize Iran and justify aggressive war against them.” Click HERE for more information.

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FROM APRIL 3  These are Iran’s key islands in the Gulf, by Rayhan Uddin | Middle East Eye  While most of its roughly 400 islands are small and uninhabited, several of them are large and strategically important. READ MORE . . .

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For now, links to EIGHT-plus (about 16) reports, analyses, interviews, commentaries, and summaries: from the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, National Public Radio, the Cradle, Anadolu Ajansi, and Reuters; others or at least are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 4-2-26.) — MCM

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NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . .

For now, links to three reports: from National Public Radio and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for LEBANON 3-31-26 and today’s IRAN so far.) — MCM

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Israel invades southern Lebanon to go after Iran-allied Hezbollah militants. Reported by Lauren Frayer | NPR  Israel has invaded Lebanon in pursuit of Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon. Israel has said it will push up to the Litani River. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Beirut is bursting as over 1 million people flee Israeli strikes and evacuation orders, by Isabel Debre | AP  BEIRUT — It’s been a month since Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel after the U.S.-Israeli attack on its patron, Iran, triggering Israeli bombardment of Lebanon and a ground invasion. Since then, more than 1 million people from southern and eastern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs have fled. Many have crammed into the ever-tighter spaces of the country’s capital.  where the bombs have not yet fallen. READ MORE . . .

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Former minister of public health talks about Israel’s invasion of Lebanon. Leila Fadel of NPR speaks with Dr. Firass Abiad, Lebanon’s former Minister of Public Health, about Israel’s invasion of his country. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

For now, links to TWELVE-plus reports, commentaries, analyses, interviews, and summaries (around 15): from the Associated Press, Middle East Monitor, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, the Cradle;, Substack, and ScheerPost; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 4-1-26.  Scroll up for today’s LEBANON so far.) — MCM

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* 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, HERE, and HERE. AP and El País reports in Spanish are HERE and HERE. *

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Iran fires missiles at Israel and Gulf neighbors as Trump talks of winding down war, by Jon Gambrell, David Rising and Will Weissert | AP  DUBAI — Iran fired more missiles at Israel and Gulf Arab states today, demonstrating Tehran’s continued ability to attack even as U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the threat from the country was nearly eliminated and predicted the war would end soon. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.  Click HERE and HERE for two reports from Middle East Monitor.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to TEN-plus reports (16 or so): from Reuters, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-31-26 and GAZA.) — MCM

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* 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, HERE, and HERE. AP and El País reports in Spanish are HERE and HERE. *

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NEWER  U.S. to leave Iran ‘pretty quickly’ and return if needed, Trump tells Reuters. From Reuters. WASHINGTON — The United States will be “out of Iran pretty quickly” and could return for “spot hits” if needed, US President Donald Trump told Reuters today, hours before he was scheduled to make a prime-time address to the nation at 9 p.m. EDT. In the war’s fifth week he is under pressure for an off-ramp amid rising petrol prices. READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Trump warns Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face destruction, by Jon Gambrell and David Rising | AP  DUBAI — Iran kept up its attacks on Persian Gulf neighbors today as airstrikes pounded Tehran, while U.S. President Donald Trump again made contradictory statements about whether he was ready to wind down the war or escalate it. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Iran hits Kuwait airport and a tanker off Qatar while strikes batter Tehran ahead of Trump speech, by Jon Gambrell and David Rising | AP  DUBAI — Iran hit an oil tanker off the coast of Qatar and Kuwait’s airport on Wednesday while airstrikes battered Tehran — an unrelenting tempo hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was nearly ready to wind down the war. He is scheduled to address the nation later in the day. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.  Click HERE for report from NPR.

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Former special envoy on Trump’s comments that Iran war could be over in weeks. Reported by Michel Martin of NPR talks with Robert Malley, former special envoy to Iran in the Biden administration, about President Trump’s comments that the U.S. could end the Iran conflict in a matter of weeks. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for all four Iran war-related reports from NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

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FROM MARCH 31  NATO fissure erupts over Iran as allies brush off U.S., by Sean Mathews | Middle East Eye  The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is driving a fissure between Washington and its NATO allies, as U.S. requests for overflight permission, basing, and air defence systems are brushed off, while the Trump administration casts doubt on its commitment to NATO’s mutual defence clause. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 31  Israel says it will not join any U.S. ground operation in Iran. From Middle East Monitor. Israeli forces will not take part in any U.S. ground operation in Iran, according to Israeli media reports, as Washington weighs whether to widen its role in the war. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 31  Iran remains a stubborn foe after absorbing massive U.S.-Israeli attacks, by Isabel Debre and Konstantim Toropin | AP  BEIRUT — Since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran on Feb. 28, the Trump administration claims to have all but “obliterated” the Islamic Republic’s military capabilities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared last week that “never in recorded history has . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM MARCH 31  Trump lashes out at allies, says securing the Strait of Hormuz is ‘not for us,’ by Jon Gambrell, Mike Corder and Darlene Superville | AP  DUBAI — President Donald Trump lashed out Tuesday at allies who have been unwilling to do more to support the U.S. war effort against Iran, telling them to “go get your own oil” and saying it was not America’s job to secure the Strait of Hormuz. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.  Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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FROM MARCH 31  A foreign policy adviser to Netanyahu talks about Israel’s stance on war with Iran. Reported by Juana Summers, Patrick Jarenwattananon and Lauren Hodges | NPR  Summers speaks with Ophir Falk, foreign policy adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, about his country’s stance on war with Iran and Hezbollah. Click HERE to listen and read; and HERE for links to all four Iran war-related reports on NPR’s “All Things Considered” Tuesday evening.

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NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to two commentaries from Z Network; others are accessible by clicking on their names as highlighted. (Scroll down for GAZA 3-12-26.  Scroll up for IRAN.) — MCM

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FROM MARCH 29  Will the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran open the road to Palestinian freedom? by Ramzy Baroud | Z Network  Some are expressing frustration that Iran’s conditions to end the war have not explicitly and unequivocally included a demand to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine and dismantle the apartheid regime. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 27  The silence of Arab states, by Ramzy Baroud | Z Network / Consortium News  Some Arab governments are client regimes in the classical sense. Others are so dependent on American protection, validation, or military partnership that calling them “partners” barely conceals the hierarchy embedded in the relationship. READ MORE . . .

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NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to FIFTEEN-plus reports, commentaries, analyses, interviews, and summaries (around 20): from the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Eye, National Public Radio, the Cradle, Foreign Policy in Focus, Common Dreams, Middle East Monitor, ScheerPost, and Consortium News; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-30-26 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, HERE, and HERE. AP and El País reports in Spanish are HERE and HERE. *

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Iran sets giant oil tanker ablaze off Dubai after Trump warnings. From Reuters. Tehran attacked and set ablaze a fully loaded oil tanker off Dubai today, and U.S. President Donald Trump told countries that had not helped in the conflict to find “some delayed courage” to take the Strait of Hormuz and get their own oil. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from NPR.

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A militarily degraded Iran is still a stubborn foe, by Isabel Debre and Konstantin Toropin | AP  After more than a month of punishing U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, a degraded Iranian military remains a stubborn foe. Its steady stream of strikes against Israel and Gulf Arab neighbors are causing regional chaos and an outsized economic and political shock. READ MORE . . .

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U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran’s oil and gas could poison people and environment for decades, by Katherine Hearst and Heba Nasser | Middle East Eye  On the night of March 7, air strikes hit four oil depots and refineries in and around Tehran. The resulting petrochemical fires burned for days, spewing columns of thick smoke which shrouded the skies of Iran‘s capital and poisoned its air. READ MORE . . .

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Iran opens Strait of Hormuz to some ships amid escalating strikes on Gulf countries. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Michel Martin | NPR  Iran opens select ships through the Strait of Hormuz, but most oil and gas tankers are stalled as regional attacks escalate, with Gulf countries facing daily missile and drone strikes. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for links to all four or five Iran war-related reports on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

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FROM MARCH 30  Iran’s strike hurt over a dozen U.S. personnel and hit valuable jets in Saudi Arabia. From NPR.  More than a dozen U.S. service members were wounded and two E-3 Sentry aircraft were damaged in an Iranian strike on an air base in Saudi Arabia on Friday, NPR has confirmed. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Middle East Monitor.

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FROM MARCH 30  Iran denies responsibility for ‘depraved’ attack on Kuwait desalinization plant. From the Cradle. The Iranian military on Monday denied the recent attack that hit a desalination plant in Kuwait, labeling the strike a U.S.-Israeli false-flag operation aimed at “destabilizing and destroying the region.” READ MORE . . .

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Water under fire, by Stasa Salacanin | Foreign Policy in Focus Reports of airstrikes targeting water desalination facilities in Iran, Bahrain, and Kuwait have heightened concerns over a dangerous escalation in an already volatile conflict. In one of the world’s most water-scarce regions, such attacks threaten a resource essential to civilian survival, raising fears of severe humanitarian consequences and the opening of a far more perilous phase of the war. READ MORE . . .

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Poland rejects ‘unofficial’ U.S. request to redeploy Patriot batteries to West Asia. From the Cradle. Poland has rejected an “unofficial” U.S. request to deploy one of its Patriot air defense systems to West Asia, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced today, following reports by Polish daily Rzeczpospolita that Washington had informally approached Warsaw amid rising regional tensions. READ MORE . . .

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Italy denies U.S. warplanes access to key air base, rejects role in Iran war. From the Cradle. Italy denied U.S. warplanes access to the Sigonella Air Base in Sicily “a few evenings ago,” after flight plans were submitted while in mid-air without prior approval, according to a report cited by Corriere della Sera today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 30  Israel is making sure Trump can’t find an off-ramp in Iran, by Jonathan Cook | Middle East Eye / ScheerPost  Chaos is what Israel has been trying to engineer in Gaza and Lebanon — and there is every sign it is seeking the same outcome in Iran. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. or Israel. Who is top dog? by Jonathan-Cook.net / Consortium News  The joint U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has thrust back into the spotlight a divisive debate about whether the dog wags the tail, or the tail wags the dog. Who is in charge of this war: Israel or the United States? READ MORE . . .

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Why the Middle East’s ‘Gray Zone’ just vanished, by Jasim Al-Azzawi | Middle East Monitor  Three weeks ago, this region operated under a set of assumptions that had held, more or less, for forty years. Iran would threaten. Proxies would fight. Oil would flow. And everyone would continue doing what they do best. For 30 years, the Middle East operated in what strategists called the Gray Zone. READ MORE . . .

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The U.S.-Israel war on Iran is undermining the very foundations of the rule of law, by Phyllis Bennis | Foreign Policy in Focus / Common Dreams  Right now, Iranian civilians are paying the highest price for the U.S.-Israeli war. But the collapse of the rule of law makes the future more dangerous for everyone else, too. READ MORE . . .

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to THREE reports: from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for LEBANON 3-25-26. Scroll up for this date’s IRAN so far.) — MCM

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FROM MARCH 30  Fear and exhaustion in Lebanon as Israel broadens invasion. Reported by Lauren Frayer | NPR  First, Israel said it would take Lebanese territory up to the Litani River. Then it ordered people out of an area 10 miles north of that. Residents are fleeing southern Lebanon in waves. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.