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. *

–   –   –

–   –   –

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.

–   –   –

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 . . .

–   –   –

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.”

–   –   –

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.

–   –   –

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 . . .

–   –   –

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 . . .

–   –   –

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 . . .

–   –   –

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.

NOTE: Nobody reads this  blog. But . . .

For now, links to ELEVEN-plus reports, analyses, commentaries, interviews and summaries (more than a dozen): from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Reuters, the Cradle, Consortium News, ScheerPost, Geopolitical Economy Report; and  others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-29-26.) — 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. *

–   –   –

Trump mulls seizing Iran’s Kharg Island oil terminal even as talks show progress, by Jon Gambrell and David Rising | AP  DUBAI — U.S. President Donald Trump openly mused about seizing Iran’s Kharg Island oil terminal in the Persian Gulf and the United States and Israel kept up their attacks today on the Islamic Republic. Tehran, meanwhile, attacked a key water and electrical plant in Kuwait and an oil refinery in northern Israel. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.  Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from NPR, Reuters, and the Cradle.

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Thousands of U.S. troops sent to the Middle East with more on the way. Reported by Greg Myre and Leila Fadel | NPR  Additional U.S. troops have reached the Middle East. While the U.S. military hasn’t specified a mission, the critical Strait of Hormuz remains closed to almost all oil tankers. 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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Days 25-29: War on Iran — Remaking the Middle East, by Joe Lauria | Consortium News  The war in the Middle East after the first month has evolved into a battle between nations with conflicting visions of how to remake the region. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 29  The world’s most important 21 miles, by Phil Holm, Kevin S. Vineys and Will Jarrett | AP  When the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, Iran retaliated with attacks that effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz. Here is a look at the strait’s significance in maps and charts.  READ MORE . . .

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Worries about global economic pain deepen as the war in Iran drags on, by Paul Wiseman | AP  WASHINGTON — U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran have driven up prices, darkened the outlook for the world economy, sent global stock markets reeling and forced developing countries to ration fuel and subsidize energy costs to protect their poorest. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Why critics say Trump’s Iran offensive is reshaping the global economy. From ScheerPost. What began as another military escalation in the Middle East is now being framed by some economists and geopolitical analysts as something much larger: a potential turning point in the global economic order. Journalist Ben Norton of Geopolitical Economy Report spoke recently with economist Michael Hudson about the expanding consequences of the U.S.-Israeli confrontation with Iran. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for video from Geopolitical Economy Report.

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FROM MARCH 29  The rippling effect of the Iran war, seen from the border with Turkey. Reported by Emily Feng and Adrian Ma | NPR  U.S. marines have arrived in the Middle East. NPR’s Emily Feng has been monitoring the latest developments from the border of Iran and Turkey. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for link to another Iran war-related report on NPR’s “All Things Considered.”

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TO BE CONTINUED

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to EIGHT-plus reports, interviews, analyses, commentaries and summaries (10 or so): from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, the Cradle, Indian Punchline, Consortium News, and Middle East Eye; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-28-26, and for UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — 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. *

–   –   –

Iran warns U.S. against ground invasion as regional diplomats seek an end to the war, by Sam Metz, Munir Ahmed and Samy Magdy | AP  ISLAMABAD — A top Iranian official warned the U.S. against a ground invasion, saying American troops would be set “on fire,” as regional diplomats gathered today in Pakistan in a push to broker an end to the monthlong war. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE and HERE for reports from NPR and the Cradle.

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U.S. offers India pivotal role in Hormuz Strait, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio have been persistently working to put the U.S.-Indian relationship back on track. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

How military strategies are evolving a month after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran. Don Gonyea of NPR speaks with military analyst Kelly Grieco of the Stimson Center about how the military strategies of both the U.S. and Iran are evolving after a month of fighting. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE and HERE for all four Iran war-related reports Saturday evening and today on NPR’s “All Things Considered” and “Weekend Edition Sunday.”

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 28  ‘The World This Week — w/ Richard Wolff.’ Joe Lauria of Consortium News talks with Wolff, a professor emeritus of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor in the graduate program in international affairs at The New School in New York. Wolff speaks authoritatively about the apparent ending of the American Century* under way owing to factors he lays out — China being the most obvious beneficiary with or without the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, which speeds the development. Russia and Iran seem like two others. The U.S. is in a tight spot as is Israel. Click HERE for video and a print intro written before the talk in which Wolff does about 99 percent of the talking.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 27  How Trump’s regime has become captive to its own lies, by Soumaya Ghannoushi | Middle East Eye  In The Power of the Powerless, Vaclav Havel described a system in which lies are not incidental, but foundational. A system that does not merely tolerate falsehood, but requires it, reproduces it, lives within it. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

* He does not use the term.

For now, links to FIVE reports: from Agence France-Presse, the Cradle, and the Associated Press; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. Also, the beginnings of a commentary from this blog. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 3-26-26, and up or down for IRAN and MEDIA.) — MCM

–   –   –

Russia reports fire in strike on major Baltic port. From AFP. A drone strike triggered a fire at Russia’s Baltic port of Ust-Luga, the regional governor said this reporting new damage at the major exporting hub hit for a second time in days. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 28  UAE, Qatar sign defense cooperation deals with Ukraine’s Zelensky. From the Cradle. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed signed an agreement on Saturday to cooperate in the areas of security and defense, including anti-drone defense, amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for earlier reports from AP.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 28  Russian strikes on Ukraine kill 4, damaging port and maternity hospital. From AFP. Russian air attacks across Ukraine early Saturday killed at least four people and damaged critical infrastructure including a port and a maternity hospital, authorities said, as Russia pressed on with its war with Ukraine. READ MORE . . .

–   –   – 

‘The whole ball of wax.’ Early draft from x-ma911truthwalk.com.

Several of the wars dominating international news are one and the same. It has probably been in the pipeline in one way or another since well before Donald Trump’s debut on “The Apprentice” or Joe Biden’s time in the U.S. Senate or Vladimir Putin’s as deputy mayor of St. Petersburg.

In the pipeline means its components are plotted over decades in Western government agencies and “think tanks” and international banks (lenders).

Media and academia participation is key. Success depends on it by mainstream and “alternative” or “independent” news organizations, authors, book publishing houses, distributors and retailers, and colleges and universities.

Joe “I am a Zionist” Biden called the state of Israel “our battleship” in the Middle East. Some see the U.S. as Israel’s there. In any case battleships and aircraft carriers are more vulnerable these days, and Israel’s involvement and Washington’s have been intertwined in adventures worldwide.

In his second re-election campaign Trump called the Russia-Ukraine conflict “Biden’s war” while knowing it was Washington’s, Wall Street’s and international banks’ among others’. The people who notice that military contractors’ or subcontractors’ plants are situated in every Congressional district are right on the money.

The war is systemic. It’s the Republicans’ and the Democrats’. It is red and blue. It is less the war of “independents” and non-voters, and so less purple. It is the child of most elected officials and their funders at the state, county and local levels as well; and of much of organized labor and organized religion. You can vote if you want to, but your choices in elections don’t matter when it comes to the war.

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to an analysis from DoNotPanic.News via ScheerPost and to a report from the Associated Press; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for MEDIA 3-28-26. Scroll up for today’s UKRAINE and IRAN so far.) — MCM

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 27  How western media sanitises and sells the crimes of empire, by Nate Bear | DoNotPanic.News / ScheerPost  Yesterday the Associated Press said it was going to start using words which accurately reflect reality. The news agency announced, after much deliberation and a newsroom vote, that it was going to start referring to Israel’s ground offensive into Lebanon as an invasion. Read more HERE or HERE .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 26  AP is calling Israel’s attack on Lebanon an invasion. What does that mean and why does it matter? From AP. The Associated Press is now calling Israel’s military actions in southern Lebanon an invasion. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to THREE reports: from Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, and the Cradle; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. Also, the beginning of a commentary from this blog. (Scroll down for MEDIA 3-26-26 and IRAN.) — MCM

–   –   –

Lebanon president calls Israeli strike on journalists ‘blatant crime.’ From AFP. BEIRUT — Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the Israeli strike that killed a journalist for Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV and another for the pro-Hezbollah Al Mayadeen channel in southern Lebanon today. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others.

–   –   –

Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon kills 3 journalists covering the war, by Bassem Mroue and Isabel Debre | AP  BEIRUT— An Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon today killed three journalists who were covering the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, their TV stations said. The Israeli military said it had targeted Ali Shoeib, a longtime correspondent of Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV, accusing him of being a Hezbollah intelligence operative. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

–   –   – 

‘The whole ball of wax.’ Early draft from x-ma911truthwalk.com.

Several of the wars dominating international news are one and the same. It has probably been in the pipeline in one way or another since well before Donald Trump’s debut on “The Apprentice” or Joe Biden’s time in the U.S. Senate or Vladimir Putin’s as deputy mayor of St. Petersburg.

In the pipeline means its components are plotted over decades in Western government agencies and “think tanks” and international banks (lenders).

Media and academia participation is key. Success depends on it by mainstream and “alternative” or “independent” news organizations, authors, book publishing houses, distributors and retailers, and colleges and universities.

Joe “I am a Zionist” Biden called the state of Israel “our battleship” in the Middle East. Some see the U.S. as Israel’s there. In any case battleships and aircraft carriers are more vulnerable these days, and Israel’s involvement and Washington’s have been intertwined in adventures worldwide.

In his second re-election campaign Trump called the Russia-Ukraine conflict “Biden’s war” while knowing it was Washington’s, Wall Street’s and international banks’ among others’. The people who notice that military contractors’ or subcontractors’ plants are situated in every Congressional district are right on the money.

The war is systemic. It’s the Republicans’ and the Democrats’. It is red and blue. It is less the war of “independents” and non-voters, and so less purple. It is the child of most elected officials and their funders at the state, county and local levels as well; and of much of organized labor and organized religion. You can vote if you want to, but your choices in elections don’t matter when it comes to the war.

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Including a late addition (the advisory about Consortium News program), links to EIGHT-plus reports, analyses, commentary, interviews, and summaries (a dozen or so): from the Associated Press, National Public Radio,  ScheerPost, and Geopolitical Economy Report; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. Also, the beginning of a commentary from this blog. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-27-26. Scroll up for today’s MEDIA so far.) — 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. *

–   –   –

ADVISORY  Watch: The World This Week — w/ Richard Wolff*, at 8 p.m. EDT. Joe Lauria of Consortium News and perhaps one other talk with Wolff*, a professor emeritus of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor in the graduate program in international affairs at The New School in New York. From print intro: “More than its effective drones and ballistic missiles, Iran’s greatest weapon is economic. That is what is prompting the meltdown of Donald Trump.” Click HERE at or shortly after 8 p.m. EDT to livestream talk, or for subsequent video; in the meantime there’s more of the print intro to read.

–   –   –

Iran-backed Houthis claim first missile launch on Israel as war in the Mideast intensifies, by Samy Magdy Aamer Madhani and Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed a missile launch toward Israel early today, their first since the war in the Middle East started. The Israeli military said it intercepted the projectile. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

–   –   –

U.S.-Iran relations specialist explains the power structure in Iran. Scott Simon of NPR speaks with Sina Toossi, senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, about the power structure in Iran, and how things have changed within it since the start of the war. Click HERE later to listen and, still later, read; and HERE for all five Iran war-related reports on NPR’s “Weekend Edition Saturday.”

–   –   –  

FROM MARCH 27  Israel hits Iranian nuke facilities and Tehran strikes base in Saudi Arabia, wounding U.S. troops, by Farnoush Amiri,Jon Gambrell and Konstantin Toropin | AP  DUBAI — Israel struck Iran’s nuclear facilities on Friday. Iran vowed to retaliate and struck a base in Saudi Arabia, wounding U.S. service members and damaging planes. In a possible breakthrough in the war, however, Tehran will allow humanitarian aid and agricultural shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 27  Rubio pushes postwar plan for Strait of Hormuz after meeting G7 allies skeptical about Iran strategy, by Matthew Lee and Samuel Petrequin | AP  VAUX-DE-CERNAY, France — Top diplomats from the Group of Seven countries showed divisions with the United States over the Iran war but agreed Friday during a meeting in France to call for an immediate halt to attacks against civilians and urge the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 27  Analysis: 1 month into war, Iran is using insurgent tactics and holding the world economy hostage, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — One month into their war with Iran, the United States and Israel find themselves confronting an opponent that fights more like an insurgency than a nation — using increasingly limited resources to inflict maximum pain. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 27  Regional reflections on one month of war. Reported by Emily Feng, Lauren Frayer, Aya Batrawy and Daniel Estrin | NPR  One month into the U.S.–Israeli war with Iran, we turn to our correspondents across the region to assess the conflict’s impact.  Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for links to all three Iran war-related reports Friday from NPR’s “All Things Considered” program.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 26  War on Iran and the return of imperial language. Editorial from ScheerPost.  As war expands around Iran, one of the clearest arguments emerging from independent geopolitical analysis is that this conflict cannot be understood as an isolated military confrontation. Click HERE to read more and for accompanying video post from Geopolitical Economy Report.

–   –   – 

‘The whole ball of wax.’ Early draft from x-ma911truthwalk.com.

Several of the wars dominating international news are one and the same. It has probably been in the pipeline in one way or another since well before Donald Trump’s debut on “The Apprentice” or Joe Biden’s time in the U.S. Senate or Vladimir Putin’s as deputy mayor of St. Petersburg.

In the pipeline means its components are plotted over decades in Western government agencies and “think tanks” and international banks (lenders).

Media and academia participation is key. Success depends on it by mainstream and “alternative” or “independent” news organizations, authors, book publishing houses, distributors and retailers, and colleges and universities.

Joe “I am a Zionist” Biden called the state of Israel “our battleship” in the Middle East. Some see the U.S. as Israel’s there. In any case battleships and aircraft carriers are more vulnerable these days, and Israel’s involvement and Washington’s have been intertwined in adventures worldwide.

In his second re-election campaign Trump called the Russia-Ukraine conflict “Biden’s war” while knowing it was Washington’s, Wall Street’s and international banks’ among others’. The people who notice that military contractors’ or subcontractors’ plants are situated in every Congressional district are right on the money.

The war is systemic. It’s the Republicans’ and the Democrats’. It is red and blue. It is less the war of “independents” and non-voters, and so less purple. It is the child of most elected officials and their funders at the state, county and local levels as well; and of much of organized labor and organized religion. You can vote if you want to, but your choice in elections doesn’t matter when it comes to the war.

–   –   –

* Misspelling of Richard Wolff’s last name has been corrected as of 9:19 p.m. EDT.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to THIRTEEN-plus reports, analyses, commentaries, interviews and summaries (about 20): from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, Reuters, the Cradle, Reuters, Indian Punchline,  the Floutist, and Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-26-26.) — 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. *

–   –   –

Israel hits Tehran with wave of strikes and warns attacks on Iran ‘will escalate and expand,’ by Jon Gambrell and Davd Rising | AP  DUBAI — Israel threatened to “escalate and expand” its attacks on Iran today even as U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that talks on ending the war were going well and gave Tehran more time to open the Strait of Hormuz. Iran, meanwhile, gave no signs of backing down. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

–   –   –

Trump grants Iran another extension on a deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Reported by  Tamara Keith and Steve Inskeep  | NPR  Citing ongoing talks with Iran, President Trump said on social media Thursday that he was delaying a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face destruction of its power plants. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for all six Iran war-related reports today on NPR‘s “Morning Edition.”

FROM MARCH 26  Iran plans escalation against UAE over ‘active role’ in U.S.-Israeli war. From the Cradle. The Islamic Republic is preparing a “strong response” against the UAE due to the “active role” it has played in the ongoing US-Israeli war against it; a senior Iranian intelligence official told the Cradle on Thursday. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH  26. Trump extends ‘pause’ on strikes on energy facilities and says talks going ‘very well,’ by Alisha Rahaman Sarkar, Dan Haygarth and Bryony Gooch | Reuters  Donald Trump has extended his pause on the threat to strike energy plants in Iran to ten days after claiming talks with Tehran are going “very well.” The U.S.president had given Tehran a deadline of Friday to enter negotiations to end the war or face the “total destruction” of its energy facilities. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE  and HERE  for reports from NPR and Middle East Eye.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 25  The U.S. and Iran can’t even agree on whether they’re talking. Mary Louise Kelly of NPR talks with colleagues Tom Bowman and Aya Batrawy about prospects for an off-ramp for the war. President Trump says Iran is “begging” for a deal. Iran says it has no intention of negotiating. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for at least three other Iran war-related reports Thursday on NPR’s “All Things Considered” program.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 26  Trump hopes to de-escalate and find a way out of the protracted conflict with Iran, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  The profound significance of the two successive Iranian missile strikes on Dimona nuclear research centre, the most heavily guarded site in the whole of Israel, is sinking in, and it inevitably shifts the trajectory of the U.S. war in Iran. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 26  Where are Iran’s allies and friends? Where Cuba’s? by Patrick Lawrence | The Floutist  Consider these following passages in a text that is now entered officially in the record of United Nations proceedings. I draw from Security Council Resolution 2817, which the 15–member Council passed on March 11. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 26  Iran war exposes cracks in BRICS wall, by Betwa Sharma | Special to Consortium News  NEW DELHI — U.S. economic pressure and geopolitical shocks, especially the attack on Iran, have revealed BRICS less as a unified bloc with a common strategic goal, than a collection of countries with overlapping interests that diverge sharply under pressure. READ MORE . . .

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For now, links to THREE reports: from the Associated Press, the Moscow Times, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking in their names or initial as highlighted. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 3-14-26 and today’s IRAN, CUBA and MEDIA so far.) — MCM

–   –   –

Iran war deflects attention from Ukraine as new offensive begins, by Barry Hatton | AP  The Iran war has deflected global attention from Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor Ukraine as Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II enters its fifth year and an emboldened Kremlin undertakes a spring offensive. Neither side is easing up. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.