March 30, 2026

American social media users happily pushing Russian/Iranian propaganda re Iran War.

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/03/04/russian-state-tv-slams-us-israeli-war-crimes-in-iran-a92114

“Not since Pearl Harbor has the U.S. experienced such powerful and painful attacks on its military infrastructure,” Popov wrote in a Telegram post following reported Iranian counterattacks.

She claimed that U.S.-made ATACMS missiles were being used for “chaotic strikes on civilians,” pointing to an American strike that reportedly hit a school in Tehran and killed up to 168 people.

“International agencies confirmed the footage but otherwise the civilized world did not notice the mass murder of children,” she said.

https://www.wunc.org/2026-03-26/irans-propaganda-machine-trolls-trump

Emerson Brooking of the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab says war itself is increasingly being absorbed into the attention economy. "It's like this commodification of war — becoming part of the attention economy — which is a very strange and discomfiting experience so many of us are going through right now."

Brooking says Iranian propaganda is not new, but its focus on trolling Trump is allowing it to reach American audiences in ways it hasn't before. "Americans are not used to seeing messages from a country the U.S. is bombing that are directed at them. This is quite new," he said.

Iran has long been a pioneer in global propaganda, with early adoption of social media dating back decades. But its recent AI-generated output appears to prioritize volume over precision, with waves of content that feel rapidly produced and designed for maximum spread — like its latest Lego video set to AI-generated rap music. The video ends on a stark black screen with white text: "Your grave mistake of attacking us will be judged by history — and it won't be in your favor."

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/28/business/iran-propaganda-war-ai.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/business/media/iran-state-tv-social-media-war-ai.html

Sad and pathetic when domestic politics makes people switch to Team Russia and Iran.

I don't recall during Shrub's War in Iraq, so many people openly showing support for Iraq because they hated Bush. Support for the civilian losses, yes... but no one was posting puff pieces about the vaunted Iraqi military and how it's tear the hell out of the USA...

March 26, 2026

Just wanted to talk about "victory" in Iran.

Some people don't seem to understand the dynamics of war with Iran and comparisons to Iraq.

Let's start

1) Iran is a fortress. It's a mountainous huge country. Tehran is isolated by desert on one side and the Zagros on the other.

2) A WW2 or Shrub Style Invasion of Iran would take an effort that would dwarf Shrub's Iraq invasion.



Having said that... that's not the way to win the war.

It's unnecessary.

90% of Iran's oil exports transit through the Gulf.
Iran relies on the gulf for IMPORTS.
The Gulf produces a large quantity of food consumed in Iran.


If Iran loses control of the Gulf... they've lost the war by any logical rationale.

Since Iran has no air force, no navy and fewer military assets every day, there's not much they can do about it if/when the US takes control of Kharg, Hormuz, Bandar Abbas...

Problem for the US... this mission is winnable, fairly easily I'd say... but will the US public accept thousands of casualties?

I'm not willing to sign off on that.... if I had a voice

As many have said... I'd love to have been a fly on the wall when the Generals were briefing Trump on what would happen if he attacked... all of this was predictable and no I don't believe it when he says they were surprised.

In addition... since Iran poisoned relations with her neighbors... the major Arab powers are all in favor of bringing Iran to heel.

We all want to see a resurgence of the Persian people... who have been suffering under the yoke of Islamic extremists for a half century...

But I doubt if this gang can pull it off.

We'll see.

March 18, 2026

Afghanistan says Pakistan hit Kabul rehab center killing 408, Islamabad rejects claim

https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/16/asia/pakistan-afghanistan-strike-hospital-latam-intl

Kabul, Afghanistan
Reuters
—
More than 400 people were killed and 265 wounded in an airstrike by Pakistan on a drug rehabilitation center in Kabul, a spokesperson of the Afghan Taliban government said on Tuesday, in the deadliest incident since fighting between the two began in October last year.

Pakistan rejected the statement as ⁠false and misleading and said it had “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure” on Monday night.

The airstrike on Kabul came hours after China said it was ready to continue mediating efforts to ease tensions and urged both states to return to negotiations.

March 17, 2026

Gulf states press U.S. to neutralize Iran for good as Hormuz crisis deepens

DUBAI – Persian Gulf states did not ask the U.S. to go to war with Iran, but many are now urging it not to stop short by leaving the Islamic Republic still able to threaten the Gulf’s oil lifeline and the economies that depend on it, three Gulf sources said.

At the same time, these sources and five Western and Arab diplomats said Washington was pressing Gulf states to join the U.S.-Israeli war. According to three of them, U.S. President Donald Trump wants to show regional backing for the campaign to bolster its international legitimacy as well as support at home.

“There is a wide feeling across the Gulf that Iran has crossed every red line with every Gulf country,” said Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Saudi-based Gulf Research Center and familiar with government thinking.

“At first we defended them and opposed the war,” he said. “But once they began directing strikes at us, they became an enemy. There is no other way to classify them.”

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/03/17/world/politics/gulf-states-us-iran-hormuz/

March 14, 2026

The Strait of Hormuz... closed for business. Great for the US Oil Companies.

Seems a lot of folks don't understand what the Strait of Hormuz is...

Essentially it's the gateway to the filling station for all of Asia.

The US and EU combined receive less than 7% of the oil that flows through the Strait... The single biggest importer of oil affected by the Straits being closed is China... 37% of all the oil passing through the Strait goes to China.

So closing the Strait to harm the US?

Not really... it hurts the economy, globally... yes. But US oil companies actually make a killing with Hormuz closed.

This is why China WILL NOT allow Iran to close off the Strait for an extended period.

Iran is becoming more isolated by the day and their "Allies" either have no power (Russia) or have questionable interest in helping (China)

Plus if you believe in tail wagging the dog, meaning the tail (US oil companies) whispering in Trump's ear... you're not crazy.

March 12, 2026

Iranian President laughably announces 3 conditions for Peace in iran.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/3/12/iran-war-live-oil-tankers-hit-in-iraq-tehran-sets-3-conditions-for-peace

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian outlines three conditions to end the war: recognition of Tehran’s legitimate rights, payment of reparations and firm international guarantees against future aggression.

the ultimatum was delivered by Tehran Tom, graduate of Baghdad Bob School of Wartime PR.


Even Iraq had defenders during the Iraqi Shrub War... Iran has no one. They've pissed off the Arab World, Russia and China won't piss on them to put out a fire and they're left with only terrorist allies like Hezbollah and the Houthis.

March 9, 2026

On Day 1, Iran launched 504 ballistic missiles at it's neighbors... by day 5, it was 29

Don't believe the lies about Iran's "vengeance" or such crap

https://www.facebook.com/TheJerusalemPost/posts/irans-missile-stockpile-shrinks-as-us-israel-campaign-intensifiesevery-missile-i/1375267641293873/


https://jinsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Irans-Firepower-Has-Almost-Run-Out-1.pdf

March 5, 2026

US submarine sinks Iranian ship in first US torpedo kill since WWII, Pentagon confirms

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/03/04/us-submarine-sinks-iranian-ship-in-first-torpedo-kill-since-wwii-pentagon-confirms/

A United States Navy submarine sunk an Iranian ship with a single torpedo as the frigate was transiting the Indian Ocean, marking the first such kill by a U.S. submarine since World War II, the Pentagon confirmed on Wednesday.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the strike during a Pentagon press briefing on Operation Epic Fury alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine.

“Yesterday, in the Indian Ocean ... an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Hegseth said. “Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II.”

For those who nerd out on this stuff... modern torpedoes don't strike the hull. They detonate under the ship causing a large gas pocket under the ship which breaks the keel of the ship

March 4, 2026

All coming into focus now... The Kurds will lead the ground assault on Iran

https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/03/politics/cia-arming-kurds-iran

Washington and Erbil, Iraq
—
The CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces with the aim of fomenting a popular uprising in Iran, multiple people familiar with the plan told CNN.

The Trump administration has been in active discussions with Iranian opposition groups and Kurdish leaders in Iraq about providing them with military support, the sources said.

Iranian Kurdish armed groups have thousands of forces operating along the Iraq-Iran border, primarily in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. Several of the groups have released public statements since the beginning of the war hinting at imminent action and urging Iranian military forces to defect. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been striking Kurdish groups and said on Tuesday that it targeted Kurdish forces with dozens of drones.

https://www.axios.com/2026/03/02/trump-iran-war-kurds-iraq

President Trump spoke by phone with Kurdish leaders in Iraq on Sunday to discuss the U.S.-Israel war with Iran and what might come next, three sources with knowledge of the calls told Axios.

Why it matters: The Kurds have thousands of soldiers along the Iran-Iraq border and control strategic areas that could be significant as the war develops. Iraq's Kurds also have close ties to Iran's Kurdish minority.

Zoom in: Trump spoke to leaders from the two main Kurdish factions in Iraq — Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani — a day after the Saturday bombing campaign began, two of the sources said.

March 4, 2026

Qatar announces arrest of Iran's IRGC sleeper cells

Iran is facing a lot of resistance in their own neighborhood... the Arab world is unified.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/3/qatar-announces-arrest-of-iranian-irgc-sleeper-cells

Qatar has announced the arrest of what it called two cells operating for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Ten suspects were arrested in the cells, the Qatar News Agency (QNA) announced on Tuesday. Seven had been assigned to spy on “vital and military facilities” in Qatar, while three were tasked with carrying out sabotage operations.

“During interrogation, the suspects admitted their affiliation with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and that they had been tasked with espionage missions and sabotage activities,” QNA reported.