[TheCradle] Independent journalist Jonathan Larsen reported on 2 March that numerous US service members have lodged dozens of complaints saying senior officers are calling the war on Iran part of "God’s divine plan," with claims that US President Donald Trump was "anointed by Jesus" to spark Armageddon.
"President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth," one combat-unit commander allegedly told troops during a readiness briefing, according to a complaint submitted to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF).
The complaint is one of more than 110 logged within 48 hours, spanning over 40 units across at least 30 military installations, with soldiers telling the MRFF that commanders are describing the Iran campaign as divinely ordained and tied to the Book of Revelation.
If it’s true, a few were speaking outside expertise and off topic, and I can see where some would feel pressured instead of seeing it as an expression of personal opinion. It’s bad management to make subordinates feel pressured, so these officers should be retrained on managerial tact.
#2
Consider the source: Founded in 2005 by an ex-army lawyer. The MRFF claims to be about freedom of religion but mainly focuses on anti-Christian policy.
#3
The source might be questionable, based on what I saw and heard even back to the late 1980's there has always been an element of very religious in the military. There was a story that almost all of the AF missile crews and their leadership were very religious. I suppose it makes sense if you have a job that could kill millions of people and end the world.
#6
The entire thing was based on a single source: Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF).
If a commander in the military was arguing that this war was part of a religious crusade, why did no other media organization report this story? It’s not like they haven’t published similarly damning stories about religion in the military. How did no other reporters know about this? Why did all these soldiers (or whatever their positions are) not take their complaints to a credible military reporter, but rather decided to share it with a relatively obscure organization?
There were “110 similar complaints… in every branch of the military,” spread out over 40 units, we’re told, but MRFF is the only outlet to hear about this one? Really? (By the way, on MRFF’s own website, the numbers suddenly jump to “over 200 calls from more than 50 military installations.”) All these calls, all to one organization, and none apparently to any reporters who actually have the power to create change and have the contacts within the military to get more information.
So basically a made up story to make the left go REEEEEEEEE
Posted by: Oregon Dave ||
03/04/2026 18:24 Comments ||
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#9
110 complaints logged within 48 hours... over 40 units... at least 30 military installations with everyone telling the same story from the Book of Revelation.
Shenanigans! In addition to the case Darth lays out, a big pulse of identical complaints in a short time frame suggests an organized psy-op. I'm sure there are enough disgruntled DEIers in the ranks who are not happy with the current focus on warfighting instead of pronouns and cross-dressing.
Is the complaint form on-line to help ensure anonymity? In that case, you can run a script to file the complaints automatically, so you do not even need disgruntled grunts. Easy as rigging an on-line poll!
From the headline, I guessed "Bee". It would be an amusing plot twist if the war on Iran *is* God's plan. Donald Trump as an avenging angel? Nobody saw that coming!
#10
A dusty old scrap of papyrus
Tests free of that tedious virus:
"An angel he ain't,
But [bright splashes of paint]
He just might be the Persians' own Cyrus."
BREAKING: Security sources indicate that Somali tribal elders may attempt to mediate amid reported internal deliberations within the Shura Council of Al-Shabaab regarding the group’s future direction.
— The Somali Dispatch News (@SOSDISPATCHH) March 3, 2026
Text:
🚨 BREAKING NEWS
BREAKING: Security sources indicate that Somali tribal elders may attempt to mediate amid reported internal deliberations within the Shura Council of Al-Shabaab regarding the group’s future direction.
According to sources in Somalia, Al Shabab Shura Council hidden leadership is reportedly debating:
•Whether to formally distance from Al-Qaeda.
•The possibility of indirect or conditional engagement with the Federal Government of Somalia.
•A potential rebranding of the movement, including changing its name and transitioning into a political party. Focusing more on Somali territories rather than the broader regions.
[HodhodYemenNews] Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... has suspended "daily allowances" and financial support for its allied military factions in Aden and surrounding regions, southern Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... The move affects several groups, including the "Dera al-Watan", the "Al-Amaliqa Brigade", and "Shabwah Defense," as part of a sudden austerity plan aimed at standardizing financial allocations and eliminating pay disparities between various units.
Coordinated by Saudi military representative Falah al-Shahrani, these measures seek to centralize military decision-making under the command of Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Presidential Leadership Council and the Ministry of Defense.
The resumption of payments for certain groups, such as the "Al-Asifa" factions, has been made conditional upon the handover of medium and heavy weaponry to joint operations rooms and full integration into the formal Ministry of Defense structure.
Observers have warned that these systematic financial pressures—coupled with the fact that thousands of recruits have not received stipends since last November—could trigger armed rebellions in Aden. They noted that the measures appear designed to strip these factions of their financial independence and force total compliance with the new Saudi-led military vision.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Ten agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have been arrested in Qatar. This was reported on March 4 by the local news agency Qatar News Agency.
"Seven of them were assigned to carry out espionage missions to gather information about vital and military facilities in the country, while the other three were assigned to carry out sabotage and were trained in the use of UAVs," the agency noted.
The detainees were found to be in possession of coordinates of secret facilities, communications equipment, and technical devices. During the investigation, the accused admitted their ties to the IRGC and received assignments to conduct espionage missions and sabotage. The State Security Service called on citizens and residents to report any suspicious activity to the competent authorities.
[KhaamaPress] The Government of the United Kingdom said it has suspended the issuance of student visas for citizens of Afghanistan, Cameroon ...a long, narrow country that fills the space between Nigeria and Chad on the northeast, CAR to the southeast. Prior to incursions by Boko Haram nothing ever happened there... , Myanmar and Sudan ...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans... , as well as work visas for Afghan nationals.
Shabana Mahmood said in a statement on Tuesday, March 3, that Britannia will continue to offer refuge to those fleeing war and persecution, but the visa system must not be exploited.
Oh. For a moment it looked like PM Sir Keir Starmer had been shamed into caring for the safety of the people whom he is supposed to serve, but he is just faking for the rubes.
The Home Office said asylum applications from students of those countries rose by more than 470% between 2021 and 2025.
It added that a significant portion of individuals seeking asylum legally had initially entered Britannia on student visas.
Although asylum claims from students declined by 20% in 2025, the Home Office said 13% of total applications still came from individuals who arrived on study visas.
Officials said the suspension is aimed at preventing misuse of migration routes while maintaining protections for genuine refugees.
Britannia has tightened immigration controls in recent years amid political pressure to reduce overall migration levels. The decision is expected to affect hundreds of prospective Afghan students and workers who had planned to travel to the UK.
Human rights advocates have warned that restricting visa pathways could limit safe and legal routes for vulnerable individuals. The government said it will keep the policy under review while assessing future migration and asylum trends.
[BBC] OpenAI says it has agreed changes to the "opportunistic and sloppy" deal it struck with the US government over the use of its technology in classified military operations.
On Monday OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said the company would add the language to its agreement, including explicitly prohibiting the use of its systems to spy on Americans. CONTRACT, contract, contract, contract, ...
The deal had emerged on Friday following a fallout between OpenAI's rival Anthropic and the Department of Defense, over concerns around the use of its AI model Claude for mass surveillance and in fully autonomous weapons.
But it has raised questions over how AI is used in war and how much power rests with government and private companies.
A statement made on Saturday by OpenAI claimed its agreement with the Pentagon had "more guardrails than any previous agreement for classified AI deployments, including Anthropic's".
But on Monday, Altman posted on X to say further changes were being made, including making sure its system would not be "intentionally used for domestic surveillance of U.S. persons and nationals".
As part of the new amendments, intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency would also not be able to use OpenAI's system without a "follow-on modification" to the contract.
Altman added the company had made a mistake by rushing "to get this out on Friday".
"The issues are super complex, and demand clear communication," he said.
"We were genuinely trying to de-escalate things and avoid a much worse outcome, but I think it just looked opportunistic and sloppy."
OpenAI has faced backlash from users following its announcement it was working with the Pentagon.
According to data from Sensor Tower, the number of people uninstalling ChatGPT has surged since the news of OpenAI's partnership with the Department of Defense was announced on Friday.
The market intelligence firm said the daily average uninstall rate was up by 200% compared to normal rates.
Meanwhile, Anthropic's Claude rose to the top of Apple's App Store ranking, where it still remains on Tuesday.
The AI model was blacklisted by the Trump adminstration following Anthropic's refusal to drop a corporate "red-line" principle that its technology should not be used to create fully autonomous weapons.
Despite this, the use of Claude in the US-Israel war with Iran has since emerged, with BBC News' US partner CBS News reporting it was still in use on Tuesday.
[Al-Rooters] Save our money!
Some Anthropic investors are racing to contain fallout from the AI research lab's dispute with the Pentagon, seven people familiar with the matter said, for fear that an ongoing spat could devastate the company's business.
In recent days, CEO Dario Amodei has discussed the matter with some of Anthropic's major investors and partners, including Amazon.com CEO Andy Jassy, two of the people said. Venture capital firms including Lightspeed and Iconiq have also been in contact with Anthropic executives, two sources said.
Some investors are also reaching out to their contacts in the Trump administration in hopes of tamping down the tensions, two sources said.
The discussions focus on avoiding a ban of Anthropic's AI from all Pentagon contractors, the people said.
Anthropic and the Pentagon are continuing some talks in the meantime, one of the people said. Reuters was unable to determine what such talks entailed. U.S. President Donald Trump has called on Anthropic to help the government phase out its AI systems.
The Pentagon and investors including Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Anthropic and the Defense Department, which the Trump administration renamed the Department of War, have been in a months-long dispute over how the military can use its technology on the battlefield. The clash is widely seen as a referendum on how much control AI companies can have over the technology they've built, systems they hope can transform education, public services and other aspects of society.
The Pentagon has pushed AI companies to drop red lines in favor of abiding by an all-lawful use clause. But Anthropic has refused to back down on bans for its Claude AI to power autonomous weapons and mass U.S. surveillance.
Anthropic was first among peer AI companies to work with classified information through a supply deal via cloud provider Amazon. OpenAI said Friday that it reached its own classified deal with the Pentagon and that Anthropic should not be labeled a risk to the department.
FUNDING RISKS
During talks with Anthropic executives, investors have reiterated their support for the San Francisco-based AI lab while also expressing their desire to find a solution with the Pentagon, the seven people said. Some investors told Reuters they were frustrated that CEO Amodei antagonized rather than cultivated Pentagon officials. "It's an ego and diplomacy problem," one of the people briefed on the matter said.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/04/2026 12:31 ||
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[1760 views]
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BREAKING: President Trump says US government will backstop war insurance for all shipping in the Persian Gulf.
In addition, he says the U.S. Navy will provide naval escort to tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. But note the “… as soon as possible…” which isn’t very reassuring pic.twitter.com/ifPUmv9Y3h
#1
A huge economic and political opportunity for US here. Lloyds “names” are the English ruling class, and insurance is a major capital inflow for London.
#2
It is more of a money grab by Lloyd’s. Not sure why we would backstop foreign flags. We escorted US flagged vessels in the late 80’s to 90’s.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/04/2026 5:53 Comments ||
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#3
Not surprising, Lloyds is part of the bankers fiefdom and is located inside the City of London.
MI6 has an office across the street. It suggests MI6 laundered intel via Five Eyes for Lloyd's, and it is apparent to me that Lloyd's used this intel to gauge their insurance quotes.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Fears are growing over Iran's ability to strike deep inside Europe with suicide drones and missiles amid warnings that terror sleeper cells could unleash chaos across the continent at any moment.
The war in the Middle East intensified on Monday, with attacks from Iran and Iranian-backed militias hitting Israel and the Arab states.
Worries over a potential Iranian strike further into Europe come after an Iranian drone struck a British RAF base in Cyprus overnight, in a conflict that began with the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the weekend.
For years, Iran has been working to increase the range of these projectiles, and the most lethal is believed to be the Khorramshahr 4 missile.
It has a range of 2,000 to 3,000km and carries a 1,500kg warhead, according to the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, a US-based think tank.
It can be launched in volleys, and if used, the missiles could reach a large swathe of Europe, including Greece, Italy, Germany, Poland and Denmark.
This has been long known. The targets just hoped they could seduce Iran into using up their supply on Israel and American military targets in the Middle East. Ditto for the sleeper cells and local Jewish targets.
Dr. Sidharth Kaushal, a senior research fellow at RUSI, told the Daily Mail that the Khorramshahr is a 'derivative' of a North Korean ballistic missile.
He said: 'It was always speculated that this would have been the delivery vehicle for a nuclear warhead if the Iranians had ever developed one.'
Shahed suicide drones, with a range of 2,000km, could also strike parts of Europe, while an array of missiles with ranges of about 1,200 to 1,500km have already been reaching countries across the Middle East, such as Israel, the UAE and Bahrain.
These another layer of pressure to its potential targets.
#2
EU's & US Open Borders policy removed the initial Military steps of placing spies, 5th Columns and weaponry threats into an Enemies Heartland and vital operational areas.
Heck! Many EU Nations were even supporting and paying for the 5th Columns after they arrived.
Just like the DC SWAMP has done here in the USA for 3.85 million Muslims immigrants here in 2020+. Of which about 46% to 51% (depending on data source) are foreign born. They quickly get benefits that many US Citizens wait for, or don't get. Like quick Section 8 Housing support, $$$$ Welfare, SNAP, and more. All in focused Metro community areas and oddly are many times very near, or adjoining vital areas.
#4
Iran has entered the 'use it or lose it' stage in the conflict. The outcome of the conflict isn't likely to change. The only question is how many people the religious maniacs are going to try and take with them.
#7
A traitor Marine freaked out in the Senate and got removed kicking and screaming. Surprised it's not posted here yet. It's shocking how people are taking Iran's side so quickly. We expect this from the left weirdos but a Marine? The Mullahs reach is long indeed.
#8
I had to search for it. You thrive on this agitprop, dontcha?
Senator Sheehy joined Capitol Police in lifting up and ejecting anti war protestor Brian McGinnis from a SASC subcommittee hearing. McGinnis is a Green Party candidate running for Senate in N.C. An antiwar activist filmed the video below: pic.twitter.com/0dVA0ORWXQ
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/04/2026 18:39 Comments ||
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#9
Anti-war former Marine, anyway, according to the Washington Examiner. Like that little Communist who revealed his orientation at his West Point graduation, and a number of gangsters who put on the uniform with malice aforethought, some on the other side join up in order to bring the training back to their beloved evil organizations, while others draw precisely the wrong conclusions from their experiences and turn to the dark side.
So a traitor Marine veteran is true without being correct, as it’s not Marine veteran that is his chief characteristic, but traitor.
[IsraelTimes] PM says US-Israeli campaign will be ‘swift, decisive,’ as JD Vance says goal is to change Iran’s ‘mindset’; Witkoff says Iranians shamelessly boasted in talks they had uranium for 11 nuclear bombs, had evaded protocols
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Tuesday that an attack against Iran was urgently necessary because Iran was building new underground sites to shield its missile and nuclear programs from attacks.
US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, meanwhile, revealed that Iranian negotiators boasted “to us directly, with no shame,” in talks earlier this year, that they had evaded international safeguards to enrich enough uranium so as “to get to a place where they could deliver 11 nuclear bombs.”
In an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu said, “The reason that we had to act now is because after we hit their nuclear sites and their ballistic missile program [in June 2025]… they started building new sites… underground bunkers that would make their ballistic missile program and their atomic bomb program immune within months.”
“If no action was taken now, no action could be taken in the future,” he said.
Netanyahu’s comments came less than nine months after he declared, at the end of the June war, that Israel had “achieved a historic victory” over Iran that would “abide for generations.”
In his Fox interview, the prime minister denied that the US and Israel were engaging in an “endless war” against Iran, insisting that the operation would end quickly.
“I hear people are telling you that you’re going to have an endless war here — You’re not going to have an endless war because… this terror regime in Iran is at its weakest point” since its founding, Netanyahu said.
“This is going to be a quick and decisive action,” he asserted.
Netanyahu said that “95%” of the problems in the Middle East are generated by Iran, and that the fall of the regime would lead to a flood of peace deals between Israel and its Arab and Muslim neighbors.
He maintained that the joint US-Israeli operations would “usher in an era of peace that we haven’t even dreamed of.”
Earlier, Rubio said that the US had launched Operation Epic Fury in part because Israel was going to carry out a preemptive strike against Iran, and US intelligence indicated that Tehran would respond by targeting American assets in the region.
The remark further intensified criticism by critics of the administration that Israel had dragged the US into a war with Iran.
Asked to respond to the claim, Netanyahu laughed it off.
“That’s ridiculous. Donald Trump is the strongest leader in the world. He does what he thinks is right for America. He does also what he thinks is right for future generations,” Netanyahu said, arguing that the US president understands the threats posed by Iran.
Netanyahu spent much of the interview praising Trump, who urged his followers to tune in to Fox News ahead of time and was himself likely watching.
VANCE: WAR SEEKS TO CHANGE IRAN’S ‘MINDSET’
US Vice President JD Vance was also interviewed on Fox News, and focused largely on the nuclear threat.
He said the goal of the operation was to change the Iranian “mindset” so that it would agree never to pursue a nuclear weapon.
Vance said Trump succeeded in preventing Iran from having the ability to build a nuclear weapon until at least the end of his second term through last June’s Operation Midnight Hammer, at the end of Israel’s 12-day war, which targeted Tehran’s three main nuclear facilities.
“We set them back substantially, but I think the president was looking for the long haul. He was looking for Iran to make a significant long-term commitment that they would never build a nuclear weapon,” the vice president said.
The US then spent nearly a year trying to negotiate with Iran, but Tehran wouldn’t budge, Vance continued.
Trump then realized that achieving his aim “would require, fundamentally, a change in mindset from the Iranian regime,” he said.
“He saw that the Iranian regime was weakened, he knew that they were committed to getting on that brink of a nuclear weapon, and he decided to take action because he felt that was necessary in order to protect the nation’s security,” Vance said.
Vance insisted that Operation Epic Fury won’t drag out for years because the US has a clear goal.
“There’s just no way that Donald Trump is going to allow this country to get into a multiyear conflict with no clear end in sight and no clear objective,” Vance asserted.
“He’s defined the objective as Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and has to commit long-term to never trying to rebuild their nuclear capability,” he added.
WITKOFF: IRANIANS BRAGGED OF URANIUM FOR 11 BOMBS
US special envoy Witkoff, who together with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner led Washington’s negotiations with Tehran over the disputed nuclear program, said that Iran’s top negotiators boasted in the first round of talks this year of having enough highly enriched uranium to build 11 nuclear bombs.
“In that first meeting, both the Iranian negotiators said to us directly — with no shame — that they controlled 460 kilograms of 60% [enriched uranium] and that they’re aware that could make 11 nuclear bombs,” Witkoff told Fox.
Trump has asserted that the US “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities during the 12-day war last June, which would ostensibly render Iran incapable of immediately turning that enriched uranium into a bomb.
.@SEPeaceMissions Steve Witkoff says Iran "thought they could strong-arm us" during talks:
"We went in there and tried to make a fair deal with them, and it very, very clear that it was going to be impossible..." pic.twitter.com/MSFt8kvJno
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 3, 2026
Still, Witkoff said the Iranian negotiators “were proud that they had evaded all sorts of oversight protocols to get to a place where they could deliver 11 nuclear bombs.”
He said that during that first meeting, the Iranian negotiators insisted on “an inalienable right” to enrich their nuclear fuel.
“We responded that the president feels we have the inalienable right to stop you dead in your tracks,” Witkoff recalled. “Jared and I just sort of looked at ourselves flummoxed, and said, ‘We’re really in for it now.'”
Witkoff’s account seemed to comport with details of an NBC report earlier in the day that claimed Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had shouted at the envoy about Iran’s enrichment rights during their meeting.
Witkoff reiterated his claim that the highly enriched uranium that Iran had stockpiled could be turned into weapons-grade within a week or 10 days, though this would again require nuclear facilities that the US says it destroyed in strikes last year.
Witkoff said Trump had dispatched him and Kushner to hold talks with Iran to reach a deal in which Tehran would agree to eliminate its missile program, cease its support for proxies, eliminate its navy “so we can have freedom of the seas,” and cease its nuclear enrichment.
“We went in there and tried to make a fair deal with them, and it was very, very clear that it was going to be impossible — probably by the end of the second meeting, but we then went back for the third meeting just to give it the last college try,” Witkoff said.
“They wanted us to report positivity. It was not positive, that meeting,” he added.
ISRAELI OFFICIALS WARN MISSILES WON’T ALL BE DESTROYED
Israel has cited the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile arsenal and its ability to manufacture more as an existential threat to the Jewish state.
In Jerusalem, security officials warned cabinet ministers during a Monday night meeting that the Iranian “ballistic missile threat will not be destroyed” in the current round of fighting, according to a report by Channel 12.
The security officials were quoted as saying that Iran is keeping some of its missile systems below ground, and that it intends to bring those out on “the day after.”
They were also quoted as saying that the Islamic Republic is “trying to save what is possible from the nuclear sites” as well.
“After the campaign, they will try to reuse what we blew up,” the officials reportedly added.
However, if the war plans work as intended, the officials reportedly said, the IDF will have significantly degraded Iran’s ballistic capabilities, as well as its ability to rebuild them.
Posted by: NoMoreBS ||
03/04/2026 00:00 ||
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#1
From what they said to Witkoff, they were at the fabrication stage. Where they start building them.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
03/04/2026 8:42 Comments ||
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#2
The best way to change a mindset is to shoot him in the head.
[IsraelTimes] With commercial options limited, assistant secretary of state says US ‘actively securing military aircraft and charter flights for American citizens who wish to leave’ the region
A US State Department official told The Times of Israel on Tuesday that it was in direct contact with nearly 500 American citizens to help evacuate them out of Israel.
"Hundreds of American citizens have left Israel since the start of the conflict. Over the last few days, the State Department has assisted over 130 American citizens depart Israel, with an additional 100 American citizens expected to depart today," the official said in a statement.
American citizens needing assistance should call +1-202-501-4444 and register in the State Department Smart Traveler Enrollment Program for updates, the department said.
American citizens needing assistance should call
+1-202-501-4444
and register in the State Department Smart Traveler Enrollment Program for updates, the department said.
On Monday, the US called on Americans to immediately leave Israel and over a dozen other countries in the region, urging them to use commercial means to do so, even though much of the airspace has been closed.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee advised Americans seeking to leave to try to evacuate via Egypt, acknowledging the "limited options."
In addition, US Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson said the US was "actively securing military aircraft and charter flights for American citizens who wish to leave the Middle East."
"We’ve been in direct contact with nearly 3,000 Americans abroad," he said.
Yes, the State Department is actively securing military aircraft and charter flights for American citizens who wish to leave the Middle East.
Johnson told The Times of Israel that the State Department launched a special task force upon the commencement of Operation Epic Fury, which has over 120 dedicated call takers who are fielding calls from American citizens abroad. On Tuesday, the task force "began proactively calling American citizens who are registered with the State’s Smart Travel Enrollment Program (STEP) system to confirm they are safe and offer travel assistance," he said.
The evacuation efforts came as US politicians slammed the State Department for urging US citizens in the Middle East to leave three days after the US-Israeli war against Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... started and when air travel was severely disrupted, saying it was a sign of a lack of proper planning.
The air war, which began on Saturday, has already sent shockwaves around the world, disrupting energy supplies and sending global air transport into chaos. Major Gulf aviation hubs, including the world’s busiest international airport — Dubai, which normally handles over 1,000 flights a day — remained closed for a fourth day on Tuesday, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded. Ticket prices have soared.
"Warnings to citizens to evacuate 3 days into this war, when airspace is closed, is a clear sign of ZERO strategy and planning by the Trump admin," Democratic Senator Andy Kim said in a post on X.
"Now Americans have limited options to evacuate at an extremely dangerous moment with no government assistance. This administration is failing its citizens," Kim added.
On Monday, a US official said the State Department activated an inter-agency task force to manage the situation and had launched a dedicated WhatsApp channel, which it said has amassed 15,000 followers. It did not mention any government assistance for the evacuation of citizens.
"So the State Department is forcing everyone to immediately leave the region but is also refusing to help people leave the region," Democratic Senator Chris Murphy (D., Conn) ...Junior senator for life from Connecticutt, foreign policy mastermind, a fast friend and a sympathetic ear to mullahs, ayatollahs, and similar riff-raff. The indigestable boilerplate on his website sez he has has dedicated his career to public service as an advocate for Connecticut families, which means approximately nothing except that he's never held an honest job. He's been a strong voice in the Senate fighting for job creation, affordable health care, education, sensible gun laws, and a forward-looking foreign policy. You can guess what that mess actually means, though the voters of Connecticutt seemingly can't... said in an X post. "Incompetence everywhere," he added.
Congressman Ted Lieu from Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, urged the administration to schedule US government evacuation flights for the stranded Americans.
It is not immediately clear how many American and dual citizens are based in the region. The State Department urges its nationals to sign up for its database when they are abroad.
On Tuesday, the State Department also announced that it had ordered the departure of non-emergency US government personnel and their family members from US embassies in Bahrain, Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... , the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Jordan. Similar measures have already been taken for US missions in Leb ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects.... and Israel.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
03/04/2026 12:30 ||
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[1773 views]
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The US Air Force carried out a critical test launch of a nuclear-capable missile Tuesday evening, saying the mission was designed to ensure 'the maximum level of readiness.'
The Minuteman III ICBM was launched at 11.01 pm PT from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The test took place as the US and Israel launched one of their most aggressive military operations in decades, dramatically escalating tensions with Iran and raising fears of a wider regional war.
Air Force officials stressed that the launch, designated GT 255, 'was scheduled years ago and is not in response to world events,' adding that the mission was intended to validate the performance of the weapon system.
The unarmed missile traveled at roughly 15,000 miles per hour, completing a 4,200-mile journey in about 22 minutes before reaching its target near Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has reportedly been appointed Iran's new Supreme Leader.
Mojtaba, 56, Ali Khamenei's second oldest son, has strong links to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and was chosen by Iran's Assembly of Experts 'under pressure from the Revolutionary Guards', according to Iranian opposition outlet Iran International.
Mojtaba is not a high-ranking cleric, has never held office and does not have an official role in the regime. He's the Pete ButtGig of Iran
But he served in the Iranian armed forces during the Iran-Iraq war and is believed to wield considerable influence behind the scenes. He has been touted as a possible successor to his father for years.
However, he was not included in a list of three senior clerics Ali Khamenei reportedly identified last year.
And his father is said to have indicated opposition to his candidacy because it would resemble the hereditary rule enacted by the US-backed Shah monarchy before it was overthrown in the Iranian Revolution in 1979.
Father-to-son succession is also viewed negatively in the Shiite Muslim clerical establishment in Iran.
But much of Iran's top brass has been decimated in the latest conflict and Mojtaba has close ties with the powerful IRGC and the Basij volunteer paramilitary force.
Despite being sanctioned by the US in 2019, Mojtaba is said to oversee an investment empire of over £100million, with access to luxury properties in north London and bank accounts in the UK, Switzerland, UAE and Liechtenstein.
Mojtaba is said to own 11 properties on The Bishops Avenue - an exclusive street in Hampstead, north London, also known as 'Billionaires' Row'.
The Ayatollah's second son owns the properties through a network of shell companies, one of which is registered in the tax haven of the Isle of Man.
Under Iran's Islamic guardianship system, the Supreme Leader must be a senior leader with significant political authority.
While Mojtaba has not held senior political roles, he studied under religious conservatives in Islamic seminaries in the Shiite holy city Qom.
Born in 1969 in the holy city of Mashhad, he grew up as his father was helping to lead the opposition to the Shah.
His wife Zahra Adel and his mother, Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, are among the dead from Saturday's strikes.
In recent years, a favorite to succeed the 86-year-old Supreme Leader had been the hardline President Ebrahim Raisi, but he was killed in a helicopter crash in May 2024.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Gevorg Mirzayan
[REGNUM] Among the main victims of the American-Iranian war – besides Iran itself, of course – were the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf.
Despite distancing themselves from the war and even attempting to prevent it, they immediately found themselves drawn into the conflict. After the American bombing began, the Islamic Republic launched a series of missile and drone strikes against neighboring monarchies.
The Iranians claimed they were targeting American military installations. However, they weren't the only targets. For example, Dubai International Airport, the Burj Al Arab hotel, the luxurious artificial island of Palm Jumeirah, and a number of residential buildings were not targeted.
Formally, the Arabs, of course, criticize Iran. They call its actions "unjustified" (Saudi Arabia), "unacceptable under any circumstances" (Qatar), a "treacherous attack" (Bahrain), and claim the right to self-defense (Kuwait). UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash stated that with this attack, Iran merely reinforced the arguments of the US and Israel. " Your war is not against your neighbors," he declared.
However, at the same time, they place a significant (if not most) of the blame for what happened on the United States.
Not only because the US launched a war against Iran against the wishes of Arab countries, but because the Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman—all of them found themselves largely defenseless against Iranian attacks because the United States failed to fulfill its obligations to them.
The fact is that the relationship between the United States and Arab countries, established since World War II, is based on the principle of "security in exchange for loyalty." The United States pledged to protect the young monarchies of the Persian Gulf from all regional threats, and in exchange received oil supplies and political connections.
Thanks to this pact, Arab countries grew rich and developed, positioning themselves as little more than paradise islands in the increasingly volatile Middle East. " There has been no war on their soil since Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, and their countries have earned a reputation as safe havens for international tourists and investors," writes The New York Times.
Security was supposed to be provided directly by American military installations. Tens of thousands of American troops are stationed at more than a dozen bases in the Gulf. And we're not talking about just any bases.
Bahrain, for example, is home to the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet. Qatar is home to Al Udeid Air Base, the forward headquarters of US Central Command (CENTCOM), responsible for operations in Central Asia and the Middle East. Another CENTCOM forward headquarters, as well as a host of other facilities, are located in Kuwait.
The Americans now say the Iranian strikes didn't cause any significant damage. "Damage to U.S. assets was minimal and did not impact operations," the U.S. Central Command statement read.
But this happened because Washington focused on protecting these very facilities, rather than the allies' territory as such. Moreover, the Americans withdrew a significant portion of the air defense systems that protected those same Saudi factories or Arab cities to protect their, as it turns out, far more significant ally—Israel—effectively abandoning the Arabs to their fate.
Of course, it's not as if alarm bells about American unreliability hadn't been raised before. "This was clear back in 2019, when the Yemeni Houthis (backed by Iran) first attacked the ARAMCO plant," political scientist and RIAC expert Kirill Semenov explained to Regnum News Agency. But back then, it was more a case of American air defense forces simply failing technically.
In 2025, when the Israelis attacked Hamas headquarters in Doha, it was no longer a technical failure, but a political decision by the Americans to allow the strike. However, the incident was portrayed as an isolated incident, and the Jewish state settled the matter with Qatar.
However, now, after the Iranian alarm, the Arabs are forced to acknowledge the obvious. "The presence of these bases is pointless for the Arabs. They provide no protection from the Israelis. And, as is now becoming clear, neither do they provide protection from the Iranians," says Semenov.
Moreover, the bases become a problem, attracting the attention of Islamic terrorists and often irritating the local population—just look at the videos of how Kuwaitis, “grateful for the protection,” reacted to American pilots landing by parachute after their planes crashed.
Having said "a," Arabs must consider what "b" will sound like. And what the future of their "Middle Eastern paradise" will be now that the US has transformed from protector into problem.
Of course, we could turn a blind eye to the American presence and begin defending ourselves—together. The money is there. In 2023, the Persian Gulf countries collectively spent $114.5 billion on their armed forces, more than half of which ($69 billion) went to Saudi Arabia. We could spend even more—the Gulf countries control sovereign wealth funds worth $4 trillion.
However, the realization of the idea of collective Arab defense is hampered by both the personal ambitions of monarchs (regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the UAE) and the Americans themselves. Washington will not allow the Arabs to pursue a sovereign military policy—for example, diversifying their arms supplies by purchasing from the Chinese.
" China, as an arms supplier, can at least reduce the Gulf countries' dependence on American systems," says Kirill Semenov. Saudi Arabia has already attempted to acquire Chinese missiles. These purchases were made secretly from the US, and when the Americans learned of the latest purchase plan in 2015, the deal was scrapped.
However, Riyadh may now be much less sensitive to American pressure. Just like the Emirates, which, under Joe Biden, abandoned the project to establish a Chinese base on its territory. This is especially true if they decide to fully diversify their foreign policy and seek new allies.
It cannot be said that the Arabs, having heard the American “warning bells,” have not been doing this in recent years.
For example, Qatar in the late 2010s – albeit out of necessity, due to the conflict with Saudi Arabia, in which the US chose not to interfere.
Doha concluded a series of military-political agreements with Turkey and, as a symbol of this relationship, presented Recep Tayyip Erdogan with a jetliner worth half a billion dollars.
In the early 2020s, American experts watched with alarm as the Emirates embarked on a course of improving relations with China and Russia. And in 2025, Saudi Arabia signed a collective defense agreement with nuclear-armed Pakistan.
But how will Washington react if the Arabs engage in systemic diversification? Will it consider the Arab world, pivoting toward China, suddenly "undemocratic"? And will it use its military presence in these countries to "restore democracy" there?
However, in this case, the Americans will demonstrate that their bases not only cannot protect the Gulf from either Israel or Iran, but are also dangerous in their own right. Then the Arabs might resort to the most radical option—the very one Tehran is now pushing them toward—to the best of their ability, of course.
" One of Iran's goals was to strike at its allies' bases and investment facilities until they drove the Americans out," Andrei Klintsevich, head of the Center for the Study of Military and Political Conflicts, explained to Regnum News Agency.
At the same time, Washington still has the opportunity to retain the Gulf - if they can provide a completely different level of defense guarantees.
The only question is whether Trump will go along with it. Or more precisely, whether Israel, which advocates a free hand in bringing chaos to the Middle East, will allow him to do so.
An attack on Iran threatens to plunge the entire Middle East into an unpredictable (the fighting has already spread to Lebanon) and bloody, multi-year war.
The region's economy has already suffered a colossal blow, and the risks of instability have increased exponentially. Arab states should consider their role in these rapidly changing circumstances.
#1
If the Arab allies blow through their ADA missiles defending the US bases they will (soon) not have any ADA missiles to protect their own assets. Then they can rely on the US to reciprocate using their own diminished stockpiles. Logistics is really setting the pace for this exercise.
#7
When are we pulling our bases out of Spain? Jackhammer the runways and leave a burning tire fire as thanks for being a reliable ally -- until we need them.
Posted by: Regular joe ||
03/04/2026 13:13 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Trump torching NATO seems like a smart move in retrospect because Turkey is next.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/04/2026 18:00 Comments ||
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#12
when Paul Krugman starts backpedalling hard
He is to be congratulated on for once overcoming his prejudices when reality smashes him in the face, given how rarely he manages the feat. Such a happy analysis to read, Vortigern Speaking for Boskone4685.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans...
...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects....
