We reported earlier that President Trump has again expressed his extreme frustration at lack of direct NATO participation in a plan to open up the Strait of Hormuz. He declared the US has "militarily WON" - and lambasted lack of allied interest in a "simple military maneuver" to open the Strait of Hormuz, calling NATO a "Paper Tiger" without the US.

These Seven Allies Concocted A 'Hormuz Coalition' Statement To Placate Trump, Which Failed

BY TYLER DURDEN

Now in its third week, the Iran war has engulfed the Middle East, killed more than 2,000 people and sent oil prices skyrocketing worldwide. The United States and Israel continue to strike Iran daily. Israel is also fighting the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

In response, the Iranian regime — now led by Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — has launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel and at U.S. military targets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. By threatening to bomb ships, Tehran has forced the Strait of Hormuz to close, blocking one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.

The losses the U.S. military currently incurs in its war on Iran continue to accumulate.

ABC News confirms that Iran has managed to destroy at least 10 radar installation in the Middle East. Most of these were U.S. owned while the rest were supplied to U.S. allies. The loss of early warning radar lets more Iranian missile slip through the U.S. missile defense curtain. It will cause more losses in other installations especially in Israel.

Antony Loewenstein examines how Israel’s modern identity has been shaped by a powerful founding idea: the creation of the “strong Jew.”

In this conversation, he unpacks how early Zionist leaders, including David Ben-Gurion, framed a new national identity in direct contrast to the perceived “weakness” of European Jews during the Holocaust — a framing that ignores the reality of widespread Jewish resistance under Nazi rule.

We also explore how this narrative continues to influence Israeli politics and public messaging today, particularly in moments of conflict. From government rhetoric praising national resilience, to disparities in civilian protection between Jewish and Palestinian communities, Loewenstein argues that power, perception, and storytelling remain central to how the war is understood — both inside Israel and globally.

This episode looks at:

Sept. 4, 2012 -- quicklist: 1title: Chuck Norris Warns of '1,000 Years of Darkness' If Obama Re-Elected text: Action film actor and martial artist Chuck Norris issued a grave warning to America's voters this week: Head to the ballot box, or sentence your children to "1,000 years of darkness."

Norris, along with his wife Gena, filmed a two-minute video urging people to "unite for God and country" by casting their ballots against Obama this November.

A Supreme Court ruling, an unauthorised war and open defiance of legal limits point to a presidency no longer constrained by institutions – but defined by them being ignored.

Mark S Pirie,  Christopher Tang

Tensions in the Middle East are reaching a dangerous new phase as fears of a possible U.S. military strike on Iran intensify. The Kremlin has issued a stark warning, saying any American attack would seriously destabilise the region, while urging restraint and a return to diplomacy.

Iran, meanwhile, says it is prepared for “any scenario,” vowing a painful and decisive response to any U.S. or Israeli aggression. As the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group enters CENTCOM waters and Iran unveils AI-generated military visuals, the risk of miscalculation grows. With diplomacy strained, military forces on alert, and rhetoric escalating on all sides, the region once again stands on the edge of a wider conflict.

Two crew on the USS Gerald R. Ford -- the world's largest aircraft carrier currently deployed for the war against Iran -- were injured Thursday in a laundry room fire, the US Navy said.

"Two sailors are currently receiving medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries and are in stable condition," a statement from US Naval Forces Central Command said.

The Navy said the fire, originating "in the ship's main laundry," was "not combat-related and is contained."

The Navy said the Ford is now in the Red Sea as part of Operation Epic Fury -- the name given to the massive US bombing assault on Iran launched by President Donald Trump on February 28.

"There is no damage to the ship's propulsion plant, and the aircraft carrier remains fully operational," the statement said.

From childhood to adulthood, Refaat Ibrahim recounts a life marked by repeated war, displacement and loss — a personal testimony of a generation growing up under siege in Gaza.

Refaat Ibrahim

The war in Gaza is not merely the one that began in 2023, but an unending policy of suffering that Palestinians have endured for 77 years under Israeli occupation and its crimes. I have lived this suffering since I was born on March 21, 2001. Today, I turn 25, having witnessed five wars and dozens of military escalations.

Jan 06, 2020 — Amid growing concern that President Donald Trump will further escalate tensions with Iran and start a new war in the Middle East, Rep. Ilhan Omar--an outspoken anti-war Democrat in the U.S. House--shared a historic clip of comedian George Carlin Monday morning that bemoaned the pattern of American militarism in which the United States--often with the help of a conspiring media and pliant public--start or jump into a major war with another country just about every twenty years.

BY JON QUEALLY

'No Laughing Matter': Ilhan Omar Shares Searing Anti-War Standup Routine by George Carlin

The ABC’s new flagship forum failed to interrogate key claims and perspectives on antisemitism, leaving major gaps in a critical national debate.

The inaugural program of the much-heralded successor to ABC TV Q&A, the _ABC National Forum_, on 9 March was a sad damp squib.

Vivienne Porzsolt

THERE HAS BEEN many investigation on why TRUMP got elected in 2024... The motives are numerous, from the rejection of the WOKE influence, to Kamala (HARRIS) being UNDEMOCRATICALLY chosen and being incoherent and WISHY-WASHY... But for GUS Leonisky, CARTOONIST extraordinaire since 1951, the main deception that tipped the scale in favour of the NOW WARRIOR-in-chief was the WARMONGER party, also KNOWN as the uniparty, the Demorepubicrats, that did a fantastic switcheroo...

REMEMBER that the Cheneys and JOHN Bolton, WARMONGERS of renown, defected from the "Republicans" to join the DEMOCRATS as anti-TRUMP... This would have irked some democrats... THAT WAS A clever TRICK.

According to The Washington Post, the Pentagon recently asked the White House to approve a more than $200 billion request to Congress to fund the war.

The Trump regime goes from madness to madness, ignoring any and every international law. Michael Pascoe writes Trump’s latest threat looks like a promise.

Make no mistake, there is no easy or early end to the Middle East quagmire Donald Trump has dumped the world into, encouraging the mad king to float another adventure to change focus from the mess he has created.

The Madness of Trump. What’s his next criminal outrage gonna’ be?
by Michael Pascoe

“I do believe I’ll be … having the honour of taking Cuba,” Trump announced. “Whether I free it, take it – think I could do anything I want with it.”