Shibley Telhami

Some Gulf countries frustrated with lack of notice about Iran strikes, defense help, AP sources say Iran’s retaliatory attacks in the Middle East over strikes from Israel and the U.S. have left some of America’s partners in the Gulf frustrated over a lack of notice or adequate defense, according to ...

'Some Gulf countries say they are disappointed in the way US has handled the Iran. They said they were not given advance notice of the attack and complained the US had ignored their warnings that war would have devastating consequences for entire region.' wapo.st/40e86ty

Exclusive: US investigation points to likely US responsibility in Iran school strike, sources say Military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school that killed scores of children on Saturday, two U.S. officials told Reu...

Exclusive: US investigation points to likely US responsibility in Iran girls school strike that killed over 150, sources say www.reuters.com/world/middle...

Prominent UAE billionaire addresses Trump: "Who gave you authority to drag our region into war with Iran?... Did you consider that the first to suffer will be the countries of the region... Was this your decision alone? Or did it come as a result of pressures from Netanyahu?"

Haaretz reports: "Buildings across central Israel damaged after Iranian missile barrage, emergency services say"

After Israel warns Lebanese to evacuate homes in South Lebanon and some suburbs of Beirut, Hezbollah warns Israelis to leave all towns to a depth of 5 kilometers from border.

If you are having trouble assessing Trump's statements on Iran, here is a simple test: If you believe his statements about the economy, tariffs, ICE, the size of his crowds, polls, Epstein, and everything else on the home front, you deserve to believe what he says about his war.

Choosing the White House drapes - and the leaders of Iran.

Senators demand investigation after ninth American killed by Israeli settlers or soldiers in West Bank Lawmakers cite ‘consistent pattern’ in which Americans are being killed ‘without justice or accountability’

Nearly two thirds of Democratic Senators, led by @ChrisVanHollen, sign letter demanding that Trump admin. open investigation into the killing of 19-year-old American in the occupied WB, the 9th US citizen killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers since 2022.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Prominent UAE billionaire addresses Trump: "Who gave you authority to drag our region into war with Iran?... Did you consider that the first to suffer will be the countries of the region... Was this your decision alone? Or did it come as a result of pressures from Netanyahu?"

Our Ambassadors should have a basic understanding of the Constitution. But apparently, that's too much to ask of this Admin.

Trump's pick to be Ambassador to El Salvador (who was also Noem's deputy at DHS) had trouble answering basic questions about our Constitution.

If you are having trouble assessing Trump's statements on Iran, here is a simple test: If you believe his statements about the economy, tariffs, ICE, the size of his crowds, polls, Epstein, and everything else on the home front, you deserve to believe what he says about his war.

Haaretz reports: "Buildings across central Israel damaged after Iranian missile barrage, emergency services say"

Extraordinary view live on AJArabic of what appears to be an Iranian missile with cluster munitions over Tel Aviv.

American jet pilot reportedly ejects over Basra, Iraq; search underway

Trump Ousts Kristi Noem from DHS The Homeland Security secretary’s combative Senate hearing this week was a key factor, advisers said.

Good Riddance
wsj.com/politics/pol... via
@WSJ

US may not have capacity to take down full barrage of Iranian drones, officials warn Chair of joint chiefs of staff and others in classified meeting said Iran is trying to get US to spend its munitions

'US may not have capacity to take down full barrage of Iranian drones, officials warn: Chair of joint chiefs of staff and others in classified meeting said Iran is trying to get US to spend its munitions'
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Pentagon eyes Ukrainian interceptor drones to counter Iran Kyiv has pioneered cheap and mass-produced machines to battle Russian versions of the Shahed attack drone

Ukraine may supply the US with weapons! Pentagon eyes Ukrainian interceptor drones to counter Iran www.ft.com/content/d077... via @ft

Choosing the White House drapes - and the leaders of Iran.

Iran is 'confident' it can counter a potential U.S. ground invasion, foreign minister says Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke Thursday from Tehran in an exclusive interview with "NBC Nightly News" anchor Tom Llamas.

Iran's FM says Iran has not asked for ceasefire: "We didn’t ask for ceasefire even last time... it was Israel who asked for a ceasefire. They asked for unconditional ceasefire after 12 days that we resisted against their aggression"
www.nbcnews.com/world/iran/i...

Exclusive: Hezbollah elite fighters return to south Lebanon to fight Israeli troops, Lebanese sources say Hezbollah has deployed elite fighters to confront Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, sending them back into the border ​region from which they withdrew after a war in 2024, three Lebanese sources fam...

Unsurprising: As Israeli troops advance into south Lebanon, Hezbollah elite fighters return to the territory to fight them, Lebanese sources say www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Yes, wow, but in the end it's about how they vote. Is this merely a stunt to absorb growing public anger or a genuine shift? I fear it's more the former, but hope it's otherwise.

Canada is the place!

'Only Trump could have harnessed the country’s exhaustion with war and wound up trying make regime change great again. But the road to his war was paved by many. Without fundamental change, the US will continually resort to force, at growing cost, in a region of diminishing importance.'

Tensions soar as Hegseth and Rubio feud over US troops in Iran US secretary of state is warning against deploying troops as Hegseth takes a hawkish turn

Tensions are rising between US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the US’s approach to the war on Iran, according to "three former US officials and a senior regional official familiar with the matter"
www.middleeasteye.net/news/tension...

Pro-American Kurdish Forces Are Preparing Possible Iran Incursion

Bad idea for everyone except those seeking regional anarchy and forever war. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/u...

Iran could disrupt the Strait of Hormuz with drones for months Iranian drone attacks could disrupt the Strait of Hormuz for months, but how long the Islamic Republic could sustain its missile barrage is less clear, according to ​intelligence sources and military ...

Missiles aside, "Iran could disrupt the Strait of Hormuz with drones for months; it's drone production capacity is around 10,000 per month"
www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Trump: ‘I don’t care about polling’ showing Iran strikes unpopular President Trump dismissed polls showing low approval among Americans for the U.S. military operation in Iran, saying public sentiment actually reflects otherwise. “I think that the polling is very …

Who cares about public opinion when you have a prophetic 'feeling' fox59.com/hill-politic...

Exclusive: Diplomats claim Witkoff undermined Iran talks They say Trump envoy is falsely claiming Iranians boasted of having enough enriched uranium for 11 nuclear bombs.

Where Trump got his info on Iran talks: Diplomats claim his special envoy, a real estate billionaire friend, undermined talks. A Gulf diplomat with direct knowledge of the talks says that Steve Witkoff’s description of a key conversation was false. www.ms.now/news/exclusi...

Good plan, there’s no way that the US would ever betray Kurds who fought on their behalf, or that Turkey would be upset by and seek to frustrate any US-backed Kurdish forces, or that an invasion from Iraq would trigger Iranian nationalist opposition. None of those things have ever happened.

Iran could disrupt the Strait of Hormuz with drones for months Iranian drone attacks could disrupt the Strait of Hormuz for months, but how long the Islamic Republic could sustain its missile barrage is less clear, according to ​intelligence sources and military ...

Missiles aside, "Iran could disrupt the Strait of Hormuz with drones for months; it's drone production capacity is around 10,000 per month"
www.reuters.com/business/aer...