Trump threatens total devastation in Iran

• Watching Khoshcheshm (an Iranian analyst) talk on IRIB: Pilot rescue was likely not the main objective of the US for the special op, otherwise they wouldn’t have needed dozens of forces. The possibility exists they wanted to carry out a small scale landing operation as a test for future heliborne operations, especially since it’s close to nuclear facilities. The US-Israel want Iran's nuclear fuel. But their operation failed. 
• And the Trump mouth rattles on: 'US SENT GUNS TO IRANIAN PROTESTERS earlier this year.  We sent them a LOT of guns. We sent them through the Kurds.  And I think the Kurds took the guns‘. 

• Putin’s aide Ushakov on Kaja Kallas (High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy):  She’s only ever said 1 interesting phrase: ‘time to start drinking’.  Lavrov with a double whammy:  This DISGRACE continues. (After Kallas accused Russia AGAIN of having ‘attacked 19 countries’).  EU ‘likes to enjoy how she demonstrates her knowledge in geography, politics and other areas’. 
• Absolute bombshell on Al Jazeera. The US and Israel have deliberately bombed over 30 universities across Iran, assassinating professors in their homes and massacring over 60 students. Washington is systematically trying to destroy Iranian scientific progress. 

• Former Israeli politician Yoav Gallant is calling on President Donald Trump to completely flatten Iran, saying no target is off the table, including civilians. He says Trump must hit the oil, destroy the bridges, and wipe out every production site so that Iran pays the ultimate price. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. 

• Panama charges tolls for vessels transiting the Panama Canal; Egypt imposes fees for ships passing through the Suez Canal; Turkey levies charges for vessels using the Bosporus Strait; Gibraltar collects fees for ships navigating the Strait of Gibraltar; Indonesia charges for passage through the Sunda and Malacca Straits; Singapore imposes fees for vessels transiting the Singapore Strait.
• Absolute horror on Al Jazeera. Israeli forces deliberately shot and killed a World Health Organization employee in Gaza. They opened fire on a UN vehicle, injuring multiple staff members. Israel is intentionally targeting the United Nations with zero accountability. 

• San Diego, California has passed a resolution defining any criticism of “Netanyahu, Israel, and Zionism” as antisemitic. This is proof America is controlled by zionists. 
• Lockheed Martin’s stock value has increased 30% so far in 2026. 
• Absolute panic in Europe. GB News confirms Germany is preparing to ban fighting-age men from leaving the country as they edge toward compulsory military service. France is also launching national service. Western governments are quietly preparing their citizens for WW3. 
• Terrifying WW3 warning on Al Jazeera. A prominent atmospheric scientist confirms Trump and Israel's reckless bombing of Iran's nuclear plant will poison the entire Persian Gulf. The radiation will destroy desalination plants, leaving Qatar and Kuwait without water. 
• Iran is seeking soldiers. They sought one million volunteers; 12 million have signed up. 

• Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The situation is deteriorating and risks spiraling out of control due to unlawful actions by the United States and Israel. 
• Hebrew Channel 14: Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir reprimanded the Israeli Northern Command leader for admitting to residents of northern Israel in a closed session that the Israeli army was surprised by Hezbollah’s strength south of Lebanon. 
• Hebrew Israeli news site: Two soldiers committed suicide within the past 24 hours.
• Iran has submitted its response to Pakistan regarding the U.S. 45-day ceasefire proposal – IRNA

Iran rejects a temporary ceasefire and demands the following:
– A permanent end to the war on all theatres in the Middle East, including Lebanon and Gaza, with guarantees.
– The dismantling of all U.S. bases in the Persian Gulf.
– Implementation of a new transit protocol that recognizes Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz and allows Iran to collect tolls.
– The lifting of economic sanctions on Iran.
– Acknowledging Iran’s right to peaceful uranium enrichment per its inherent right under the NPT and the United Nations charter.
– The paying of reparations for economic damages suffered during the war

Mutant capitalism is a cancer

Cartoon animation with John Perkins, author of 'Confessions Of An Economic Hitman', explaining how corporations destroy nation states with debt, war and predatory capitalism. 

Perkins highlights the failures of modern capitalism and its effects on the safety of our world. 

Created by Studio Joho: http://www.studiojoho.com   

Foreign powers align to topple Hungary’s leader

SouthFront Press

Hungary’s April 12 parliamentary elections have become a flashpoint in a broader geopolitical confrontation. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close ally of Donald Trump, faces a well-funded opposition backed by a coalition of foreign powers. The EU leadership views Orbán as an obstacle to European unity and is determined to replace him with a more compliant figure. If Orbán retains power, Brussels may lose its ability to enforce a unified European policy. If he falls, Hungary could pivot sharply toward the EU, delivering a major blow to Trump’s influence in the region. 

The main challenger is Péter Magyar, leader of the centrist “Respect and Freedom” party, known as TISZA. Recent polls show the two parties running neck and neck. With the right level of external intervention, Brussels believes it can tip the scales in its favor. If Orbán wins, however, the EU may be forced to escalate, potentially triggering a political crisis. 

Magyar’s party receives funding from three key sources: Israel’s Mossad, the Soros Foundation, and Britain’s MI6. These organizations played active roles in Ukraine’s 2014 coup d’état. Magyar coordinates with Mossad through the Association of United Hungarian Jewish Congregations (EMIH), whose representatives serve as the agency’s local presence in Budapest. As early as 2025, TISZA received approximately $20 million through these channels to stage election provocations and prepare for potential post-election violence. 

Ukraine is also deeply involved. Kirill Budanov, head of Ukraine’s presidential office and former military intelligence chief, serves as the chief advisor on Hungarian affairs. Budanov is known for orchestrating major terrorist attacks in Russia since 2022. He communicates with Magyar through Roland Cebér, a member of Ukraine’s Transcarpathian Regional Council. 

Brussels is unlikely to intervene directly. Instead, it will rely on Ukrainian intelligence, a method already tested successfully. A significant number of young Ukrainian men are already in Hungary, ostensibly fleeing the war. In reality, they could form the backbone of future anti-government protests. During a recent TISZA march in Budapest, activists displayed a large Ukrainian flag—a clear political signal to Orbán. 

If Orbán wins, the EU may refuse to recognize the results and demand a re-vote under European supervision. Should Orbán resist, trained provocateurs sent from Ukraine would step in to escalate the violence. A familiar playbook would follow: arrests of opposition leaders, provocations against police, and possibly staged shootings. Orbán faces a serious threat. His key allies—the United States and Russia—are embroiled in major conflicts and may lack the capacity to support him. Whether Budapest can withstand the coalition of Brussels, Kyiv, and Western intelligence agencies remains uncertain.

Snakebit from the jump: U.S. air crew rescue turns to disaster in Iran

Iranian nomads with US GI underwear after the costly Pentagon raid to rescue one fighter jet crew member

• The US evacuated the 2nd crew member from Iran and blew up its own planes doing so. The American weapons crew officer hid amongst the mountains and escaped from Iran. After moving away from where he landed with his parachute, the weapons officer activated the tracking devices he had with him, which helped locate him. At the end of the operation, while preparing to leave Iran, the two C-130 rescue aircraft became stuck on the ground and were unable to take off. So the US sent 3 other aircrafts & blew up its own two C-130 so that they wouldn’t fall into Iran’s hands reports CBS news. However, according to Iran’s Khatam Al Anbiya, one C-130 and 2 Black Hawk helicopters were hit by Iran which caused them to catch fire and not able to fly. Field sources also report the killing of several American soldiers by Iran’s armed forces. More details from Scott Ritter & Larry Johnson here

• Watching Khoshcheshm (an Iranian analyst) talk on IRIB: Pilot rescue was likely not the main objective of the US for the special op, otherwise they wouldn’t have needed dozens of forces. The possibility exists they wanted to carry out a small scale landing operation as a test for future heliborne operations, specially since it’s close to nuclear facilities (for HEU). But their operation failed. 

• A Pentagon A-10 ground-attack support aircraft also crashed in Kuwait while participating in providing air cover for the rescue operation of the American pilot.
• Trump is preparing to unveil his fiscal year 2027 budget, emphasizing a substantial military buildup to shape his party’s midterm election message, Bloomberg reports. The proposal includes boosting Pentagon spending, potentially up to $1.5 trillion, while reducing funding for domestic programs to help cover the increase. 
• The largest bridge in the Middle East, in Iran, after its destruction by the enemies of civilizations. 

• US/Israel attack on Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant again. For the fourth time, a projectile struck near the plant’s perimeter fence. The blast and shrapnel damaged an auxiliary building, and one security staff member was martyred. A top Russian official confirms a deadly strike breached the Bushehr nuclear plant's protection circuit. Previous strikes occurred on March 17, March 24, and March 27. 198 Russian employees of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran have been evacuated.
• The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has warned that medical needs in Iran are rapidly rising while essential supplies risk running out due to the ongoing war. More than 21,000 people have been injured and over 1,900 killed since the fighting began, placing major strain on the healthcare. US has been bombing Iranian pharmaceutical plants and hospitals. 
• In Israel, people go to restaurants, wait for air raid sirens and run to shelters without paying - report Israeli media. Restaurant owners said they are suffering massive losses due to such a scheme. 
• The restoration of the Al Taweelah aluminum plant in the UAE, after Iran's retaliatory strikes, could take up to 12 months - WSJ. The United Arab Emirates ranks fifth in the world in aluminum production.
• Hebrew platforms report, quoting an Israeli source, that we have at least another week of intense fighting ahead. They also stated that the Americans are planning to attack national infrastructure in Iran. 
• Retired Admiral William McRaven, a four-star officer in the U.S. Navy and a former Navy SEAL, commenting on Donald Trump: "Through your actions, you embarrassed us in front of our children, humiliated us on the international stage, and worst of all, you divided us as a nation."
• The Islander writes: This was never America’s war. It was Netanyahu’s war and the Apprentice was ordered to fight it with American lives, American treasure, and what remained of American credibility in the Gulf. The stated goals were Iran’s nuclear program, regime change, total military defeat, liberation of the Iranian people. Every single one has failed, replaced with “at least we didn’t leave men behind.” Tell that to the families of the dead.

Netanyahu's 'wisdom'

Trump prepares the ground attack on Iran

Cuba: "Homeland or death, we will win!"

Riding bicycles, scooters and electric bikes, thousands of Cubans took part in an anti-imperialist rally in Havana, in a show of unity against Trump’s attacks on the island. 

The rally was organized by the Union of Young Communists to commemorate the 64th anniversary of its founding.

Sunday song

 

the funnies

 

Sir, No Sir trailer

You can pay $2.99 to watch this outstanding anti-war film from the US war on Vietnam. 

One of the great films from that ill-fated US attempt for domination.

Has lots about the GI resistance movement during the war. A great lesson for GI's today. 

Click here

Trump and Greenland: Key war fighting base for Arctic control

By Dr. Dave Webb 

At time of writing, the biennial NATO military exercise ‘Cold Response 26’ is taking place from March 9 to 19. It is being led from the Norwegian-US headquarters in Reitan, near Bodø, Norway. About 32,500 personnel are participating, including around 11,800 in Norway and 7,500 in Finland. The rest are at sea and in the air. Military from 14 countries are involved - Norway, the USA, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Canada, Spain, Turkey, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Belgium. It is basically a NATO show of force against Russia and the High North is being used by an expanding NATO as a military practice ground in which to rehearse future war fighting strategies and to test and develop new military technologies. 

According to the official website of the Norwegian Armed Forces: "The main purpose of the exercises is to contribute to deterrence, strengthen defense, calm the population". But how is the presence of the US military in Scandinavia expected to "calm" people, given Donald Trump’s flagrant disregard for international law and his wish to own Greenland? 

What is that about? Greenland, the world’s largest island, is home to more than 56,000 people. A former Danish colony and now an autonomous territory of Denmark. Its capital city Nuuk is closer to New York than it is to Copenhagen and the US already has an active military base there.

Pituffik Space base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, is on the northwest coast of Greenland, 1,126 kms north of the Arctic Circle. In the 1950s aircraft made surveillance flights from there, over the pole, to inspect Soviet defences. In 1957 four Nike Missile sites were constructed around the base and in 1961 a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) radar was built to give the US warning of a missile attack from Russia.

On 21 January 1968 a US bomber from an Air Force Base in New York state carrying 4 nuclear weapons, crashed just outside the base. Luckily the failsafe mechanisms prevented a nuclear explosion but there was widespread radioactive contamination. In 2007 a BBC reporter claimed that one of the nuclear weapons was unaccounted for, but this was denied by the US and Denmark. Some details of the incident remain classified, however.

In June 1987, the BMEWS mechanically steered radar was upgraded to a two-sided, solid-state phased-array electronically steered radar system, similar to the one at Fylingdales in North Yorkshire. It then became a missile warning and tracking component of the US National Missile Defense System. After the US Space Force was established by Trump in 2019, the base was transferred to Space Delta 4, under the command of Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado.  Thule Air Base was renamed Pituffik Space Base in April 2023 in recognition of the former Inuit settlement. Pituffik Space Base plays a key role in missile defence and satellite tracking and targeting.  The recent retaliatory attacks by Iran on US missile defence radars is a dire warning to people who live on or near the base in Greenland and elsewhere (including Fylingdales!).

US war fighting radar at Fylingdales in North Yorkshire in the UK

There is also a Pituffik Tracking Station, about 5.6 km southeast of the main base, which tracks and commands high-priority government satellites. It provides telemetry, tracking and command data for satellites that are used for surveillance, communication, navigation and weather. The Space Force says the base helps enable “space superiority.” 

The 1951 Defence of Greenland Treaty with Denmark grants the US broad military rights, including the establishment of bases, provided Denmark and Greenland are notified, and unrestricted movement for defence purposes. However, Danish sovereignty over the territory is also recognised as part of the treaty which remains in effect as long as NATO does.

Trump has said that Greenland is needed for the ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence project, but the Pituffik radar is there already and part of US national Missile Defense, so what else might be needed? Perhaps the siting of anti-ballistic missiles there?

But there’s more - in January, Trump claimed the Arctic was covered in Russian and Chinese warships to justify his push for control of Greenland. Russia does have a nuclear submarine base in the Arctic, on the Kola peninsula, the other side of Finland and Russia and China have increased joint naval and air patrols in the North Pacific and near Alaska but there has been no evidence of “swarms” of Russian or Chinese military ships near Greenland as Trump claims.

Greenland is however, at a very strategic location. The GIUK (Greenland, Iceland, and the UK) gap is a critical maritime choke point in the North Atlantic, separating the Norwegian/North Seas from the open Atlantic Ocean. It is an important strategic, monitoring, and anti-submarine corridor that NATO uses to track Russian naval activity. The position of Faslane, guarding the GIUK gap,  is also of great strategic importance to NATO.

There are also important commercial considerations. As global warming shrinks the arctic ice cap it allows more maritime traffic, mining and other commercial activity to take place in the high north. During the summer, shipping routes can operate for longer periods in the Arctic region. Shipping has risen by nearly 40% in the region over the last 12 years, according to the Arctic Council (a kind of common security organisation whose primary purpose is to advance sustainable development and environmental protection in the region, including of indigenous peoples).

These routes are particularly important for Russia and China. Russia has over 53% of the total Arctic coastline and controls most of the resources there, while China identifies as a ‘Near Arctic State’ with the opening-up of its ‘Polar Silk Road’ as a trade route, reducing travel time to Europe by 40%.  The expanding China footprint in the Arctic is seen as a security challenge by the US.

Then there are the resources becoming newly available. The US Geological Survey estimates that over 87% of the Arctic's oil and natural gas resource (about 360 billion barrels oil equivalent) is in seven key Arctic basin provinces including two to the east and west of Greenland. There are also rare earth metals present which are in high demand for electric cars and the manufacture of military equipment. A 2023 survey showed that 25 of 34 minerals considered “critical raw materials” by the European Commission were to be found in Greenland. China currently dominates global rare earth production and Trump does not like that, so controlling Greenland and its resources could really be about keeping China out.

However, the extraction of oil and gas is banned in Greenland for environmental regions, and investment in mining faces challenges - perhaps a new arrangement with Denmark could allow the US to build without planning permission and expand into mineral-rich areas?

The full details of the “framework of the future deal with respect to Greenland” announced by Trump remain unavailable and Greenlanders are concerned that they are being left out of talks between the US and Denmark. Trump seems to insist on “owning” Greenland and although there is a constitutional ban on the sale of land, Trump’s recent actions show that he has no respect for law or any other state’s sovereignty.

~ Dr. Dave Webb is the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space Board of Directors convener and also chairs Yorkshire Region CND. He is a retired university professor and lives in Leeds, England.

Back to Pentagon on Good Friday

Holding my banner as Pentagon workers pass by

Sixteen activists got up early this morning and took the subway to the Pentagon where we held a 90 minute vigil as military and civilian employees walked, drove, biked and rode buses by our Good Friday peace vigil.

Yesterday Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, removing the Army’s top officer in the latest shake-up of military leadership amid the war in Iran. This was most likely done because Gen. George dared to question the US Iran war strategy on some level. George is the 24th general or admiral Hegseth has removed indicating that all is not well inside the 'war department'.

I made a point this morning of asking any Army personnel who passed me by why their 'boss had been fired'. One officer stopped and said to me, "I don't why why he was fired. I only met him once and he was a good man".

During our time on the street, now kept at a distance from the Pentagon in comparison to where we were arrested last Friday when 27 of us got deep into the bowels of the war-making institution, we got lots of 'good mornings', kind nods, and some words of encouragement as folks passed us by. Even a four-star general gave me a nice nod.

My sense is that there is much quiet unsettlement inside the Trump war machine these days. It felt good to be outside offering support to those on the inside who might have a good heart and good sense of which there must be many amongst the 30,000 who work at the Pentagon.

In related news Stars & Stripes military publication is reporting this morning that "A search and rescue effort was underway on Friday afternoon to locate two crew members of a U.S. fighter jet [F-15] that was shot down in Iran". 

NBC News: Two U.S. military helicopters participating in search and rescue operations were hit by Iranian fire but appear to have made it back to base. We also learned that a Pentagon A-10 Warthog plane “crashed” today in the Persian Gulf region — according to The New York Times. The plane was likely hit by Iranian air defenses, but US is concealing it to save face with saying it “crashed” — crashed how? 

Trump has just requested $1.5 trillion from Congress for 'defense' in the 2027 fiscal year - the largest sum in the country's recent history. Trump explains the sharp increase in spending by the ongoing war with Iran and the need to replenish depleted weapons stocks.

Trump and Hegseth are burning taxpayer dollars like they are nothing.

Bruce 

~ Photos by MB Sullivan

Experts speak out against Golden Dome at satirical Trump monument unveiling

Ben Cohen of "Ben and Jerry's" Ice Cream unveiled a satirical monument of President Trump in front of the U.S. Capitol Wednesday morning, criticizing his plan for a "Golden Dome" missile defense system. 

"Our county is underwater. We are drowning in debt, and wasting another $4 trillion on a holy dome ain't gonna help!" Cohen says. "If we don't stop this boondoggle, we're sunk!"

"The Golden Dome is not golden for the people of the United States or the world," said Former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner. 

She says people in her come city of Cleveland would "much rather have the money that is being wasted on a pipe dream and a fantasy invested in lifting them and their children out of poverty." 

"There is a connection between this foolishness and foley and the reason we can't have nice things in the United States of America. They tell us they can't afford universal healthcare, but they can afford this!" 

"We tried everything, and nothing has worked, not ground-based interceptors, not space-based lasers, not Brilliant Pebbles, not space-based interceptors, not ground based lasers, not particle beam weapons," said author and national security expert Joe Cirincione. 

"And now, Donald Trump in his infinite wisdom, has repackaged this snake oil in a new bottle." 

He essentially says the project will be extremely expensive and simultaneously ineffective. 

"The United States has been building ballistic missile defense, a magical shield against nuclear weapons for over 80 years," said Dr. Igor Moric, research physicist at the Princeton Program on Science and Global Security. 

"The reality is ballistic missile defense does not work, it cannot work, and it will not work. Space-based missile defense, as envisioned by the Golden Dome, cannot work because of known physical and technological realities limiting what it can do." 

Dr. Ira Helfand of the Physicians for Social Responsibility and Back from the Brink campaign made the case that if Russia deployed their current nuclear weapons load at the U.S., without making any new weapons, and the Golden Dome could intercept an optimistic 80% of them, 75 million Americans would still be killed. 

"This system does not protect the American people," he says. "The attempt to build this system will fuel the arms race and torpedo efforts to actually get rid of these weapons." 

Filmed by Ford Fischer 

History lesson: Belgian colonial crimes in Congo

We extend a warm welcome to The Africa News Network. 

In June 1960, The Republic of Congo (modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo) celebrated its independence from Belgium with King Baudouin of Belgium in attendance. During his address, King Baudouin expressed admiration for King Leopold II, despite the fact that Leopold's rule resulted in the deaths of over 10 million Congolese people. He suggested that the Congolese should not make any changes to what Leopold II had done for the country unless they were certain they could do better. 

King Baudouin's remarks were deeply patronizing and insensitive, considering the brutal suffering endured by the Congolese people under King Leopold II's regime. However, when Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba took the stage, he made sure to challenge the king's perspective and prevent him from having the final say. 

King Baudouin was displeased with Lumumba's speech, and it marked a turning point that sealed Lumumba's fate. Three months after his ouster, with the assistance of the United States' CIA, Lumumba was assassinated.