Life in Palestine, Iraq, and Iran as U.S.-Israel kill, kill, kill

• In Gaza City, residents are extracting iron from the rubble of destroyed buildings, amid an ongoing crisis caused by the blockage of construction materials into the Strip. Many families rely on these salvaged iron rods to meet their daily needs whether for reinforcing tents or making furniture such as beds and tables. 

• Today a US MQ-9 Reaper drone was shot down in the northern province of Babel, Iraq. 

• Iran’s MFA Spokesman says there are no negotiations with the US right now. Baghaei, in response to a question about communications between Iran-US, said: “Mediators may convey messages regarding current developments, but at present, we are not engaged in any negotiations with the American side."
• Netanyahu as reported in Israeli Media announced that Israel had a ‘request’ from the US to withdraw from Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon. He loudly proclaimed that he will refuse. All of this may be lies and he may just be spinning. An update fromTimes of Israel: Netanyahu’s plane to Washington delayed without explanation.

• The West Bank: According to Israeli media reports, attacks by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank increased by 63% during the first half of this year, with 30 hate crimes committed by settlers. During those attacks, 140 Palestinians were injured and six were killed, compared to 82 injuries and no deaths in the second half of 2025. The surge has coincided with increasing political support for settlers, protection provided by the Israeli army, and the continued expansion of settler armament.

• “Iran war casualty count eclipses 600 as Pentagon quietly changes accounting.” If you believe their numbers...18 dead and 624 wounded. What is the real number of KIA? They already played games with the count last week. Numbers went down while the missiles kept coming. Then they “fixed” it. How many more names are still sitting in a folder somewhere because the optics are so bad? Remember that your sons and daughters are dying for Israel. 

• Several days ago more than 3,000 Temple Movement zionist activists entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Temple Mount compound under heavy Israeli police protection to mark Tisha B’Av, a Jewish holiday commemorating the destruction of the Jewish temples. Among them were far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Knesset member Amit Halevi. Groups held collective prayers, sang, and displayed Israeli flags throughout the compound in blatant violation of the status quo. The mass entry followed a night in which Temple Movement activists harassed and assaulted Palestinian families living near Al-Aqsa. Israeli police had removed Muslim worshippers from the compound and barred others from entering for prayer. The forced removal and exclusion of Muslim worshippers during Jewish holidays is a relatively new and dangerous trend, underscoring the complete collapse of the status quo, under which Muslim worship rights take precedence over non-Muslim visitation. These events mark yet another state-backed escalation aimed at entrenching Israeli control over the holy compound and undermining Muslim religious rights. 

• Anti-war protesters gathered outside the main gates of RAF Fairford to call on the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham to withdraw the use of UK military bases from the US’s war on Iran. So far, the UK has allowed the US to launch “defensive” operations from British bases hosting American personnel and aircraft. Demonstrators from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and Fairford Action held signs and chanted outside the Gloucestershire military base on Saturday. The protesters say their action follows an attack on Iran by a US B-1 bomber stationed at RAF Fairford earlier last week, which led to Iran’s Foreign Ministry branding Britain as an “accomplice” in the US’s war. CND general secretary Sophie Bolt said: “New Prime Minister Andy Burnham needs to end Trump’s use of Fairford and Diego Garcia now. This is dragging Britain directly into Trump’s illegal war on Iran. Public opposition to the use of British bases to commit war crimes overseas is growing." 

• We’re calling for a national day of action on August 15th to oppose the US and South Korea’s Ulchi Freedom Shield war games in Korea. These US-led war games are paving the way for future conflict with China and threaten billions of working class people so the US can tighten its grip and line the pockets of billionaire war profiteers. Our opposition to Ulchi Freedom Shield is about more than Korea’s national liberation. These war games are exercises for US-led military forces, including those in Japan and the Philippines, to escalate regional tensions in order to advance the interests of empire and the weapons industry at the expense of working people. 

• The Guardian: Since the surreal scene at the 2024 presidential inauguration, when a row of big tech titans took their VIP seats and signaled their new alliance with Maga, the Trump administration has rolled out the red carpet for Silicon Valley’s AI ambitions and shareholder priorities. Washington has doled out billions in lucrative federal subsidies and contracts to the cash-rich sector, bloating an AI bubble that experts warn may imperil the entire economy while prohibiting any guardrails on the fast-moving technology.  Fortunately for all of us, an unlikely and unruly coalition has emerged to resist the AI takeover by taking aim at the industry’s core infrastructure. In 2025, about 48 data center projects worth an estimated $156bn were blocked or stalled by local opposition. By all measures, 2026 is shaping up to be an even bigger year for the AI resistance. 

• Saudi Arabia’s vast oil exports now increasingly depend on a single narrow escape route – the Suez Canal, as conflict in the Strait of Hormuz and now the Red Sea continues to redraw global energy flows, the WSJ reports. For Asia-bound cargoes, the detour adds 20-30 days, raising freight and insurance costs.  The problem is that the Suez Canal is too shallow for fully laden oil tankers. To pass, a tanker must discharge roughly half its cargo, pump it through the Sumed pipeline across Egypt, and reload on the other side - or split the cargo between two smaller Suezmax tankers.  The Suez Canal is also too narrow for modern tankers. 
• The Islander: Ukraine sent long range drones deep into the Caspian and struck vessels running between Iran and Russia. One of them was Iranian. FM Abbas Araghchi came out hard: what the “freeloader in Kiev” did “CANNOT GO UNANSWERED.” He called the attack a blatant UN Charter violation carried out at Israel’s behest to pull Europe deeper into the war. An Iranian sailor is dead. Tehran is no longer prepared to stay one step removed from the war in Ukraine. This was not clever strategy. It was Zelensky’s latest act of desperation, a high-risk throw to court favor with Trump by showing Kiev can hit Iranian interests and the wider multipolar supply chain when American patience is running out. [Ukraine is proving to be the global imperial hired gun to fight wars against Russia, Mali, Syria, Iraq and now Iran. Zelensky and his inner criminal circle pocket the profits.]

• Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine: Three women tried to prevent a “Ukrainian patriot” from receiving a TCC body snatcher issued death sentence. Their efforts were unsuccessful after one woman was doused by pepper spray. Another had her foot run over by the TCC meat wagon. Meanwhile the final one was apparently shot. Notice it is the women who primarily attempt to rescue those being grabbed for the front lines.