TRUMP GIVES IRAN 48 HOUR ULTIMATUM…

The war is now in full swing, Israel is battling on several fronts and Trump is thinking about “winding it down”, but Iran’s cardboard muftis still won’t open the straight of Hormuz, and that impacts all shipping of oil.

Lebanon

Hezbollah has carried out dozens of attacks from Lebanon into Israel over the past few days. There is, at this moment, a great deal of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

TRUMP: ‘Open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours or we will blow up your power plants’…

Iran warns of hits on energy, water sites after Trump threat

  • Iran has warned of retaliatory attacks on regional infrastructure if US President Donald Trump follows through on his ultimatum over the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has said he will “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if it fails to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.
  • Israeli forces attack the Qasmiyeh Bridge, a key crossing linking Lebanon’s south to the rest of the country, in an escalation that President Joseph Aoun called a “prelude to ground invasion”.

A mourner holds a picture of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in Tehran [AFP]

Israel says new wave of missiles launched from Iran

The Israeli military says more missiles have been launched from Iran towards Israel’s territory.

In a statement, it said air defence systems are operating to intercept the attack.

Who is left running Iran?

Many of Tehran’s top leaders have been killed – from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to senior security figures – by the US and Israel.

President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu have framed the killings as victories in their war on Iran, but Tehran says its governance structure is built to withstand such blows.

Let’s bring you up to speed:

  • Iran’s military has warned of major retaliation if US President Donald Trump follows through on his threat to attack Iranian power plants, saying it would “completely close” the Strait of Hormuz and hit back at energy facilities in Israel and states hosting US bases
  • Israel carried out two attacks on southern Lebanon’s Qasmiyeh Bridge, which links Tyre with the rest of the country.
  • The bridge is now “essentially destroyed,” reports Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith from Beirut, while local electricity networks are also damaged.
  • Israel’s army chief said the country is ready for a “long campaign” against Hezbollah, which has claimed several attacks on Israeli military sites in recent hours.
  • Iran’s Health Ministry said 210 children have been killed in the US-Israeli war on Iran since February 28.

Iran: t𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱.

Trump: Japan Is ‘Really Stepping Up to the Plate’ on Iran ‘Unlike NATO’ 𝗜𝗥𝗔𝗡 𝗗𝗜𝗗𝗡’𝗧 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝗔 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗬 𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧. 𝗜𝗧 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗥𝗘 𝗚𝗨𝗟𝗙. Iran’s IRGC published a target list tonight before they fired a single shot. Named facilities across three sovereign nations. Told citizens to evacuate. Then launched. In Qatar, five ballistic missiles were fired at Ras Laffan Industrial City — the world’s largest LNG export terminal. Four were intercepted. One got through. Extensive damage. Fires. No casualties, but production had already been halted. In Saudi Arabia, air defenses intercepted four ballistic missiles fired toward Riyadh and two more aimed at the country’s eastern region. Alerts went out across the governorates of Riyadh and Al-Kharj. Explosions were heard near a high-level meeting of Arab and Islamic foreign ministers gathered specifically to find an off-ramp from this conflict. Iran fired missiles at the diplomats trying to stop the war. In the UAE, air defenses engaged 13 ballistic missiles and 27 drones launched from Iran. Thirteen missiles. Twenty-seven drones. In a single night. Debris from successful intercepts fell near the Habshan gas facility and operations were suspended. The GCC Secretary-General called it a grave aggression and a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms. Oil hit $110 a barrel. Global LNG prices, already up nearly 50% since the war began, surged further. Iran framed this as retaliation for Israeli strikes on South Pars. But South Pars is a gas field. Ras Laffan, Riyadh, and Habshan are in countries that have spent three weeks trying to stay out of this war. Qatar has been begging for de-escalation. The UAE has stayed neutral. Saudi Arabia hosted the peace talks. Iran’s answer to diplomacy was a ballistic missile barrage aimed at the people hosting the diplomats. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱.

Trump Slams NATO as a “Foolish Mistake” – Questions Alliance’s Loyalty to U.S. Security

In a scathing critique, President Trump blasted NATO as a “very foolish mistake,” calling into question whether the alliance would come to America’s defense when needed most. Speaking during a St. Patrick’s Day meeting with Irish PM Micheál Martin, Trump highlighted NATO’s failure to meet a critical security test, signaling growing concerns over the alliance’s reliability in times of crisis.

The Gay Mojito Mufti is a Billionaire, But Where is He?

Netanyahu is not a cardboard mufti:

Joe Kent Was a Problem of Trump’s Own Making

‘It’s a Good Thing He’s Out’:

Iran vows ‘revenge’ for Larijani, Soleimani; 2 killed in attacks on Israel


The ‘moderate’ who ran death squads: how BBC and Sky sanitise the Iranian regime

Afew days ago I watched Sky News with amazement as they showed Iranian propaganda images of Ali Larijani walking down the street in Iran on Al Quds Day. They kept commenting how it showed Iranian strength that he was able to walk so freely without fear of assassination, among his people.

Mojtaba’s Empire

Billions $$$$$ abroad while Iranians bleed at home.

Mojtaba Khamenei is the 56-year-old son of Ayatollah Khamenei, the late unlamented leader of Iran who recently proved, as tyrants often do, that “nothing in his life became him like the leaving it.” Daddy’s little boy even in his mid-50s, Mojtaba is has just been named to succeed his father.

Mojtaba has one thing in common with his late father: he loves money, and all the things that money can buy. Reports from Western intelligence services estimate Ayatollah Khamenei’s net worth was $95 billion. Some estimates go even higher. How much of this money will end up in Mojtaba’s clammy grasp is unknown, but even before his father’s death Mojtaba was said to have a net worth of $3 billion.

He has gold and diamonds worth $300 million, and has reportedly distributed $2 billion across foreign bank accounts in the UAE, Syria, Venezuela, and several African states. He also has extensive land holdings near Mashhad in eastern Iran. Finally, he has a property empire in London, Dubai, and on the continent of Europe. Just two of his apartments in Kensington are worth 50 million euros.

Read it all. It’s an eye opener!

Lebanon cannot be expected to disarm Hezbollah amid bombings: French envoy

France’s special envoy for Lebanon said it would be unreasonable to expect the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah while under Israeli bombardment, adding that only negotiations can resolve the crisis.

Israel bombs central Beirut, killing 6, strafes south, east Lebanon

Wave of Israeli air attacks launched as ground offensive widens in south where Hezbollah are fighting Israeli forces.

Firefighters are seen at the site of an Israeli air strike in Beirut’s Bashoura neighbourhood on March 18, 2026. Lebanon said Israel struck central Beirut early March 18