Arang Keshavarzian

Maybe the newly minted Board of Peace can get involved and it’s Arab Gulf state donors can help pay to de-escalate. oh…

The Islamic Republic has a rich history of working through councils and consensus building. It was never a one bullet regime and the all real experts in Washington and Tel Aviv know this. This is why this is a war of whim not calculated choice. Or if you want, war of aging male hubris

If the war ends up as a debacle for the US, it is clear that Israel is going to be blamed, and by extension also American Jews, and Jews in general, in a manner surpassing similar accusations regarding the Iraq war. The infrastructure for antisemitism is just far more developed and mainstreamed.

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Trump: U.S. Will Provide "Risk Insurance" For All Shipping in the Gulf One day after leading marine insurance underwriters decided to withdraw war risk cover for the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hurmuz, the White House has...

Oh great, roll the 1980s tanker war in too : maritime-executive.com/article/trum...

It is like Iraq 1991, Iraq 2003, and Syria post-2012 all rolled into one and the added vulgarity of Trump and his sidekicks

Iran conflict: Rubio says US launched war on Iran after learning Israel planned to attack Secretary of state says US had to move ‘preemptively’ to stop Iranian retaliation against American forces

so let me get this straight. attacking iran is justified because iran was going to attack US bases, only after israel attacked iran first. so instead of stopping israel from carrying out the attack, the US just had to bomb iran too.

Before Trump Bombed Iran, Pentagon Slashed Teams Meant to Limit Civilian Casualties The U.S. has "no stupid rules of engagement," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday.

NEW― Sources familiar with US policies on civilian casualties are deeply worried about the possible toll of Trump's war on Iran
-Key Pentagon teams focused on civilians have been slashed+reassigned (even at CENTCOM)
-Israel role raising fears of Gaza-style impunity
www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...

U.S. Troops Were Told Iran War Is for “Armageddon,” Return of Jesus Advocacy group reports commanders giving similar messages at more than 30 installations in every branch of the military

EXCLUSIVE: At more than 30 installations, U.S. commanders told troops the war on Iran is a Christian war.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation has been “inundated” with more than 110 complaints.

One NCO said they were told the U.S. war is to bring about Armageddon and the return of Jesus…

US and Israel step up attacks on Iran as regional conflict grows Today, we're discussing the ongoing US-Israel military attacks on Iran, which has grown into a regional crisis.

If you have 50 minutes, Nilo Tabrizy, Ida Nikou, and I talked about Iran with KALW

I have to say the Post chose a hell of a moment to lay off all their foreign correspondents

Knock-on effects

John Bolton Sounds the Alarm on Trump’s Iran Gamble In an exclusive, Trump’s onetime national security adviser warns the strike on Iran may deepen conflict, create a dangerous power vacuum — and plunge the region into turmoil.

Ummm….WTF

Besides bombing schools and hospitals, Israel can add the Tehran Bazaar to its list. The place which started the protests on December 28.

Yes, as insurance prices go up and shipping is disrupted, supplies for fruit, vegetables , and many other items will decline /skyrocket. I assume wheat etc will be fine and supplies come via Saudi and Omani ports will help, but if this continues…..

bsky.app/profile/greg...

But you should be looking at food prices in the GCC countries as well

My university president and provost could not bring themselves to express empathy towards their Iranian students and faculty. But mayor can.

People talk about sleepwalking into a war. This is a case of Trump, Bibi, et al daydreaming into a war. One that will be a nightmare for millions of people

The Scent of Iranian Lavender The U.S. and Israel are gearing up for war with Iran while the Pentagon demands an AI company drop its "safeguards." Hmm. But yes: abuse the Defense Production Act!

"Surrendering Iran's missile fleet has nothing to do with American security and everything to do with making the Iranians either surrender their deterrent capability or provide the U.S. a pretext to attack," writes @attackerman.bsky.social

Why Iranians Are Increasingly Willing to Settle for Reza Pahlavi Iranians are so desperate to oust the Islamist regime that some are willing to put up with divisive tactics.

Kudos to Toosi for writing this piece. Including this understatement of the week: “His movement’s pugilism may make some would-be defectors think twice about joining him, undermining his ability to consolidate support.”

Note that this event is now hybrid and you can join it via zoom as well as in-person

It would have been nice if they had gone the next step and said Palestinian

Mehdi, a construction contractor, said he feels unable to get
on with his life. “We’re stuck between a regime that won’t
give up and the US and Israel that won’t back down,” he said.
“You can’t live with this level of uncertainty.”

Tehran on edge as residents fear US attack Many in Iran’s capital think it is only a matter of time until war returns to their lives

“I’ll stay in Tehran,” said Homayoun, a retired civil servant...He said he was too exhausted to flee the city. “I’ll be killed either by the Islamic republic or by the US, but I won’t go anywhere. In this country, it seems you cannot even die a normal death.”

GlobIS Review, Volume 2, Issue 2 In recent years heat waves, droughts, sandstorms, toxic pollution, and more have made the lives of people living in and around the Persian Gulf challenging. Ongoing political crises and rising poverty...

The latest issue of the Global Iranian Studies Review is “Persian Gulf Studies.” I had the good fortune and pleasure to help edit the reviews of work in Persian and English and participate in a couple interviews. You can read it at globisreview.com/globis-revie...

If it happens, we should not lose sight of that basic fact that a US war on Iran is a war of choice

If you are in New York, please join us next week for what promises to be a thoughtful discussion of Iran’s current conjuncture

Rev. Jesse Jackson's "I *am* somebody..." remains one of the all-time great pieces of 20th century rhetoric / agitprop

And he could deliver it at a Black separatist meeting, the Democratic National Convention, or on god-blessed Sesame Street (see below 🥹)

RIP to the Voice of the Voiceless

Burri Under Siege—How War Remade Everyday Life in a Sudanese Neighborhood In March 2025, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) retook key areas of eastern, central and southern Khartoum. Their advance ended the Rapid Support Force’s (RSF) two-year siege of Burri—a neighborhood…

NEW in MER 317: "Burri Under Siege--How War Remade Everyday Life in a Sudanese Neighborhood"

Niema Alhessen spoke with residents of the Khartoum neighborhood that has been remade as a warscape following the end of a siege in March 2025.

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