By Walt Zlotow
U.S. Middle East bases are being pounded by Iranian drones and missiles. So is Israel.
Yet virtually none of this massive damage, signaling major failure of the US-Israeli war on Iran, is being shown to the American public which overwhelmingly opposes this senseless, self-destructive war. A CNN reporter in Tel Aviv admitted they could not show the destruction occurring around her due to government censorship.
All the Gulf States that house U.S. bases are running out of defensive interceptors. So is Israel. Trump’s crazed War Secretary Pete Hegseth is so anxious to suppress the bad news, he’s accused mainstream media of trying to embarrass President Trump by focusing on the 6 dead Americans Trump got killed for nothing. Don’t publicise dead U.S. service members, Hegseth moans… publicise our war fighters’ victories.
Trump’s war to destroy Iran on behalf of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may crash the U.S. economy, push America out of the Middle East, incur major U.S. casualties, and find Iran still standing at the end. Remember, the U.S. supported Iraq’s 1980 war against Iran which united its 90 million souls to support their Islamic government. After 8 years and hundreds of thousands of casualties, Iran survived.
The lesson of that war was to prepare for the next major attempt by the U.S. to destroy Iran on behalf of Israel. Thirty-six years on, that preparation has upended Trump’s plan for a quick 3 day war to replace the Iranian Islamic government with a U.S. puppet. Knowing he’s failing, Trump may, as early as tomorrow, unleash a massive bombing campaign using B-1s. B-2s and ancient B-52s to pulverise the 90 million Iranians and their government refusing Trump’s surrender terms. All that will accomplish is add untold thousands of deaths to Trump’s war crime record.
After one week it’s time for mainstream media stop self-censoring Trump’s senseless war. It’s’ time to tell the unvarnished truth about its criminality incurring unprecedented U.S. and Israeli destruction. The sooner they do, the sooner Congress might step in to defund and stop Operation Epic Failure.
Walt Zlotow, West Suburban Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL
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We emerged from the criminality and destruction of WW 2 with a steady sense of optimism, improvement, togetherness, hope. All that soon stuttered, failed, disappointed. Slaughters occurred, pointless wars and outbreaks of wilful stupidity. We got hopeful international outlook but also terrible weaponry. Now we have Trump, the human manifestation of a sty floor long uncleaned, but there are too many others, like Pete Hogshit the horrible Goebbelsian. Peace? Humanity?
As I’ve pointed out, many of those providing entirely justified condemnation of the USA and Israel also happen to be those that have provided justification, context and support for Putin’s vanity project- the brutal invasion of Ukraine.
This generally known as cognitive dissonance.
There are plenty of intelligent, articulate, well read people that display it in relation to the wars and brutality currently involving Russia, Israel and the US.
Fortunately, I’m not one to display that level of hypocrisy.
Each deserves condemnation, and it’s best not to cherry pick standards of illegity and brutality.
Let’s not forget the craven hypocrisy of our Labor government.
Labor, in particular Albanese and Wong, have been stridently calling the Ukraine war illegal, but then turn around and support this just as illegal US/Israel attack on Iran faster than anyone else in the world.
In the midst of the US/Israel kiddy-killing spree Labor claimed to support the war because Iran mustn’t be allowed to get nuclear weapons, studiously ignoring that Israel has a stockpile of nuclear weapons (whereas, the former Iranian leader issued a fatwa against nuclear weapons), Israel is not a signatory to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (whereas Iran is a signatory), the only country to use nuclear weapons is the US (as we now know unnecessarily, according to a USA general from the time), and that Israel doesn’t allow IAEA to examine its nuclear weapons program (Iran did even while the USA reneged on the sanctions part of the deal, until Trump tore up the agreement).
Labor continually refer to the Iran regime’s, indeed terribly brutal, history of repression of its own people, but ignore the US-organised coup that overthrew Iran’s first democratically elected government and installed a terribly brutal monarchy, the US launched Iran’s nuclear program under its puppet leader, the US armed and unleashed Iraq to attack Iran costing hundreds of thousands of lives and in which the US destroyed Iranian oil rigs, sank an Iranian warship and shot down a civilian air flight killing 290 passengers, Israel’s assassinations in Iran, US summary execution of Iranian military officers, crippling US sanctions and the recent run on the Iranian currency that triggered the protests together with the recent arming of insurgents who may have instigated the violence in the protests.
Labor ignores Israel’s calling for this war for decades.
Labor is being utterly dishonest with the Australian public over this illegal war and the extent to which it has committed Australia to this war crime.
Untrustworthy Labor is taking Australia to a very dark place.
How could I have possibly left out Gaza from that list?
So, while Labor tries to justify supporting this illegal kiddy-killing by Israel and the USA by bringing up the Iranian regime’s repression of its people, it studiously ignores the USA and Israel committing genocide against the Palestinians for over two years (more like 80 years actually.) Labor ignores the torture regime the USA set up in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, and the systematic rape, starvation and torture of Palestinians that Israel employs in Israel’s prisons.
Labor ignores the US history of regime change and the disastrous results. Labor ignores Israel’s aims at destabilizing its neighbours to leave it the dominant power in the region.
Indeed, Labor engineered its own vicious and violent repression of peaceful protesters expressing condemnation of Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians, have brought in hate laws to repress dissent, and will be introducing mandatory education programs that may amount to indoctrination of our children.
Untrustworthy Labor is taking us to a very dark place, already Labor has been denying UN inspectors into our prisons.
When will the United States and Israel acknowledge the full extent of damage to U.S. facilities and Israeli targets instead of downplaying or censoring it?
They won’t. It makes Orange Man and Nuttyyahoo look bad.
How could I have forgotten that Israel and the USA illegally and unprovoked attacked Iran last June, which Labor supported as well.
Too many to remember in one go, that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it.
But, while I’m at it, thanks Walt. I’ve been unable to get news in our mainstream media of what damage is being inflicted on the aggressors Israel and the USA. There’s been plenty of information about the ‘strikes on Iran’ and mentions of retaliation on gulf states. But, even the reporting of damage on gulf states hasn’t gone into much detail, for instance, I didn’t hear that Iran had warned the US that it was aware of it relocating its soldiers from the bases into hotels, and that it would hit those hotels, all I read in our media was that Iran had bombed hotels in gulf states.
The difficulty with going to independent media for information is that we rightly are inclined to seek verification from a dozen other sites. To cut a long story short, I make no guarantees to its authenticity, but The Electronic Intifada seems to have produced a good account. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcz2Z09odKg
Just when the majority of the electorate concludes things couldn’t get worse than life under a Liberal government, Labor manages to trash whatever scraps of trust remain in the duopoly’s alternative.
For goodness sake, I forgot to mention that Labor ignored that Omani, Iranian and even US officials involved in the negotiations prior to the USA and Israel attacking Iran, saying that talks were going exceptionally well and an outcome likely (the Oman Foreign Minister has since said Iran had agreed to reduce its level of Uranium.)
Twice now the USA has invited Iran to negotiations, and imo, used those negotiations as a ruse to launch a surprise illegal attack on Iran.
If China invaded Taiwan, would Penny Wong say ‘well, it’s really a matter for China to determine whether or not that’s in accordance with international law. When Putin invaded Ukraine, did Penny Wong say ‘well, we’ll let Vladamir determine whether or not that was illegal, that’s not a matter for Australia’. When Trump was threatening to invade Greenland, Penny Wong took the position ‘well, that’s really a matter for Danish authorities to work out if that’s in accordance with international law’, so, clearly Labor can’t make up its mind whether it’s can be the aggressor or the victim who determines legality, but not those who support the aggression (shamelessly modified from, and paraphrasing, David Shoebridge in an excellent podcast with Tom Ballard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuRCLuZknr0 )
It’s a nonsense that Labor is trying to foist onto Australians; Albanese, Wong and Marles continually treat Australians as mugs.
News is starting to trickle out of the US media about the extent of the damage Iran is inflicting on US and Israeli assets.
This was inevitable, given that coverage in West Asia and South Asia has been extensive from Day 1.
Here’s an update to an article in Forbes about the extent of the damage — UPDATE: 5th March: CNN reports that “Trump administration officials told lawmakers during a closed-door briefing on Capitol Hill Tuesday that Iran’s Shahed attack drones represent a major challenge and US air defenses will not be able to intercept them all,” as the threat was greater than anticipated.
Looks like the US might be forced to act on Plan B.
What are the chances that there is no Plan B?
Steve:
Of course there is no Plan B. There isn’t even a Plan A beyond “BOMB THEM!!!”
Exactly leefe.
It’s interesting that in the weeks leading up to the attack there was coverage of the extent to which Mossad had infiltrated and weakened Iran.
The infiltration was clearly not as effective as they thought, because the Iranian response was immediate, not aimed exclusively at Israel, and totally took them by surprise.
In short, as the Forbes article stated, the threat was greater than anticipated.
It appears that the Iranian planning was far superior to that of the US.
It’s reported that Iran has been stockpiling missiles and drones since 2012 in anticipation of a major attack.
If they have enough in reserve, the US will be forced to walk away, or escalate to WW3.
Gonggongche:
It is hypocrisy of the highest order when Australia, Israel and the US Pont the finger at Iran in how it treats its people when it is a known fact that Mossad and the CIA had paid and armed their agitators to cause internal upheaval. Then, there are double standards of how peaceful protesters are violently treated by these criminal governments. Added to this, all of these governments have been the perpetrators of genocide,apartheid, and terrorism against their indigenous people. It is fact that genocide is the ultimate hate crime as apartheid is the purest fotm of racism while terrorism is the most evil and heanous act of violent coercion perpetrated upon a people. Genocide, apartheid and terrorism are the historical building blocks of those who are morally and ethically bankrupt.
An invader will never bomb a population into submission.
The second world war showed that, both the British and the Germans were carpet bombed incessantly but it did not break the people.
Vietnam was mercilessly carpet bombed and the people resisted the invaders and the US lost another senseless war.
Cambodia had 2.7 million tons of ordnance dropped on it and still the US scuttled out of the country with its tail between its legs.
North Korea was extensively bombed by the US and UN forces and still did not surrender.
Afghanistan was heavily bombed by the US over 20 years and they left in defeat.
You cannot bomb your way to victory when the population is against you.
ajogrady, I think you’re absolutely right.
Australia, Israel and the US all claim to stand with the people of Iran.
Australia imprisoned Iranians that fled the Iranian regime and came to Australia by boat, Israel and the US, as you said, armed agitators to infiltrate protests in Iran and kill Iranians to ferment a coup.
Albanese said Australia stands with the brave people of Iran, well, why doesn’t he release all the Iranian refugees he has locked up?
Most people can talk, walk, fart and chew gum, but our media focuses acutely and correctly on the victims of Netanyahu and Trump, but not Putin’s?
1+ million casualties in the biggest land war in Europe since WWII including thousands of civilians, ditto children deported to Russia, Ukrainian civilians, military, infrastructure and Russian ethnic minorities, to protect white and west Russian middle class from fighting.
Quite delicious watching US DoD and/or related begging Ukraine in help with their advanced and economic drone technology and tactics to shoot Iranian Shaheds (vs $1 million interceptors), of which Ukraine civilians have copped 8k over pastvfew years, give or take a hundred…..
One’s concern is how badly informed Australains are by a hollowed out yet consolidated RW MSM and ecosystem for whom the US, UK and Oz Anglosphere is the world, ditto much indie media.
Further, latter is made more ridiculous by the ‘tyranny of distance’ and becoming like Americans with ignorance and noise predicated upon collective narcissism, along with a lack of empathy eg. those using offshore conflict for cheap domestic political points ……
To be honest, and I am (almost) ashamed to admit it, but whereas I was previously alarmed by the appalling atrocities committed by all parties in the Middle East, now I don’t care a fig for the future of Israel and the Zionists.
As for the question at hand, short answer is never.
Maybe this will answer the above question….
https://scheerpost.com/2026/01/11/ralph-nader-ex-presidents-and-democratic-leaders-silent-on-the-impeachment-of-donald-trump/
@ Gonggongche: Thank you for laying out the sad background to the Butcher Bibi Middle East war manipulating TACO Trumpery for the benefit of US armaments manufacturers.
@ Patricia: Agreed.
@ ajogrady: Do you think this ”hate crime” by Butcher Bibi & TACO Trumpery would be prosecuted when those armchair warriors do their victory lap of complicit nations including Australia??
@ GL: Naturally the Isrevil amoral IDF losses and US base destructions have to be deleted from MSM. You cannot have the general public objecting to mere personnel losses when you are pursuing an illegal war to take control of the extensive proven & potential fossil fuel reserves in Iran for the benefit of US multinational oil corporations. THAT may lead to political objections from the cannon fodder generations.
Doesn’t it seem strange that with all the accumulated hardware and aircraft carriers, the US is still not able to control the flow of shipping in the Straits of Hormuz ?
Terry, good point.
The US is in trouble.
They are withholding news of Iranian successes, just as Israel is censoring news of the damage Israel is sustaining.
Despite the excellent coverage here at AIMN by David Tyler, Andrew Klein and Walt, this point from Michael Hudson has slipped under the radar — Iran is forcing the US hand on control of the global economy.
“Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said the Treasury Department is examining whether additional sanctioned Russian crude shipments could be released to the market. “We may unsanction other Russian oil,” he said. “There are hundreds of millions of barrels of sanctioned crude on the water … by unsanctioning them, Treasury can create supply.” His remarks follow a U.S. decision to issue a temporary 30-day waiver allowing Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil in an effort to maintain global supply.”
So things are getting desperate for the US now.
They are robbing Peter to pay Paul.
The stability of entire nations has been put at risk.
If US-friendly nations are forced to cut social services to pay debts to the US, we could see the emergence of anti-US nations.
If fuel prices in the US get too high, they will face domestic unrest.
The US is not in control of events, and Iran at the moment is holding all the aces. (Not a trump card in sight.)
🙂
This morning 100326, my partner cancelled a regional 500+ km round business trip because 2/3 service stations in Armidale NSW were either closed or limited diesel fuel purchases.
The MSM report that oil majors are restricting fuel distribution to major corporate purchasers and excluding minor distributors that supply regional locations.
I wonder when those city corporate executives will realise no fuel for farmers means no food for city folk.
Cocky, the ratbag Right is having a field day with the fuel security issue, and good on’em I say.
It shows how dumb the Lib/Lab administrators have been when fools can make you look silly.
They believed the lies about the omniscience of market forces.
They believed the lie that free trade agreements would bring peace to the world.
Storing our emergency fuel in the US is criminal.
Alan Kohler pointed out on his economic analysis, on the ABCTV, that the US is virtually self-sufficient in oil production including both crude and refined. Particularly so after they ‘snatched’ the Venezuela reserves.
It may be the case that they are not too concerned about the rest of the world.
Ultimately the yanks will go away, probably taking their little siblings the Issies.
But how conservative will Iran become after the latest trauma?
Looks like WWIII has started.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-deploying-aircraft-weapons-and-troops-to-middle-east-20260310-p5o8yi.html
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-10/australia-to-provide-military-support-to-gulf-states/106435248
When was the special Cabinet meeting?
I stated above that “The US is not in control of events,…”
Just came across this, to remind us of their track record — It took the U.S. 20 years to replace the Taliban with the Taliban, but only 9 days to replace Khamenei with Khamenei…
They just get better and better!
Terry I have no doubt that you are right about US independence when it comes to oil supplies.
But that does not make them immune to economic blow-back.
There’s more to economies than oil.
From a report written during the Covid-19 shutdown
Oil companies know that the decision to shut down for an extended period has three serious consequences:
Reopened wells may never return to their previous production rate.
Pumping equipment must be repaired and refitted at great cost.
Other facilities, such as refineries and pipelines, cannot be kept in operation without some minimal level of production.
Oil wells are shutting down all over the region. Same for gas production and storage, which is highly technical and sensitive to disruptions.
The US is creating a lot of enemies.
Actions have consequences.
It does seem daft for Australia to store its “reserve” oil in USA, but then it was a decision by our pollies.
We should not ignore the huge stockpile of oil stored by USA in Australia.
The rarely talked about Air strips in WA, and controlled by USA, have plenty of fuel stored. This is another wise decision that makes our land a priority target if the brown stuff ever hits the fan here.
Like AUKUS the agreement favours USA, and we could never claim access to this “reserve” of fuel on our dirt.