Iran’s IRGC will expand drone operations by 20% and strategic missile operations by 100% in response to US policies, sources told Fars News Agency. | The Iranian Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) will begin increasing its offensive operations starting tonight, informed sources told the Fars News Agency on Sunday. ● According to the sources, in response to the "brutality of Trump and the White House," the IRGC plans to increase its drone operations by 20% and its strategic missile operations by 100%. ● The move, the sources added, is intended to ensure deterrence and a decisive response to any military aggression against Iran’s interests and its people.

Prof. Jeffrey Sachs argues that the world may already be entering the early stages of World War III, as the rapidly escalating conflict involving Iran begins to draw in additional countries and regional actors. The initial strikes and retaliations risk triggering a wider chain reaction across the Middle East and beyond, particularly as allied militias, regional powers, and global powers become increasingly involved. The traditional mechanisms of escalation control—diplomatic restraint, clear red lines, and international mediation—appear to be breaking down, raising the danger that what began as a regional confrontation could evolve into a far broader global conflict.

The US president’s assertion contradicts investigations by Western media pointing to likely American responsibility | US President Donald Trump has denied American responsibility for the strike on an Iranian school that killed 175 people, most of them children, suggesting instead that a faulty Iranian missile was to blame. ● His remarks contradict investigations by AP, CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post, which concluded – based on satellite imagery and other visual evidence – that the US likely destroyed a girls’ elementary school in the southern Iranian city of Minab during a February 28 bombardment of nearby Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sites. ● Asked on Saturday whether the US was responsible for the strike on the school, Trump said, “In my opinion, based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran.”

■ US, 'Israel' kill 1,200 Iranians, including 200 children, in one week (Al Mayadeen)
■ US Army Can’t Whitewash Itself After Strike On Girl’s School in Iran — Experts (Sputnik)
■ US behind strike on Iranian school – NYT (RT)
■ Al Jazeera investigation: Iran girls’ school targeting likely ‘deliberate’ (Al Jazeera)

With the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia began re-routing their oil through a 742 mile long pipeline called the "East-West Pipeline (PETROLINE) as seen on the map above. That pipeline is now blown up. | Middle Eastern countries have watched their ability to ship oil, crippled by the Israel/US/Iran conflict. Saudi Arabia had previously built the East-West pipeline in case of such an eventuality, so THEIR oil could still be shipped, albeit via the Red Sea. Those plans just got blown up. Expect the price of oil to jump again, and the price for Gasoline to follow.

■ Iran crisis escalates: Oil prices jump as attacks stop Strait of Hormuz shipping (RT)
■ LIVE UPDATES: Iranian Military Strikes US Helicopter Base in Kuwait - IRGC (Sputnik)