Nate Bear | Americans, are scared. Scared that I’m right. Scared it’s true. Scared, basically, that the treats are going to be taken away. | This is the biggest energy shock since world war two, exceeding the oil crises of the 1970s and the Russia-Ukraine war, which previously were the biggest energy shocks in modern history. ■ The 1970s oil crisis struck 5 million barrels of oil per day off global markets. The war on Iran has caused an 11 million barrels of oil a day shortfall. The Russia-Ukraine war at its peak removed about 75 billion cubic metres of gas from the world. The war on Iran has caused a 140 billion cubic metres loss of gas. ■ Oil and gas are pretty much everything. Oil isn’t just fuel to get everything, including human bodies, from one place to another, it is also plastics, paints, solvents, cosmetics, engine lubricants. Gas isn’t just used for cooking. Around 23% of the world’s electricity is generated by gas...

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman has roundly rejected the claim made by US President Donald Trump that Tehran had requested a ceasefire. | The United States and Israel initiated a new phase of aerial aggression against Iran on February 28. This act of aggression was met with a swift and decisive response from Iran. ● Iranian armed forces have launched 89 waves of retaliatory strikes, targeting Israeli-occupied territories and US assets in the region with missiles and drones, demonstrating Iran's resolve and ability to defend its sovereignty. ● Notably, this escalation by the US and Israel occurred while Iran and Washington were engaged in diplomatic talks concerning Iran’s peaceful nuclear program. ● Trump made the latest claim in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, also conditioning any ceasefire to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. ● The Strait of Hormuz is tightly controlled by Iran since the start of the aggression with Tehran saying that only vessels belonging to countries that have not joined or supported the aggression can pass through. ● Meanwhile, Seyyed Mehdi Tabatabai, the Deputy for Communications and Information at the Iranian President's Office, highlighted that Tehran's position regarding the end of the war has not changed.

■ Fact check: Trump’s speech on war against Iran and familiar claims that don’t hold up (Press TV)
■ Trump Says US Will Hit Iran Hard in Next 2-3 Weeks, Threatens 'Stone Age' (Sputnik)
■ Trump vows to hit Iran ‘extremely hard’ as Tehran denies talks (RT)
■ Trump urges allies to ‘go to Strait of Hormuz and just take it’ (RT)
✅ The Empire Is Losing Its Ability To Hide Its Ugly Nature (Caitlin Johnstone)

Zakir Kibria | How did India – a founding member of the Non‑Aligned Movement, a pillar of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation – end up here, watching its most ambitious geopolitical play crumble while it sits silent in multilateral forums as a fellow member of those same institutions is bombed? | Bandar Abbas, March 2026. A Very Large Crude Carrier idles in the Strait of Hormuz. Overhead, drones and missiles have turned the sky into a sheet of fire. Israel and Iran are exchanging direct strikes – a war of aggression that began with a US‑backed Israeli campaign. The IMEC rail link, which was supposed to run through Haifa and the Negev desert, is now a geopolitical fault line. Shipping giants have suspended calls at Israeli ports. The corridor has become a ghost.