Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has launched a scathing critique of the military strikes conducted by the United States and Israel against Iran, describing the offensive as an “absolute disaster” during a session of the Spanish Congress. | Defending his government’s “No to War” stance, Sánchez detailed the staggering toll of the conflict since February 28. He reported nearly 2,000 confirmed deaths and over four million people displaced across Iran and Lebanon. The Prime Minister noted that approximately €12 billion in public funds has already been spent on military operations, leading to a sharp decline in global tourism and maritime trade, while causing a dramatic spike in the prices of hydrocarbons and essential raw materials. ‘Worse Than the Iraq War’ -- Sánchez questioned the legitimacy of the “illegal and unjustifiable” aggression, arguing that the strikes serve only to undermine international law and destabilize the Middle East. He warned that the current crisis is “far worse” than the 2003 Iraq War, with a deeper and more extensive global impact. “All this for what?” Sánchez asked. “To destabilize the Middle East, reignite conflicts in Iraq and Lebanon, and bury Gaza under the rubble of oblivion and indifference.”

■ Spain's Sánchez urges Europe to 'dream big' and end 'Israel' alliance (04/12/26)

■ Iraq Gives "Popular Mobilization Front" Approval to Defend Itself from US and Israeli military Attacks (Hal Turner)

A U.S. military aerial refueling aircraft has crashed in western Iraq. United States Central Command stated that a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker went down in western Iraq during a mission called “Epic Fury.” | Ac-cording to the statement, two refueling aircraft were involved in the operation at the time. One aircraft crashed in western Iraq, while the other landed safely. The command added that the incident was not caused by enemy fire or friendly fire and that search-and-rescue operations for the crew are ongoing. ● A reporter from CBS News reported that the second refueling aircraft was also hit during the mission but managed to land safely in Israel. The reporter noted that the aircraft that crashed had six crew members on board. ● Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran’s military engineering command, said the U.S. refueling aircraft was struck by a missile fired by resistance groups in western Iraq, causing it to crash, and all crew members were killed.

■ US aircraft crashes in Iraq, CENTCOM confirms (Burak Baloch)
■ US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker Crashes in Western Iraq During Operation Epic Fury (S. Florida Reporter)
■ A US Air Force refueling aircraft was hit by a missile from resistance groups (IRNA News Agency) (X)

On Saturday, the US and Israel launched a series of strikes on Iranian targets, including Tehran, causing damage and civilian casualties. | More than 200 people have already been killed during the US–Israel strikes on Iran, according to the Red Crescent. ● Israeli military carried out a new series of attacks on about 30 sites in the Islamic Republic. Number of people killed in a strike on a girls’ school in the southern Iranian city of Minab has soared to 118. ● Iranian drone strike damaged Bahrain International Airport, following Iran’s attacks on two airports in the United Arab Emirates and one in Kuwait. ● Large cloud of black smoke was seen over Erbil Air Base in Iraq, home to a contingent of US troops, after Iran’s Fars News Agency reported about heavy explosions in the area.

✅ Aggression against Iran: Interim Results (Elena Panina)
✅ US-Israeli war on Iran is NOT about nuclear weapons. It's about imperialism (Ben Norton)
✅ The US Military Campaign Against Iran Is Part Of Trump’s Grand Strategy Against China (Andrew Korybko)
✅ IRGC Promises Historic Devastation After Khamenei Confirmed Killed by Israeli-US Strikes (Simplicius)
✅ A War Of Aggressions Which Aims Can Not Be Achieved (Moon of Alabama)
✅ “Massive” Regime Change War, Iran Strikes Back at U.S. Bases and Vows Not to Capitulate (DropSite)

Caitlin Johnstone | There is no excuse for a grown adult to believe the US empire wants to bring democracy to Iran. | This is what US-imposed “democracy” looks like in practice: giving a nation the freedom to do what Washington tells them to do and elect the leaders that Washington allows them to elect. ■ Anyone silly enough to believe the US wants to bring democracy to Iran should have a look at what the US is currently doing to sabotage democracy in Iraq. ■ President Trump has been aggressively threatening to cut off Iraq’s oil revenue if it allows the return to office of former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, whom the Trump administration views as too sympathetic to Iran.

Since World War II, the United States has been engaged and bogged down in several wars, including conflicts that are thousands of miles away and in regions many Americans have never heard of. However, despite the U.S.' military prowess, these wars end up as stalemates or in the recent case of Afghanistan, a strategic defeat. ● Of course, we're told it is the military industrial complex who is making the money, but there is more to this war profiteering than we have previously known. Who is really profiting and why? ● U.S. military veteran and whistleblower Matthew Hoh sits down J-Speak host Rick Sanchez to discuss why the U.S. can't win wars. He explains the failures in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and now Ukraine.

■ Global arms industry hits record $679 billion revenue amid rising conflicts (Natural News)

The new accounts come amid an ongoing Independent Inquiry Relating to Afghanistan, launched in 2022 to examine allegations of war crimes committed by British Special Forces. | British elite regiments committed atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan for over a decade, new eyewitness accounts cited by the BBC reveal. Allegations implicate both the British Army’s Special Air Service (SAS) and Royal Navy's elite Special Boat Service (SBS). [...] Then-Afghan President Hamid Karzai reportedly personally warned then-UK Prime Minister David Cameron about civilian killings carried out by British special forces.

 ■ The seven countries that the U.S. continues to meddle with and antagonize have a shared history and connection: For decades Israel and the Zionists who pushed for the Jewish state have wanted them to be destabilized, weakened, or eliminated.

 ■ Jeffrey Sachs is a world-renowned economics professor, bestselling author, innovative educator, and global leader in sustainable development. Sachs serves as the Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, where he holds the rank of University Professor, the university’s highest academic rank. From 2001-18, Sachs served as Special Advisor to UN Secretaries-General Kofi Annan (2001-7), Ban Ki-moon (2008-16), and António Guterres (2017-18).

 ■ Alison Weir is the founder of If Americans Knew and president of the Council for the National Interest, which works for “U.S. Middle East policies that represent the highest values of our founders and our citizens and that work to sustain a nation of honor, decency, security, and prosperity.” Weir is also author of the book, Against Our Better Judgment: The Hidden History of How the U.S. Was Used to Create Israel .

The Prime Minster of Iraq, Mohammed al-Sudani has been authorized by the Iraq House of Representatives to take the decision to enter the Syria war. | Al-Sudani has already mobilized the Iraq army on the border with Syria. Now, at any moment, he may issue the Order to enter Syria in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Iraq does not want an ISIS-like caliphate on its border. Therefore if Iraq enters, it will want to help Assad. This is very understandable, especially given their previous experiences with ISIS. The stakes now, though, seem very much higher because of who is backing the HTS Terrorists. This is an unexpected eventuality.

Sixteen years after three Iraqi men sued CACI for their torture at Abu Ghraib, a US jury awarded them $42 million in damages. | A federal jury on Tuesday ordered a US defense contractor, CACI Premier Technology Inc., to pay $42 million in damages to three Iraqi men who were tortured at the Abu Ghraib prison, according to their lawyers. ■ The company was found liable for its role in the abuse of the three men in 2003 and 2004 at the infamous prison, following a lengthy trial, the Center for Constitutional Rights reported. ■ The center stated that each of the plaintiffs—Suhail Al Shimari, a middle school principal; Asa'ad Zuba'e, a fruit vendor; and Salah Al-Ejaili, a journalist—was awarded $14 million in damages. The three men filed a lawsuit against CACI, a private company based in Arlington, Virginia, in 2008. ■ Abu Ghraib prison, located west of Baghdad, became a powerful symbol of the horrors of the US occupation of Iraq after evidence surfaced of detainee abuse by US soldiers at the facility.

Iraqi resistance fighters have launched separate drone strikes on "vital" targets within Israeli-occupied territories, in retaliation for the Tel Aviv regime’s ongoing brutalities against Palestinians across Gaza and military aggression in Lebanon. | The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of anti-terror fighters, in separate statements published on its Telegram channel on Friday, claimed responsibility for six drone strikes against Israeli targets in the occupied lands. In one of the statements, the group said it had attacked a vital target in the occupied Golan Heights. It said the attack was carried out in continuation of resistance against the occupying Israeli regime, in support of the Palestinian and Lebanese nations, and in response to the massacres that the Zionist entity is perpetrating against ordinary people. The coalition noted that it will continue to target and destroy important installations across the occupied lands.

■ Iraqi Resistance launches four attacks on Israel (Mehr News)
■ Report: Israeli Intel Suggests Iran Preparing To Launch Attack From Iraq (Antiwar.com)

Religious and political figures in Iraq mourned the martyrdom of leader Yahya Sinwar, praising his significant role in the Palestinian resistance and reaffirming the continuation of the battle until victory is achieved. | The head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, Sheikh Hammam Hamoudi, mourned the martyrdom of Yahya Sinwar, the head of the political bureau of Hamas, who was martyred during armed confrontations with the Israeli occupation forces in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. ● In a statement, Sheikh Hammoudi described Sinwar as "a remarkable model of bravery, courage, and defiance against occupation, injustice, and bloodthirsty arrogance," emphasizing that the Resistance will continue to escalate.

■ Sinwar's storm continues (Tehran Times)
■ Iranian Leader Issues Message over Sinwar's Martyrdom (Mehr News)

The Haditha Massacre Photos That the US Military Didn’t Want the World to See | On the morning of November 19, 2005, a squad of Marines was travelling in four Humvees down a road in the town of Haditha, Iraq, when their convoy hit an I.E.D. The blast killed one Marine, Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas, and injured two others. What followed would spark one of the largest war-crime investigations in the history of the United States. ■ During the next several hours, Marines killed twenty-four Iraqi men, women, and children. Near the site of the explosion, they shot five men who had been driving to a college in Baghdad. They entered three nearby homes and killed nearly everyone inside. The youngest victim was a three-year-old girl. The oldest was a seventy-six-year-old man. The Marines would later claim that they were fighting insurgents that day, but the dead were all civilians. [...] Read more: The Haditha Massacre Photos That the Military Didn’t Want the World to See

An official in the Joint Operations Command in Iraq revealed on Tuesday that a second attack targeted Ain Al-Asad airbase, which houses US forces, in the western Iraqi governorate of Anbar. | The Iraqi security official told Al-Ain News that five missiles launched by armed groups supported by Iran targeted Ain Al-Asad airbase, where the international coalition forces led by the United States are stationed. ● The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is expected to issue a statement denouncing these attacks in light of his government’s efforts to reach an agreement with the United States to set a timetable for the withdrawal of US forces from the country, according to the security source. ● Earlier on Monday, an armed militia affiliated with the Kataeb Hezbollah targeted Ain Al-Asad airbase, the security official added. In a statement to Reuters, two security sources in Iraq said that two Katyusha missiles were fired at Ain Al-Asad airbase in western Iraq, leaving at least five US personnel injured.

■ Five US Troops Injured in Rocket Attack on US Base in Iraq (Antiwar.com)
■ US braces for more attacks on its Middle East forces – Axios (RT.com)

🫣 pic.twitter.com/47ladk7epD

— S p r i n t e r F a c t o r y (@Sprinterfactory) May 13, 2023

                                            (ENLARGE Images)

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has confirmed that the attack came in response to the aggression against the PMF, and in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza. | The Islamic Resistance in Iraq launched a drone attack against a strategic Israeli target in the '48 Israeli-occupied territories in response to the Israeli attack against a military base where a Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) group was deployed. ● In a statement on its Telegram channel, the Iraqi Resistance adopted the operation against the Eilat port on Saturday morning, noting that it was in response to the violation of Iraqi sovereignty, the aggression against the PMF, and in support of Gaza against the Israeli massacres and genocide against Palestinians in the Strip.

Muslims in Iran and many other countries are celebrating Eid al-Fitr at the conclusion of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, after the new moon of the lunar month of Shawwal was sighted the previous night. | Naqareh drums were played at the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS), the eighth Shia Imam, in Iran's northeastern city of Mashhad on Wednesday morning, and Muslim worshippers who had fasted for a month took part in Eid prayers there and across the country early in the morning of the occasion of the festive event, which marks the end of Ramadan – the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. ● In the capital, Tehran, people gathered at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla (Congregational Prayers Site) to perform Eid al-Fitr prayers. Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei led the prayers.

■ Palestinians commemorate Eid al-Fitr amid oppression, genocide (Al Mayadeen)

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has struck the “Israeli” entity’s main airport in continued support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, who are enduring a genocidal US-backed “Israeli” aggression. | The Iraqi umbrella group of anti-terror groups made the announcement in a statement on Monday.

💬 “The fighters of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, this evening, Monday, 11-3-2024, targeted Ben Gurion Airport deep within the usurping entity by drone,” the statement read.

The resistance accompanied the statement with footage of the operation, which saw the aircraft releasing a projectile upon reaching above its designated target. So far during the military onslaught, the entity has martyred more than 31112 Gazans, most of them women, children, and adolescents. Completing the statement, the Iraqi resistance said by targeting the “Israeli” airport, it had...

💬 “...affirmed that we will continue to strike enemy strongholds, in completion of the second phase of operations to confront the occupation and support our people in Gaza, and in response to the Zionist massacres against unarmed Palestinian civilians.”

Earlier this month, the coalition announced targeting the Haifa Airport in the northern part of the occupied territories in yet another pro-Palestinian operation.

What was described by the Pentagon as a "logistics support base" turns out to be a secret drone base for long-range surveillance of fighters in neighboring Syria and Iraq and for conducting airstrikes. | The Pentagon calls the US base in Jordan, Tower 22, a “logistics support base” - however, in reality, the area in which three US troops were killed last month is more than what it seems. ● The Intercept reported that Tower 22 is secretly a drone base for long-range surveillance of whom the US perceives as "insurgents" in neighboring Syria and Iraq and to conduct airstrikes, according to two US military sources, while it also represents a staging facility for special operations forces and is a medevac helicopter home base. ● Talking to The Intercept, an Air Force airman, whose unit was recently stationed at the base, said,
💬 “To call Tower 22 a logistics support base is complete bullshit,” as logistics was only a minor part - or a disguise - to merely deliver food and fuel to the nearby al-Tanf base. “The main purpose of Tower 22 is to operate drones to spy on insurgents in Iraq and Syria, for targeting purposes,” the airman added, noting, “The main objective I witnessed was taking out targets.”

■ US approves plan for strike on Iranian targets (02/02/24)

Larry Johnson | The United States and Europe are Hell Bent on Sparking World War III | The U.S. and Europe — the Brits in particular — are out of control and flouting international law as they carry out military strikes in Yemen, Syria and Iraq. The West claims it is an act of self-defense, but instead of killing or arresting specific individuals responsible for attacks, are engaged in collective punishment. I think we are coming to a point where anger against the West is going to boil over and the U.S. and Europe will get a taste of their own medicine. All of this was avoidable, but the U.S. and Britain have convinced their citizens that attacks on foreign countries without the backing of the UN is entirely appropriate. It is not. These actions shred international support for the U.S. proclaimed “rules-based international order.” The latest incident to spark outrage is a hellfire missile strike in Baghdad. [...] The rage against the West is not confined to the Middle East. A video was posted tonight showing a couple of Russian gentlemen confronting British diplomats at a restaurant in Moscow. The anger is real and growing.

This comes after the US initiated a series of strikes overnight, targeting positions in Iraq and Syria. | Russian Deputy Envoy to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy on Saturday announced that Russia has sought an immediate session of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on February 5 in response to the US' aggression on Iraq and Syria. ● "Russia has just called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting to discuss threats to international peace and security from the US strikes against Iraq and Syria. The meeting is expected to be held at 4 pm EST [21:00 GMT] on February 5," Polyanskiy said on X. ● This comes after the US initiated a series of strikes overnight, targeting entities that the US Central Command (CENTCOM) alleges to be affiliated with the IRGC and its allies. According to CENTCOM, US forces struck more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria with numerous aircraft, including long-range bombers that were said to have taken off from the US.

■ Warnings of "exploding the situation" in the region after the US strikes in Syria and Iraq (Al Jazeera)
■ US strikes in Middle East a ‘strategic mistake’ – Iran (RT.com)
■ US hits 85 targets in Syria and Iraq (02/03/24)

US Central Command announced on Friday that that it had hit 85 Kata'ib Hezbollah targets in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for a recent drone attack on a U.S. military headquarters in Jordan near the border with Syria that killed three US service members. | The attacks were conducted last night. Officials in Iraq have condemned the attacks. Reportedly, the overnight air strikes on Syria killed at least 18 fighters. ● Kataib Hezbollah had said the attacks on the American headquarters in the region, including the recent one in Jordan, were in response to Washington’s full support for Israel’s massacre of the Palestinians in Gaza, which started in October 2023. Kataib Hezbollah, also called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, have so far fired missiles at Israel's for its genocidal war in the besieged Gaza Strip. US military officials have not provided an estimated death toll but have said the strikes resulted in causalities.

■ Lloyd Austin: ‘We Don’t Know’ If Iran Was Involved in Jordan Drone Attack (antiwar.com)
■ Damascus says US occupation of Syrian territory ‘cannot continue’ (Malay Mail)
■ Military statement: A number of civilian and military martyrs in U.S. new aggression near borders with Iraq (SANA)
■ Iraq condemns US airstrikes as ‘breach of sovereignty', warns of 'disasterous consequences' (PressTV)
■ Most targeted sites completely evacuated before aggression (Al Mayadeen)
■ Yemen's Ansarullah vows to stand by Iraqi, Syrian resistance groups 'in battlefield' after US strikes (PressTV)
■ Iraq’s Nujaba: We’ll Keep up Ops against US until Occupation Ends, Gaza Genocide Stops (Alahed News)

In a response to the Zionist aggression on Iranian figures and interests, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards [IRG] announced that first missile strikes targeted gathering places of commanders and main elements of recent terrorist attacks in the Iranian cities of Kerman and Rask. | It added that the strike came after gathering points of the Daesh [Arabic Acronym for the terrorist ISIS/ISIS] terrorist group were identified in the occupied territories of Syria and destroyed with a number of ballistic missiles. ● The Takfiri group claimed responsibility for two explosions that killed nearly 100 people and wounded scores of others at a memorial for Iran's top anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani in the southeastern Iranian city of Kerman on January 3. ● Later the same month, another terrorist attack hit a police station in the southeastern Iranian city of Rask, killing 11 police officers and injuring at least six others. ● The IRG said in a later statement that another missile strike had been launched at a main espionage center of the “Israeli” entity’s Mossad spy agency in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.

■ Iraq Recalls Ambassador to Tehran After Strikes on Kurdistan Region (Sputnik News)
■ Israeli media: Iranian ballistic missile crosses 1,200 km in first (Al Mayadeen)
■ IRGC Strikes at Militants in Syria in Response to Recent Terrorist Attacks (Sputnik News)
■ Overnight blasts in Erbil, businessman’s death: What we know about Iranian missile strikes (TASS)

We all know the story of bin Laden and Al Qaeda, the story that was repeated ad nauseam in the days, weeks and months after the catastrophic, catalyzing events of 9/11. So often was that story repeated that the hypnotized public forgot that it was, at base, just that: a story. . . .

London, which accuses Moscow of violating UN Security Council resolutions, should remember its neocolonial actions, including aggression against the population of Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Syria, and military aid to Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stressed. | The official made a statement commenting on British Defense Minister Grant Shapps' assertions that "the world has turned its back on Russia." ● The British minister made the remarks in connection to unsubstantiated allegations regarding the use of "DPRK missiles." Shapps also accused Russia of violating multiple UN Security Council resolutions, despite Moscow's stern denial of such innuendos. 💬 "Here is just a short list of London's neocolonial actions of recent times: the participation of British land and air forces together with the Americans in the aggression against Yugoslavia, in the destruction of Iraq and its population, Libya, Afghanistan, the bombing of Syria, and now - supporting the Kiev regime, which in violation of all resolutions on non-delivery of weapons to conflict zones the Anglo-Saxons are supplying with lethal weapons. But Shapps is right about one thing: 'This must end,'" Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel.

Yet Another War: Iraq Islamic Resistance Tells U.S. "Get out of Iraq" or All American Troops here will face military attack | The United States has been told by Iraqi groups that all American troops must leave Iraq immediately or all US bases in that country will be attacked; all troops, killed. "One American present in Iraq is too much, Abu Ala al-Walai said." Today the Secretary-General of the Iraq Islamic Resistance, Harakat Al-Nujaba, Sheikh Akram Al-Kaabi, confirmed that the Iraqi Islamic Resistance has decided to liberate Iraq militarily. "The matter has been resolved, and what is coming is greater."

A massive wave of airstrikes was carried out ahead of a ground incursion | Israeli ground forces will “expand” their activity in Gaza on Friday night, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari has told reporters. Warplanes are currently subjecting the enclave to some of the heaviest bombardment to date ahead of the ground operation. [...] Israeli soldiers have conducted several limited raids into the strip over the last two days but no major offensive has been announced. Hagari’s statement is the clearest sign since the beginning of the conflict on October 7 that an invasion – which the IDF has been preparing to launch for almost three weeks – is imminent. ● In a statement on Friday morning, the IDF said that its tanks and infantry had moved into central Gaza the previous day and destroyed “dozens of terrorist targets, including positions for launching anti-tank missiles and operational headquarters,” as well as Hamas fighters. Israeli forces withdrew after the raid with no casualties, the IDF added.

■ ISRAELI TANKS NOW STORMING INTO GAZA. IRAN FOREIGN MINISTER: "THEY PRESSED THE BUTTON" (Hal Turner)
■ Gaza communications blackout as Israel intensifies attack (The Eletronic Intifada)
■ Gaza in complete blackout as IOF launch most brutal attack so far (Al Mayadeen)
■ Unprecedented Israeli strikes on Gaza amid internet blackout (Palestine Info)
■ Israel-Palestine live: Communications blackout as heaviest strikes hit Gaza (MEE)
■ “Please, if you can hear us, tell the world that we are isolated now in Gaza” (If Americans Knew)
■ Israel’s Onslaught On Gaza Escalates, Dozens Of Civilians Killed (IMEMC News)

13 years ago today, Julian Assange published the Collateral Murder video showing US forces massacring Iraqi civilians in cold blood. He exposed the US's war crimes, yet the very war criminals he exposed are free & he is in prison. What a world we live in.pic.twitter.com/AlAqUGMTs5

— Hassan Mafi ‏ (@thatdayin1992) April 5, 2023

The Netherlands has decided to declassify data on airstrikes in the Middle East after media exposé | The Dutch government agreed to release previously classified information about its air sorties in Iraq and Syria, after media exposed as false claims that no civilians were killed in a 2016 strike by the European nation on a building in Mosul, Iraq. A US military assessment had identified the target as a terrorist HQ. ● The database, released on Thursday, details Dutch F-16 missions between October 2014 and December 2018, which were part of Operation Inherent Resolve, a US-led military campaign against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). It disclosed over 2,200 weapon deployments relating to over 600 airstrikes. The Dutch Ministry of Defence also pledged to conduct its own investigation into suspected killings of civilians by anti-IS coalition forces. ● The move was in reaction to an exposé published on the same day by the Dutch public broadcaster NOS, its current affairs program Nieuwsuur, and the newspaper NRC. It provides evidence that at least seven civilians, including a three-year-old girl, were killed in a Dutch airstrike at a residential building in Mosul on March 22, 2016. The strike hit a residence outside of the campus of Mosul University, where academics and their families were housed.