Habib Siddiqui

  With oil   selling   for around $100 a barrel and the price in the United States of gasoline at the pump having   increased   20% in two weeks, Americans have been thrust back into a 1970s-style mix of oil and insecurity in the Persian Gulf. The crises of the 1970s began with an oil embargo resulting from Arab anger over heavy U.S. support to  Israel  in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Then, after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, the United States proclaimed what became known as the  Carter Doctrine , with President Jimmy Carter  declaring  that “vital interests” of the United States were at stake in the Persian Gulf region. The Carter Doctrine was originally aimed primarily at the Soviet Union, amid fears that the Soviet operation in Afghanistan was a step toward realizing the old Russian imperialist dream of acquiring warm-water ports. The Carter administration’s military response included its creation of the  Rapid Deployme...

According to US Africa Command, the strike targeted al-Shabaab in southern Somalia by  Dave DeCamp  | March 30, 2026 at 1:37 pm ET |  Somalia US Africa Command  said on Monday  that its forces launched an airstrike in Somalia on March 27 as the Trump administration continues the bombing campaign in the east African country amid the US-Israeli war against Iran. AFRICOM said the strike targeted al-Shabaab and was launched about 80 miles northwest of the southern city of Kismayo. The command offered no other details of the strike, saying, “Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security.” The US-backed Somali Defense Ministry announced operations and battles against al-Shabaab on March 26 and March 29, but not on the day of the strike claimed by AFRICOM. The US-backed Somali federal government has also been  clashing  with the local government of Somalia’s South West State and took control of its capita...

Indonesian peacekeepers headquarters targeted in Adshit al-Qusayr by  Jason Ditz  | March 30, 2026 at 1:01 pm ET |  Indonesia ,  Israel ,  Lebanon ,  UNIFIL Israeli artillery strikes targeted the headquarters  of the Indonesian contingent of the UNIFIL peacekeepers in Adshit al-Qusayr, in the Marjayoun District of southern Lebanon on Sunday, killing  two of the peacekeepers and injuring two others . The attack comes amid the expansion of the Israeli ground invasion, and while the  UN equivocated , saying that they couldn’t confirm that the blast was actually the result of the  active Israeli artillery strike on the base , there seems to be little real doubt as to the cause. The IDF has yet to comment on the matter. One of the slain was identified as  Pfc. Farizal Rhomadhon, a 28-year-old Indonesian Army member  serving in the peacekeeper contingent. Initial reports were that one was killed and three wounded, one severely so, so...

  When asked why the president is threatening to potentially commit war crimes, the White House said Iran's 'best move is to make a deal' by  Dave DeCamp  | March 30, 2026 at 4:52 pm ET |  Iran President Trump on Monday added Iran’s desalination plants to the list of infrastructure he may “blow up” if a deal isn’t reached to end the war, threatening attacks on the country’s water supply, a clear  war crime under international law. “The United States of America is in serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran,” President Trump  wrote on Truth Social , though Iran continues to deny negotiations are taking place. “Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Pla...

  The bill mandates executions of people convicted of deadly 'acts of terrorism' with the 'intent to deny the existence of the State of Israel' by  Dave DeCamp  | March 30, 2026 at 6:37 pm ET |  Israel ,  Palestine The Israeli Knesset  passed a bill on Monday  that mandates the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of deadly “acts of terror,” an effort that was led by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the Jewish power party, who was seen celebrating with champagne after the vote. The bill is designed to apply exclusively to Palestinians by mandating the death penalty for a “terrorist” convicted of killing a person “with the intent to deny the existence of the State of Israel.” According to  Haaretz , the law is now applicable in any territory that Israel effectively controls, which includes the occupied West Bank and more than 50% of the Gaza Strip. In his remarks on the vote, Ben Gvir made clear that the bill was de...

by  Michael C. Monson  |  Mar 31, 2026  |  5 Comments President Trump and his minions assured America that he was a man of peace who would abandon the “failed policy of regime change”. Yet, since taking office in 2025, he has bombed  seven countries  and threatened several more. As a man without principles, Trump is an empty vessel into which zealots pour their venom. The xenophobe Stephen Miller dehumanizes immigrants, the mercantilist Peter Navarro extols tariffs, and the indicted war criminal Bibi Netanyahu excoriates Iran. Netanyahu has met with Trump at least  seven times  since Trump regained the presidency in 2025. As pointed out by the  Times of Israel : “Netanyahu’s last meeting with Trump was a hastily arranged visit on February 11, 2026, which included a three-hour meeting at the White House, uncharacteristically closed to the press. The day after that meeting, the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier, the world’s largest warship,...

  Fighting the Unhinged US Bully: Is It the Duty of Iran Only? Dr. Firoz Mahboob Kamal   The US: the unhinged bully The US President Donald Trump has emerged as an unhinged bully with an extreme war mongering arrogance. Like a huge mighty beast in a jungle, he enjoys unfettered liberty on predating on the weak.   He wants others to surrender to his whims and accept nothing less than that. President Trump and his team do not believe in negotiation. It happened twice that while negotiation between the Iranian and the US team was ongoing, he started relentless bombing on Iran. He took Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu as the partner in the bloodthirsty campaign. They killed the Supreme Leader and more than 30 senior leaders on the first day of the attack. It was an earthquake in Iran, and was celebrated as a huge success in the US camp. These heartless and soulless leaders have turned large scale genocide and destruction in Iran into huge sports to rejoice the pains of i...