Iran

 

Trump was once wary of ordering regime  change in Iran. Here’s what made him  change his mind

Guardrails were tossed aside, as Trump and Israeli Prime Minister  Benjamin Netanyahu ordered up a battle plan that included strikes  on Iran’s leadership. Read More

Additional troops to deploy to Middle East  as Gen. Caine says to expect ‘additional  losses’ Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and Defense  Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke to reporters at an on-camera media  briefing Monday. Read More

Hegseth, Caine lay out Iran goals: “No  stupid rules of engagement, no nation- building quagmire.” Defense Secretary acknowledges casualties, says goals of  Operation Epic Fury are "laser focused." Joint Chiefs Chairman  says more troops moving to theater. Read More

CENTCOM releases footage of more strikes  in Iran, US assets launching attacks New footage features fighters from the aircraft carrier Nimitz and  missile launches from the guided missile destroyer Pinckney.  Read More

CIA tracked Iranian leaders for months  ahead of attacks that began with 3 strikes  in 60 seconds The eventual barrage of U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran came so  quickly that they were nearly simultaneous, an Israeli military  official said Sunday. Read More ----oooo00O00oooo----

Hegseth Announces Pentagon Probe into Deadly Strike on Iranian School

FOX News

The Pentagon said March 13 it has opened a formal command investigation into the Feb. 28 strike in Minab, Iran, where Iranian regime officials claim dozens of children were killed in a strike at a school beside a military compound. 

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Trump truer allierte til å delta i den ulovlige krigen

• Strait of Hormuz: Trump tried to allay concerns about the effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, saying that “hopefully, China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and others” will send warships to help secure the vital shipping lane. He warned that NATO faces a “very bad” future if US allies fail to assist. So far, Australia and Japan said they are not planning to send any ships. When asked by CNN if they’d send ships, the United Kingdom said it was discussing options, and China called for an immediate end to hostilities. Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran is open to holding talks with countries wanting to safely access the strait.
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POLITICO

Germany to Trump: This is ‘not NATO’s war’

Berlin says it will not help the U.S. secure the Strait of Hormuz with military support.

 

Stefan Kornelius, left, spokesperson for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Pictured July 18, 2025. | Bernd von Jutrczenka/picture alliance via Getty Images

March 16, 2026 12:32 pm CET

By Nette Nöstlinger

BERLIN — Germany's government rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's demand that NATO allies help secure the Strait of Hormuz, declaring that the alliance had no place in the war.

"This war has nothing to do with NATO. It's not NATO’s war," Stefan Kornelius, a spokesperson for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, told reporters in Berlin on Monday. "NATO is a defensive alliance, an alliance for the defense of its territory," he added.

Trump had warned NATO allies on Sunday they face a “very bad future” if they refuse to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, pressing Europe to support an American effort to reopen the key maritime corridor.

The German government said it would not assist in that effort as long as the war rages on.

"As long as this war continues, there will be no involvement, not even in an option to keep the Strait of Hormuz open by military means," Kornelius said, adding that he was not aware of an official request by the U.S. government to Germany to take part in such a mission.

"I would also like to remind you that the U.S. and Israel did not consult us before the war, and that Washington explicitly stated at the start of the war that European assistance was neither necessary nor desired," Kornelius said.

Germany’s Merz was initially far more supportive of the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran than many of his European peers.

While French President Emmanuel Macron and other EU leaders condemned the U.S.-Israeli strikes as illegal, Merz traveled to the Oval Office and told Trump he was on the “same page” on the need to topple the regime in Tehran.

But as the war grinds on and the economic and security impacts of the war on the EU's biggest economy become clearer, Merz has become far more openly critical of the U.S. and Israeli attacks, publicly airing his fears that Trump has no exit strategy to end the fighting in the Persian Gulf.

"Germany’s position has always been that we agree in principle with the goal, namely, bringing about a change in the political situation in Iran in order to facilitate a peaceful solution for the region," Kornelius said Monday. "However — and this is the second point, which is no less important — we increasingly have questions about the correct path to achieving this goal."