War aimed at preventing Iranian nukes may actually lead to them, ex-IDF expert warns

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/war-aimed-at-preventing-iranian-nukes-may-actually-lead-to-them-ex-idf-expert-warns/

Danny Citrinowicz, IDF’s former top Iran researcher, fears regime will try and break out toward a bomb in response to killing of its supreme leader, whose policy was to keep Tehran at threshold

So now, Iran is left with two choices: abandon its nuclear program entirely or rush to a bomb.

Danny Citrinowicz, who headed the Iran branch of the Israeli Military Intelligence’s Research and Analysis Division, maintains that a threatened Iran is more likely to choose option two, particularly given that it is now led by Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, who is determined to avenge the deaths of his family members killed along with his father in the war’s opening strike.

“This is what I’m afraid of — that this war will not prevent Iran from getting a bomb, but actually accelerate its plans to do so,” he added.

Trump Knew the Risk of Iran Blocking the Strait of Hormuz. He Still Went to War.

 https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/iran-oil-hormuz-blockade-trump-f96bdd53?mod=WSJ_home_mediumtopper_pos_1

The president told his White House team that Tehran would likely capitulate before closing the strait, the world’s most vital shipping lane

Before the U.S. went to war, Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told President Trump that an American attack could prompt Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz. 

Caine said in several briefings that U.S. officials had long believed Iran would deploy mines, drones and missiles to close the world’s most vital shipping lane, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.

Mesorah of Moshe - Questioning the Accuracy

 Shemos (38:02) Now Bezalel, son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, had made all that GOD had commanded Moses;  

The obvious question is why t5he verse didn't say all that G-d said to Moshe Rashi explains that Betzalel q1uestioned the accuracy of what Moshe said in G-d's name

Shemos (38:22) AND BEZALEEL THE SON OF URI etc. MADE ALL THAT THE LORD COMMANDED MOSES — It is not stated here: אשר צֻוָּה (Bezaleel made all that he had been commanded), but “[Bezaleel made] all that the Lord commanded Moses” — even regarding such things which his teacher (Moses) did not tell him, his own opinion was in agreement with what had been told to Moses on Sinai (Jerusalem Talmud Peah 1:1; Bereishit Rabbah 1:14). [For Moses bade Bezaleel to make the vessels first and the Tabernacle afterwards but Bezaleel said to him: “Surely, it is the way of the world (the usual way) first to build a house and then to place the household utensils in it!” He (Moses) replied to him: “So, indeed, did I hear from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He”. Moses further said to him: (בצלאל), you must have been sitting in the shadow of God (בצל אל), for certainly did thus God command me!” And consequently Bezaleel made the Tabernacle first and afterwards he made the vessels 

Mishkan and Sin of Golden Calf

 Rav Yakov asks why VeYakel occirs immediately after the sin of the Golden Calf. He notes that the Giving of the Torah at Sinai involved complete unity while the Golden Calf was the opposite. In fact each tribe made their own Calf. Therefore Moshe first had to restore that lost unity

Everything is controlled by G-d except Cold and heat

 Avoda Zara (3b) All occurrences that befall man are in the hands of Heaven except for colds and obstacles, from which one is able to protect himself, as it is stated: “Colds and snares are on the path of the crooked; he who guards his soul shall keep far from them”. This indicates that cold and, conversely, heat, are forms of harm from which one must protect himself, which teaches that being exposed to excessive heat can cause death.

Bava Basra (144b) All occurrences that befall man are in the hand of Heaven except for colds and obstacles, from which one is able to protect himself, as it is stated: “Colds and snares are on the path of the crooked; he who guards his soul shall keep far from them”.

Bava Metzia (107b) All occurrences that befall man are at the hands of Heaven, except for excess cold and heat, as it is stated: “Cold and heat are on the path of the perverse; he who guards his soul shall keep far from them”. This indicates that cold and heat are forms of harm caused by man, from which one can protect himself.

Kesubos (30a) All matters are at the hand of Heaven except for cold and heat, as it is stated: “Cold and heat are on the path of the crooked, he who guards his soul shall keep far from them”? This indicates that cold and heat are forms of harm caused by man, from which one can protect himself.

Mission accomplished? The 2003 boast that haunts today's Iran conflict

 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1e9yy84we8o

Three weeks on from the statue coming down, America's President, George W Bush, stood aboard a US aircraft carrier, anchored off the Californian coast, behind a banner saying "Mission Accomplished". Except it was anything but.

Iraq and Iran are very different countries but can lessons be learnt? So far there is little sign of a coherent plan for what the US wants to bring about or what kind of future it envisages for the country. This time, the improvisation seems to be a deliberate strategy as it leaves President Trump with different options for what he can declare as victory before moving on, creating his own "Mission Accomplished" moment.

But this time round in the US, there has been no attempt to publicly resolve the sometimes contradictory desires to take action. In fact, US President Donald Trump has himself seemed to veer between them depending on which day he is talking and who to.

Nor has there been any attempt to sell the war to the American public – a process which unfolded over months with Iraq. And nor has there been any attempt to seek international legitimacy through the UN. Back in 2003, there was endless discussion of which states might back action.

Iraq is now in a much better state than it was in the immediate aftermath and many are glad to see Saddam Hussein gone. But democracy did not spread through the Middle East in the aftermath as some had claimed it would. Instead, one of the biggest winners of the invasion would be Iran whose main adversary was removed, allowing it to extend its influence into Iraq and beyond in the years after the war. And it would increase the terrorist threat within the UK and the broader West. Wars do not always have the outcomes people expect or want.

Pushing back against Trump’s insults, Herzog decries ‘blatant attack’ on Israel’s sovereignty

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-march-13-2026/

After US President Donald Trump on Wednesday calls him “weak and pathetic” in his handling of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pardon request, President Isaac Herzog says that Israel’s “dignity, independence and sovereignty” are not for sale.

Netanyahu was asked about the insults during a press conference last night, and said that “US presidents are entitled to say what’s in their hearts,”  while blasting the trial as a political witch hunt.

The prime minister should have pushed back on Trump, Herzog indicates.

Trump Religious Liberty Commission Advisor Resigns In Protest

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-sameerah-munshi-resigns-religious-liberty-commission-advisor-iran-war-11671262

 Sameerah Munshi, an advisor on the White House Religious Liberty Commission, has resigned in protest over the war in Iran and the removal of Carrie Prejean Boller from the board.

Munshi confirmed her resignation in a post on X where she said she was resigning in protest of “The official removal of Carrie Prejean Boller for her deeply held beliefs about Palestine and the federal government’s illegal war against Iran, undertaken without clear constitutional or congressional authorization.”

Sameerah Munshi, in a post on X: “I want to be very clear: I am not resigning out of fear or intimidation from anyone affiliated with the Commission, the government, or any interest group. I am resigning because I have seen firsthand the injustice perpetrated by members of this commission, and I am unwilling to be associated with it any longer.”

A Foreign Policy Made by Idiots

WHAT ARE WE DOING?!': See epic anti-Trump, anti-war rant on live TV

How the US Turned Iran Into a Dictatorship: The 1953 Coup (Documentary)

‘This cannot be sustainable’: The U.S. borrowed $50 billion a week for the past five months, the CBO says

 https://fortune.com/2026/03/10/treasury-debt-borrowing-five-months-deficit-warning/?utm_campaign

The U.S. Treasury’s borrowing showed no signs of slowing as the U.S. headed deeper into fiscal year 2026, with the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reporting that another $1 trillion was added to the federal deficit in the first five months of the year.

The monthly budget review from the CBO, updated to February 2026 and released yesterday, showed that the government is estimated to have borrowed $308 billion last month alone.

Of course, with more borrowing comes higher interest costs on the debt. Between October 2025 (when the 2026 fiscal year started) and February, the Treasury spent an additional $31 billion on net interest on public debt, compared to the prior year. As a result, in just five months, the Treasury forked out a total of $433 billion to service public debt, which is now nearing $38.9 trillion.

Trump's Iran war whiplash clouds U.S. endgame

 https://www.axios.com/2026/03/12/trump-iran-war-endgame

Nearly two weeks in, Trump continues to send conflicting signals about how and when the fighting ends. The confusion has left both allies and adversaries struggling to plan for what comes next.

When Trump announced the war on Feb. 28, he laid out four objectives: destroy Iran's navy, degrade its ballistic missile capability, put a nuclear weapon beyond reach and end Iranian support for regional proxies.

On the metrics Trump has touted publicly, the war is going well. On the objective that most justified launching it, the U.S. is not there yet.

With no direct dialogue between Washington and Tehran, and with Trump hinting he wants new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei dead, Iran has little incentive to stand down.

US to give Israel one week to end the war

https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/03/12/us-to-give-israel-one-week-to-end-the-war/

A senior political source from the Middle East tells Israel Hayom that the US wants the military campaign against Iran to end, and has given Israel just one week to conclude it. The source also assessed that the regime in Tehran is unlikely to be replaced, because such a change would require either a ground invasion by troops or the renewal of large-scale protests inside Iran, something the source does not believe will happen in the near future.

According to the senior source, there is a major gap between how the war is viewed in the US and how it is seen in Israel. In Washington, the source said, officials are worried about the impact on oil prices, whereas Israel sees the war as an achievement and is celebrating it.

The source also addressed the issue of Lebanon and Hezbollah, saying that despite Israel's killing of Hezbollah's previous secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, the organization is still standing, as is Hamas.

According to the source, Israel is making a mistake by not fully pursuing diplomatic channels after the military achievements it has secured, adding that countries in the region could help advance such efforts, saying that the matter is sensitive.