Tag: middle east

Iran puts US students in crosshairs with campus threat as new US missile strike on school sparks fury

Iran has threatened to target American campuses in the Middle East in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes on its schools. 

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard set a deadline for noon on Monday for the Trump administration to ‘condemn the bombing of the universities’ or else it would retaliate against US students studying abroad in the Middle East.  

Regime officials warned that employees, professors, and students affiliated with US schools in the region should stay at least one kilometer from their campuses.

Iran claims strikes hit the Tehran University of Science and Technology over the weekend, damaging nearby buildings but not resulting in any casualties.

‘If the US government wants its universities in the region to be free from retaliation… it must condemn the bombing of the universities in an official statement by 12 noon on Monday, March 30, Tehran time,’ the regime told Iranian media. 

Multiple American universities operate campuses abroad, where thousands of students often study with financial support from host governments.

New York University has a campus in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, while Georgetown, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern and Texas A&M each have satellite campuses in Qatar’s Education City, a research hub based in Doha.

Texas A&M said it closed its Qatar campus, moving to remote learning and with most international staff returning home amid the war.

Around 5,000 Americans studied in the Middle East and North Africa in the last academic year, with around half in Israel and roughly 1,000 in the UAE, according to the State Department.

Since the start of the war, deadly missile strikes have hit Iranian education facilities, including an elementary school attack on February 28 in the city of Minab that killed 175 people, most of them children.

The attack sparked a US military investigation whose preliminary findings concluded that American forces were likely responsible due to outdated intelligence. The building was once part of a regime naval base.

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2,000 Marines Arrive in Arabian Sea on USS Tripoli Assault Ship as Trump Admin Weighs Deploying Up to 10,000 More Ground Troops to Middle East 

Thousands of Marines and Sailors have arrived in the Arabian Sea on board the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship, carrying fighter jets, as well as amphibious assault and tactical assets.

CENTCOM announced on X,

U.S. Sailors and Marines aboard USS Tripoli (LHA 7) arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, March 27. The America-class amphibious assault ship serves as the flagship for the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group / 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit composed of about 3,500 Sailors and Marines in addition to transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault and tactical assets.

U.S. Sailors and Marines aboard USS Tripoli (LHA 7) arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, March 27. The America-class amphibious assault ship serves as the flagship for the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group / 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit composed of about… pic.twitter.com/JFWiPBbkd2

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 28, 2026

Fox reports that “nearly 2,000 Marines” are on the ship with fighter jets and gun ship helicopters. Additionally, the USS George H.W. Bush Aircraft Carrier is expected to depart from Norfolk, Virginia, next week.

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IDF Vet-Turned War Critic Explains Why Israel’s Military is on the Brink of Collapse

Israel has been fighting a multi-front war since 2023, with the backbone of its forces “based on its reserve battalions, on people that are civilians and that are called by the army to serve,” former IDF officer Guy Poran told Sputnik, commenting on a top general’s warning that the IDF risks “collapsing in on itself” from operational strain.

“Under normal circumstances, they serve 30 days or 45 days a year. Now, because of the war in Gaza” and other conflicts Israel has found itself in, “many of those reserve battalions, the fighting units of the IDF, have been called up for hundreds of days,” Poran, an ex-IAF helicopter pilot-turned peace activist, explained.

Many soldiers have businesses that are falling apart, problems with family life, etc.

Compounding the crisis are the exemptions to service that the Netanyahu government has given to members of the Ultra-Orthodox community. This has created “a big conflict” in Israeli society, according to Poran.

“And this during the time that the army has clearly said that it requires something like 15,000 more soldiers just to be able to do the missions that it has” in Gaza, Lebanon (for which a whopping five divisions have been mobilized), the West Bank, etc.

On top of that, there is the growing realization in society that these conflicts are “political,” and not existential, in nature, Poran says.

In contrast to the wars of 1967 and 1973, which most saw “as wars that were absolutely necessary,” the wars since 2023, initially met with enthusiasm, now face skepticism – from the sense that the “destruction of Gaza” was not carried out for security reasons, from the government’s rejections of a ceasefire to bring hostages home, etc.

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Pentagon Mulling Diverting Weapons From Ukraine to Mideast Amid Depleting Stocks – Reports

The US Department of War (DoW) is mulling diverting weapons destined for Ukraine to the Middle East as the ongoing conflict with Iran is rapidly depleting critical ammunition reserves, The Washington Post reported on Thursday citing three sources.

The decision has yet to be made, the report said, but if confirmed, it could mean the transfer of air defense interceptor missiles ordered by NATO countries under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative.

“[DoW will] ensure that US forces and those of our allies and partners have what they need to fight and win,” the department said as, cited by the report, adding that other comments on the matter were not provided.

Europeans are also growing concerned about the rate of ammunition depletion of the US military amid the ongoing operations against Iran, the report said, citing European diplomats. One of the individuals said the situation raises questions as to the extent Washington will be able to continue delivering under the PURL initiative.

Moreover, although ammunition deliveries to Ukraine are likely to continue, future shipments might lack defense capabilities, the report said citing people familiar with the Pentagon’s internal calculations.

Earlier in March, CBS News reported that Washington is failing to replenish the air defense stocks of its allies in the Persian Gulf in a timely manner amid its bombardment campaign against Iran and the latter’s retaliatory strikes across the region. The report noted several Gulf nations are running “dangerously low” on interceptors and request that the US expedite the deliveries. However, while the US informed the allies it is establishing a task force on the matter, it is not happening fast enough.

US Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey later assured Washington has a sufficient amount of air defense ammunition stocks amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched strikes on targets in Iran, including in Tehran, causing damage and civilian casualties. Iran responded by striking Israeli territory and US military facilities in the Middle East.

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Pentagon Weighs Sending Another 10,000 Ground Troops To Middle East, Suggests Seizing Iran-Controlled Islands

Just hours after President Trump said he was pausing strikes on Iran’s energy sector for 10 more days, to April 6, so peace negotiations can take place, the WSJ reported that the Pentagon is looking at sending up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East to give the US President more military options even as he weighs peace talks with Tehran, according to unnamed Department of War officials. 

The force, which would likely include infantry and armored vehicles, would be added to the roughly 5,000 Marines and the thousands of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division who have already been ordered to the region.  The will join well over 50,000 servicemembers already deployed to air and army bases, as well as on naval ships, across the Middle East in the lead up and since the start of Operation Epic Fury.

It is unclear where precisely forces will go in the Middle East, but they will likely be within striking distance of Iran and Kharg Island, a crucial oil export hub off Iran’s coast.

Trump has repeatedly said he will open the Strait of Hormuz, with or without the help of U.S. allies, and it is increasingly looking like 

“All announcements regarding troop deployments will come from the Department of War. As we have said, President Trump always has all military options at his disposal,” said Anna Kelly, the deputy White House press secretary. A spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for U.S. forces in the Middle East, declined to comment.

Pentagon suggests seizing Iran-controlled islands in Persian Gulf

The Pentagon has suggested seizing the Iran-controlled Islands of Larak or Abu Musa, located in the eastern Persian Gulf near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, roughly 40 miles from both Iran and the United Arab Emirates, sources tell Axios. In interviews with Axios, officials and sources familiar with the internal discussions describe four major “final blow” options Trump could choose from:

  • Invading or blockading Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub.
  • Invading Larak, an island that helps Iran solidify its control of the Strait of Hormuz. The strategic outpost hosts Iranian bunkers, attack craft that can blow up cargo ships and radars that monitor movements in the strait.
  • Seizing the strategic island of Abu Musa and two smaller islands, which lie near the western entrance to the strait and are controlled by Iran but also claimed by the UAE.
  • Blocking or seizing ships that are exporting Iranian oil on the eastern side of the Hormuz Strait.

The U.S. military has also prepared plans for ground operations deep inside the interior of Iran to secure the highly enriched uranium buried within nuclear facilities. Instead of conducting such a complicated and risky operation, the U.S. could instead carry out large-scale air strikes on the facilities to try to prevent Iran from ever accessing the material.

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Central European State Forced to Ration Fuel and Deploy Army for Transport and Logistics as Middle East War Rages On

The small, Central European state of Slovenia, the birthplace of Melania Trump, has moved to ration fuel and deploy military logistics support as a sudden surge in demand—fueled by cross-border traffic and global instability—has exposed the fragility of Europe’s energy system. The government’s emergency response reflects a growing crisis that is no longer confined to distant battlefields but is now reshaping daily life throughout the world.

The immediate trigger has been a sharp spike in fuel demand, driven in part by motorists crossing into Slovenia from neighboring countries in search of cheaper petrol and diesel. Authorities say this so-called “fuel tourism” has drained supplies at key stations, particularly near borders and along major transit routes, The Slovenia Times reports.

Under new rules, individuals are now limited to purchasing 50 liters of fuel per day, while businesses, including transport operators and farmers, can buy up to 200 liters. The restrictions apply nationwide and will remain in force indefinitely as officials struggle to stabilize supply chains.

At the same time, the government has taken the extraordinary step of mobilizing the armed forces to support fuel distribution. Military personnel are assisting with transport and logistics, highlighting the severity of the disruption and the state’s growing role in managing essential resources.

Officials insist the measures are temporary, but the scale of intervention suggests deeper structural weaknesses. The crisis has been exacerbated by volatile global energy markets following the escalation of conflict in the Middle East, which has sent oil prices soaring and strained supply networks across Europe.

In response, Slovenia has begun releasing up to 30 million liters of diesel from its strategic reserves. These reserves, totaling around 700 million liters, are intended to cover just over three months of national consumption, underscoring how quickly such buffers can be drawn down in times of crisis.

The government has also banned the export of this emergency fuel, ensuring it remains within national borders. Only selected domestic users—primarily those contributing to strategic reserves—are eligible to access these supplies.

Despite these interventions, shortages have persisted at several service stations, with some reporting demand levels multiple times higher than normal. Retailers have struggled to keep up, particularly as panic buying and stockpiling have intensified among businesses and individuals alike.

The lifting of fuel price caps on motorway service stations has further complicated the situation. Prices have surged, with some locations seeing dramatic increases, widening disparities between Slovenia and its neighbors and inadvertently fueling even more cross-border demand.

While price controls remain in place off the motorway network, these are expected to rise in the coming weeks. Government attempts to cushion the blow through tax reductions have done little to offset the broader impact of global price shocks.

Slovenia’s largest fuel distributor has warned that current measures may only offer short-term relief. Industry representatives argue that deeper structural changes are needed, particularly as the country remains heavily dependent on imported petroleum products.

The crisis has also reignited debate over European Union rules, which limit the ability of member states to restrict fuel purchases by foreign nationals. While Slovenia has considered such measures, officials have acknowledged they may violate EU law.

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US Fast-Tracks Billions In ‘Emergency’ Arms Sales To Gulf, Bypassing Congress

On the one hand President Trump and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth have declared that America is ‘winning’ against Iran, having destroyed its navy and air defenses, and having seriously degraded its missiles – but on the other the admin has put in for a more than $200 billion supplemental request to Congress to fund the war.

It seems Congress will likely eventually sign off on this gargantuan figure – for an ‘excursion’ which should end ‘soon’ we are told by Trump – given that even the effort to pass so much as a War Powers resolution gets repeatedly stymied. 

Still, the US administration is busy bypassing standard congressional review requirements, on Thursday approving a series of emergency arms sales across the Middle East, at a moment US regional allies are being pummeled by Iranian drones and ballistic missiles.

The argument is that Washington’s allies are in imminent danger, and given that indeed vital Gulf infrastructure is getting hit quite seriously – new arms have to be rushed over there on an emergency basis.

According to details in Saudi-owned Al Arabiya:

The largest package was approved for the United Arab Emirates, totaling more than $8 billion. It includes the $4.5 billion sale of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), $2.10 billion for FS-LIDS counter-drone systems, $1.22 billion in Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs), and $644 million in F-16 munitions, including GBU-39 small diameter bombs and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs).

In parallel, Washington approved an $8 billion deal for Kuwait to buy Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor Radars, significantly enhancing the country’s missile detection and tracking capabilities.

Jordan was also included in the emergency approvals, with a $70.5 million package covering aircraft support and munitions to sustain operational readiness.

Notably, a US base all the way over in Jordan, the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, was struck by Iran in the opening days of the war, satellite imagery showed.

This development of all these newly approved ’emergency’ arms and weapons shipments begs the question: is this more evidence that Washington is settling in for a ‘long war’?

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Oil & Religion

QUESTION: Marty, looking at Socrates, it does not show that this release of 400 million barrels of oil will do much. Am I reading this correctly?

ANSWER: The International Energy Agency released 400 million barrels of oil into the global market, the largest release of emergency oil stocks in history. This is just for show. However, it actually makes things far more vulnerable. This is all predicated on a quick victory with the conquest of Iran. If that assumption is wrong, this will not help.

1. MATHEMATICALLY INSUFFICIENT (won’t even cover 2-3 months of lost supply)
2. STRATEGICALLY STUPID (leaves U.S. vulnerable to future crises)
3. POLITICALLY DESPERATE (election-year panic move)
4. ECONOMICALLY FUTILE (treats symptom, not disease)

Let’s get real. Global oil consumption is about 100 million barrels/day (mb/d). U.S. consumption is about 20 million barrels/day. The disruption of the Strait of Hormuz supply affects about 21 million barrels/day (21% of global supply).  Releasing 400 million barrels at the global consumption rate would last 19 days (400M ÷ 21M/day). There is no way this will calm markets in the long term.

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2,500 Deployed Marines Heading to the Middle East

The U.S. Marine Corps is sending more than 2,000 men currently stationed in Japan to the Middle East as the joint U.S.-Israeli Operation Epic Fury continues to intensify.

The Wall Street Journal and ABC News reported the deployment shift first and Fox News subsequently confirmed it after speaking with a federal official. Fox’s Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin posted on X, “US defense official confirms to Fox News that the Pentagon is sending the USS Tripoli, a Marine Amphibious Ready Group, and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) to Mideast. The Tripoli is stationed out of Japan and would take about 2 weeks to get to the Mideast. Accompanying the ARG and the MEU are approx. 2500 US Marines.”

Before everyone loses their minds about boots on the ground, it appears that the deployment is primarily connected to air and naval capabilities, as Operation Epic Fury has been using ever since the beginning, as ABC News reported:

The 31st MEU is permanently deployed to Japan and operates in the INDO-PACOM region, but it is now being ordered to head to the Middle East.

Its deployment does not mean that the unit is going to be used as a ground force for use in Iran, but it offers land, amphibious and aviation assets that can be available to military commanders if needed.

This particular MEU also includes a squadron of F-35 fighter jets and a squadron of MV-22 tilt rotor Osprey aircraft.

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Husband behind $14M COVID loan scam bought mansion for another wife he had in the Middle East

An Illinois tax preparer who helped run a “staggering” $14 million COVID scam used the money to build a mansion for a wife and kids he had in the Palestinian territories — infuriating his other wife in Illinois.

Sharhabeel Shreiteh, 46, received around $740,000 in kickbacks as he helped more than 1,000 people get phony Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans in what he admitted to one sidekick was likely the “most stupid fraud in history.”

Shreiteh used his own ill-gotten gains to build a home and a luxury Mercedes car for his wife and their three kids in Palestine — sending his American-based wife of nearly 18 years into a jealous rage, the Chicago Tribune reported.

“You suck!” Hania Atiq Shreiteh, his 52-year-old wife in America, texted him in July 2021 about the money he was sending to his family in his native Palestine.

“I bust my a– for 13 years and don’t have like she gets without working for it!!!” she wrote, according to messages in court filings.

“You gave her kids, a villa, now fancy cars??!! … I’m so sick and tired of being lied to by you.”

Shreiteh and Hania were married in 2008 and have a daughter in suburban Chicago. It was not clear when he married the other woman in Palestine, with whom he has three children and talked to every day, nor if they are still married.

However, Hania’s anger appeared to have subsided by the time the taxpayer pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday.

“Having a second family aligns with his religious beliefs and was approved by his wife,” a court memo seeking a lighter sentence claimed. “He hopes that once the situation in the Middle East stabilizes, his other family can visit him here.”

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