Tag: perpetual war

Trump is strategizing means to seize Iran’s nuclear stockpiles, sources say

The Trump administration has been strategizing methods and options to secure or extract Iran’s nuclear materials, according to multiple people briefed on the discussions, as a U.S.-Israel-led military campaign against Tehran enters a more uncertain phase. 

The timing of any such an operation — if President Trump were to order it — remained unclear Friday night. One source said he has made no decision yet. 

But planning has centered on the possible deployment of forces from the secretive Joint Special Operations Command, the elite military unit often tasked with the most sensitive counter-proliferation missions, two of the sources told CBS News. 

A White House spokeswoman said it’s the Pentagon’s job to make preparations.

A spokesperson for the Pentagon didn’t immediately comment. 

Mr. Trump in a Truth Social post Friday evening said: “We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran.”

The private deliberations on the nuclear material come amid an evolving conflict that in its opening focused on degrading Iran’s conventional military capabilities — including air defenses, missile systems and key infrastructure tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. 

That initial wave of strikes carried out by U.S. and Israeli forces was intended to blunt Iran’s ability to retaliate across the region. However, despite the onslaught from the air, Iran has been able to counterstrike on Israel and U.S.-allied countries in the Gulf region, and has halted most oil shipments by threatening ships. 

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It’s Not Anarcho-Tyranny, It’s Interventionist Non-Intervention

In 1994, Sam Francis originally coined a term: “anarcho-tyranny.” He described this phenomenon as “the combination of oppressive government power against the innocent and the law-abiding and, simultaneously, a grotesque paralysis of the ability or the will to use that power to carry out basic public duties such as protection or public safety.”

In a previous article (and in an forthcoming paper), utilizing Rothbard’s typology of intervention, it was argued that the state—following coercive taxation and monopolization or competition suppression—can intervene through doing “nothing,” that is, paid non-delivery of promised and monopolized service. The core elements of interventionist non-intervention include 1) the binary intervention of coercive taxation where citizens are forced to pay for a service regardless of whether or not they receive it; 2) the triangular interventions of monopolization or competition suppression where the state claims exclusive domain over the service provision; and, 3) non-delivery wherein the state then fails or refuses to provide the monopolized service for which it has extracted payment. These three are the minimum requirements for interventionist non-intervention. Additionally, intensifying elements may be added, which include prohibition of self-help alternatives, the maintenance of the coercive framework, and legal immunity from consequences of non-delivery.

Interventionist non-interventionism combines these elements to create something qualitatively different from other forms of government failure or intervention. This is not deregulation, in which all regulatory and coercive elements are removed; it is not privatization, since the state maintains its monopoly; it is not austerity, since the revenue extraction continues; and it is not anarchy, since the state actively prevents voluntary order. In this way, non-delivery—the state doing “nothing”—also becomes a coercive intervention. The specific combination of extraction, monopolization, and non-delivery creates systematic harm while preventing solutions.

While there is overlap with the concept of “anarcho-tyranny,” there is an important distinction between anarcho-tyranny and interventionist non-intervention. The concept of anarcho-tyranny implies in the first part of the term—anarchy—a total absence of government involvement, however, that is often not the case. It is not that there is pure anarchy—absence of government—allowed in selective cases and tyranny in other cases, but rather that the “anarchy” (disorder) described by anarcho-tyranny is state-imposed disorder. This chaos and disorder (termed “anarcy”) happens within, and largely because of, the state system, not independent of it.

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Pete Hegseth’s War on Journalists (and Iran Too)

Last fall, nearly the entire Pentagon press corps was banned from the Pentagon after refusing to sign Pete Hegseth’s loyalty oath, which would have bound them to only report information “authorized” by the government (FAIR.org, 9/23/25). They were quickly replaced by pundits from Hegseth-approved outlets like One America News, Gateway Pundit and Lindell TV, which is “Pillow Guy” Mike Lindell’s pet project.

But once the Iran War got underway, it dawned on Hegseth that a Defense secretary needs to communicate with the whole country, not just the narrow slice of it reached by his favorite right-wing pundits. So Hegseth reversed course, asking the major networks to bring their cameras back to the Pentagon. They agreed, but on one condition: Some of their reporters had to be allowed to return to the press briefing room, too.

So back they came, albeit now at the back of the room. Few of these reporters—who represent outlets you’ve actually heard of, like ABC, NBC and the New York Times—are called on. Hegseth, a former Fox News weekend host, instead fields questions almost exclusively from handpicked media personalities seated in the front rows. (I’d call them reporters, but if they signed Hegseth’s 2025 oath, as most did, they’re anything but.)

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IDF Iron Dome Operator Arrested, Charged With Spying For Iran

There’s quite obviously been Israeli intelligence inroads into Iran, which at times US and Israeli officials themselves have boasted about, with Tehran recently announcing efforts to round up and arrest “traitors” – and there’s even in some cases been executions of the accused.

Inside Israel, there are also fears of locals spying for Israel – but the phenomenon remains much less common (as far as anyone knows). That’s why the latest headlines are likely a shock to the Israeli establishment. On Friday an Israeli reservist tied to the country’s missile defense network has been charged with serious security offenses after allegedly working with Iranian intelligence.

Police have identified Raz Cohen, a 26-year-old from Jerusalem, who served in the Iron Dome unit, as the alleged culprit. It’s been revealed he was arrested March 1, merely one day after the joint US-Israel war on Iran kicked off. “These included passing sensitive security information to the Iranian agent during December 2025, including details about how Iron Dome works, locations of Israeli Air Force bases, and the locations of Iron Dome batteries,” writes Times of Israel.

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Americans can thank Netanyahu, his lackeys in Congress for $1T ‘Israel First tax,’ Iranian FM says

Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s top diplomat, posted a screengrab of a Washington Post article titled, “Pentagon Seeks More Than $200 Billion in Budget Request for Iran War,” and wrote that “ordinary Americans” can thank Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his lackeys in Congress for the new tax bill — that will end up being much, much higher.

“We’re only three weeks into this war of choice, imposed on both Iranians and Americans. This $200b is the tip of the iceberg. Ordinary Americans can thank Benjamin Netanyahu and his lackeys in Congress for the trillion-dollar “Israel First tax” that’s about to hit the U.S. economy,” he posted.

The Iran War continued to escalate before Araghchi’s post, and President Donald Trump appears to be so rattled that he is posting incoherent messages on Truth Social, including one that blamed Israel for bombing Iran’s vital South Pars gas reserve “out of anger for what has taken place in the Middle East.”

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Switzerland Temporarily Suspends Arms Exports to the United States Due to Its Neutrality in the War Against Iran

The Swiss Government announced that it will not grant new licenses to export war materiel to the United States while the armed conflict with Iran continues.

This is based on the Swiss federal law on war materiel, which strictly prohibits exports to countries involved in active international armed conflicts.

According to the official statement, “the export of war materiel to countries involved in the international armed conflict with Iran cannot be authorised for the duration of the conflict.”

The United States, which in 2025 was the second-largest buyer of Swiss armaments, now faces blocked new authorizations, although existing ones are not immediately revoked.

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US Military Not Preparing to Invade Cuba, Senior General Says

The U.S. military is not rehearsing for an invasion of Cuba or actively preparing to take over the island, ​the general in charge of American forces in Latin America told lawmakers in Washington on March 19.

Gen. Francis Donovan, head of U.S. Southern Command, said the United States is ready to defend its naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, to address any threats ‌to the U.S. embassy, and to support White House efforts to address any mass migration from the island, if needed.

Asked whether the U.S. is rehearsing military operations ⁠that involve seizing, occupying, or otherwise attempting to control Cuba, Donovan replied, “U.S. Southern Command is not.”

Asked whether he knew of any other U.S. military command doing so, Donovan responded, “No.”

Donovan made his comments during a Senate hearing focused on President Donald Trump’s use of the U.S. military in Latin America, following January’s operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who is charged with narco-terrorism offenses. He denies the charges.

The Trump administration has also launched a series of military strikes on suspected drug smuggling boats while expanding counter-narcotics ​alliances with pro-Washington governments in Latin America.

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US Charges Supermicro Cofounder, 2 Workers With Sending Nvidia Chips to China

U.S. authorities on March 19 charged the cofounder of Super Micro Computer, also known as Supermicro, and two workers with diverting to China servers containing Nvidia-made chips, which are subject to U.S. export controls.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement that it had arrested Yih-Shyan “Wally” Liaw, a U.S. citizen who co-founded Supermicro and served as senior vice president of business development at the publicly traded company, along with Taiwanese citizen Ting-Wei “Willy” Sun, who worked as a contractor for the company. Liaw is also a member of the company’s board of directors, according to a company statement.

The DOJ said that a third defendant, identified as Ruei-Tsang “Steven” Chang, a Taiwanese citizen who worked as a general manager for Supermicro in Taiwan, is still at large.

According to the indictment, between 2024 and 2025, the defendants allegedly diverted at least $2.5 billion worth of servers equipped with Nvidia-made graphics processing units (GPUs) to China in violation of U.S. export control laws.

Liaw and Chang allegedly directed executives of a Southeast Asian company, which the DOJ did not name in the indictment, to place purchase orders with Supermicro for servers with certain GPUs, purportedly for that company.

The servers were assembled in the United States, shipped to Supermicro facilities in Taiwan, and subsequently delivered to the company at another location in Southeast Asia, according to the indictment.

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Trump administration making heavy preparations for potential use of ground troops in Iran

Pentagon officials have made detailed preparations for deploying U.S. ground forces into Iran, multiple sources briefed on the discussions told CBS News. 

Senior military commanders have submitted specific requests aimed at preparing for such an option as President Trump weighs moves in the U.S.-Israel-led conflict with Iran, the sources said. 

Mr. Trump has been deliberating whether to position ground forces in the region, sources said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. It was unclear under what circumstances he would authorize the use of troops on the ground. 

“No, I’m not putting troops anywhere,” he told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday when asked about ground troops, but quickly added: “If I were, I certainly wouldn’t tell you.”

Officials at U.S. Central Command referred questions from CBS News to the White House and Pentagon. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement: “It’s the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the Commander in Chief maximum optionality, it does not mean the President has made a decision, and as the President said in the Oval Office yesterday, he is not planning to send ground troops anywhere at this time.”

The military has also held meetings to prepare for how to handle the possible detention of Iranian soldiers and paramilitary operatives if the president decides to put American boots on the ground – including where the Iranians would be sent, two sources said. 

The U.S. is preparing to deploy elements of the 82nd Airborne Division into the Middle East region. 

The planning involves the Army’s Global Response Force and the Marine Corps’ Marine Expeditionary Unit. 

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Iran War Is Putting Israel First

Reagan Carney, a really fine young man with whom we go to church, told me a few days ago that the University of Tennessee Young Republicans had a board on which members could express their opinions about the war in Iran.

The board had only one question: “Is the Iran war putting America first?” At that point, 10 had signed under the Yes; 70 had signed under the  No.

This confirmed a story which ABC News ran on March 7 quoting Jack Posobiec of Turning Point  USA and the conservative publication, Human Events.

Posobiec said: “For the younger end of the spectrum inside MAGA, foreign intervention is just off the radar….They see it as prioritizing foreign interests….” He said MAGA is split by age with more support for the Iran war among older conservatives.

The ABC story led this way: “President Donald Trump’s decision to carry out strikes on Iran has further exposed a fracture among some of the President’s fiercest supporters inside MAGA world—one that many supporters say will only widen with every week the conflict continues.”

Like the Tennessee students, the great majority realize this war is being fought at the insistence of Israel at tremendous expense for U.S. taxpayers. This is Israel’s war. Iran’s total military budget is only a little over one percent of ours. Iran was no threat to us at all.

In 1999, Charley Reese was voted as the most popular columnist in a vote by thousands of C-Span viewers. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2013, but many things he wrote are just as true today.

In 2002, he said in a column: “The truth is this: The terrorist attacks against the United States are a direct result of our one-sided support of Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians.”

He added: “The big pushers for war with Iraq are the usual suspects—Americans with a long record of pretending to speak about America’s interests when in fact they are pushing an Israeli agenda.” Today, switch the word Iran for Iraq.

In 2005, Reese wrote: “Propaganda aside, our actions have created the almost universal hostility toward the United States in the Arab world. Our actions have been to support Israel 100 percent while it kills and brutalizes the Palestinians….” Think Gaza where many thousands of little children were starved and killed.

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