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  Posted by: John Phoeix Audio Player 00:00 00:00 Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume. EPub Format The American-Israeli war against Iran began a couple of weeks ago and seemed very much a David-vs-Goliath contest, with combat operations likely to be extremely one-sided. In recent years, America’s annual military spending has been roughly a trillion dollars, while Iran’s budget was merely $8 billion. Some estimates put Iran’s true outlays as considerably higher, but hardly enough to level the playing field. So whether the actual ratio of our military expenditures has been 100-to-1 or 70-to-1 or even merely 50-to-1, the mismatch was stark. Over the last quarter-century, our ground forces have greatly shrunk in size, so our c...

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf speaks at a press conference in Tehran, Iran on December 2, 2025.  (Photo by Shadati/Xinhua via Getty Images) Posted by: John Phoenix “Fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped,” said the speaker of the Iranian Parliament. Julia Conley As the Iranian government denied President Donald Trump’s claim on Monday that “productive” talks are taking place between the US and the Middle Eastern country, which the White House has joined Israel in attacking for close to a month, a top Iranian lawmaker accused the president of attempting to manipulate global markets with his claim. “No negotiations have been held with the US, and f...

Posted by: John Phoenix Families spend Ramadan evenings at the graves of children killed in the Shajareh Tayyiba elementary school on February 28. March 15, 2026. Credit: semi-official news agency Mehr. As Ramadan comes to a close, families in Minab, Iran struggle to come to terms with the scale of death, one of the deadliest single attacks on children in memory. By Mahmoud Aslan, Reposted from Drop Site News, March 18, 2026 MINAB, IRAN—Families arrive at the cemetery after sunset. They come carrying rugs and cushions, food and water, and candles or lanterns that they place on the small, freshly dug graves. Parents carefully clean the tombstones of their buried children. They arrange the spaces around them and settle in for the night—a quiet vigil that will contin...

Posted by: John Phoenix  contact@ifamericansknew.org   Fire breaks out at the Shahran oil depot after US and Israeli attacks, leaving numerous fuel tankers and vehicles in the area unusable in Tehran, Iran on March 8, 2026. (Hassan Ghaedi – Anadolu Agency) Negotiators had reached agreement on key issues despite Trump team’s idiosyncratic approach. Two days later, war began By Patrick Wintour, Reposted from The Guardian, March 18, 2026 In the many bizarre exchanges that occurred in the run-up to the US-Israeli attack on Iran, perhaps the most unexpected was an invitation by Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff for the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, to join him and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, for a visit to the USS Abraham Lincol...

Posted by: John Phoenix  contact@ifamericansknew.org  Scenes after Israel's bombing of the small town of Irkay in southern Lebanon, March 21, 2026 (screenshot) Compilation of news reports – IAK staff WARS ON IRAN, LEBANON – NEWS & HEADLINES: Why is If Americans Knew covering the war on Iran? It can not be overemphasized that Israel has been the impetus behind US policies and actions vis-a-vis Iran for years. This is especially true right now, under Donald Trump. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing the US to attack Iran for decades. The American people have made clear that they do not want to go to war with Iran, but Israel partisans and the Israel lobby use their massive political clout to ...

Posted by : John Phoenix US soldiers in the Middle East. (Photo: The US Army, via Wikimedia Commons) By Palestine Chronicle Staff   US troops deployed to Middle East report rising stress, dissent, and disillusionment as Iran war escalates, according to a HuffPost investigation. Key Takeaways US troops report worsening morale, stress, and doubts about the war, with some considering leaving the military. Sharp rise in conscientious objector inquiries signals growing dissent within the ranks. Concerns center on lack of strategy, exposure to attacks, and opposition to fighting on behalf of Israel. Troop Morale Declines A HuffPost investigation published on Sunday revealed growing unease and dissatisfaction among US troops deployed to...

Posted by: John Phoenix Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shifts blame onto Mossad as his Iran war strategy unravels. (Design: Palestine Chronicle) By Palestine Chronicle Editors Netanyahu blames Mossad for Iran failures, exposing a war built on illusion, miscalculation, and a familiar pattern of deflection. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is known for blaming others for his own mistakes. In the case of the Palestinian October 7, 2023 operation, he moved swiftly to shift responsibility onto Israel’s security and intelligence chiefs, claiming that no warning had been given to him regarding Hamas’s intentions. In the now-deleted post, he wrote: “At no time and no stage was a warning given to Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding war intentions of Ham...

Posted by: John Phoenix As the US-led war on Iran expands, questions are mounting about Washington’s strategy and ultimate objectives. (Design: Palestine Chronicle) By Ramzy Baroud & Romana Rubeo Trump’s record suggests a different interpretation—one in which diplomatic language serves as a tactical cover rather than a strategic shift. US President Donald Trump did not invent the phrase “fake news,” but he undoubtedly transformed it into a political weapon, relentlessly accusing critical media of fabricating unfavorable narratives. The deeper irony, however, is harder to dismiss. Trump himself has exhibited a persistent disregard for factual consistency. Whether he believes his own claims is ultimately beside the point; what matters is that his record has ero...

Posted by: John Phoenix Ebrahim Zolfaghari: 'Hey, Trump – you’re fired.' (Image: Iranian media. Design: PC) By Palestine Chronicle Staff   Iran rejects Trump’s claims of negotiating, denies talks, and warns of retaliation as officials push back against the US narrative. Key Developments Iran denies any negotiations with the US, rejecting Trump’s claims of “productive talks.” Officials describe US statements as “fake news” aimed at influencing markets and buying time. Tehran warns of decisive retaliation if its energy infrastructure is targeted. ‘You’re Fired’ An Iranian military spokesman delivered a direct and unusual message to US President Donald Trump on Sunday closing an operational update with a remark that quickly circulated across ...

Posted by: John Phoenix File photo of an Iranian cruise missile launched during previous military exercises. (Photo: via Al-Mayadeen) By Palestine Chronicle Staff   Iran outlines six conditions to end the war, asserting military dominance and rejecting ceasefire without structural regional changes. War Enters New Phase As more of Iran’s missile capabilities, operational endurance, and strategic leverage over the Strait of Hormuz come into sharper focus, Iranian officials are beginning to articulate, with increasing clarity, the country’s conditions for ending the war. In a significant development, a senior Iranian political-security official revealed six core conditions required for a ceasefire in remarks to the Lebanese outlet Al Mayadeen. The st...