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Researcher & writer based in Hong Kong. Former academic. Longform articles archived at https://lauraruggeri.substack.com and https://laura-ruggeri.medium.com. Email: lauraru852@yandex.ru
L'Iran ha lanciato il suo attacco missilistico più massiccio contro il territorio israeliano dall'inizio del conflitto, secondo quanto dichiarato dal generale Majid Mousavi, comandante della Forza Aerospaziale del Corpo delle Guardie della Rivoluzione Islamica (IRGC). «Sono stati impiegati trenta missili balistici super-pesanti, ciascuno con un peso compreso tra una e due tonnellate, diretti contro obiettivi strategici nei territori occupati», ha affermato Mousavi sui social media. «L'operazione ha neutralizzato e distrutto con successo i principali sistemi israeliani di sorveglianza aerea. Si tratta del colpo più significativo inferto al regime fino a oggi. Grazie a questa azione, un'altra porzione dello spazio aereo del nemico è ora sotto il nostro controllo». Lo ha riferito l'agenzia russa TASS, citando il comandante Mousavi.
@LauraRuHK
Il complesso dell’Ambasciata degli Stati Uniti nella Green Zone di Baghdad, pesantemente fortificata, è stato colpito. Secondo le fonti, si è trattato di un’azione con droni e/o missilii, con l’apparente obiettivo principale rappresentato dai sistemi di difesa aerea — in particolare elementi del sistema C-RAM (Counter-Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar). ▪️Al Hadath, un canale con sede in Arabia Saudita, ha riportato l’incidente citando i servizi di sicurezza iracheni che hanno confermato un “attacco” all’ambasciata statunitense.
Alcuni resoconti (inclusi quelli di fonti della sicurezza irachena citate dai media regionali e da post su X) parlano di un attacco contro componenti del C-RAM, come radar o hardware correlato. Missili avrebbero anche colpito una piazzola di atterraggio per elicotteri all’interno del complesso, con fumo visibile e ambulanze o forze di sicurezza presenti nell’area.
Le autorità irachene avrebbero sigillato alcune parti della Green Zone in risposta all’attacco. @LauraRuHK ➡️ /channel/presstv/179846
🔺“Israel’s economy is experiencing what 130 of its top economists describe as a “spiral of collapse”, with an almost unprecedented ‘brain drain’, a nosediving tech industry & a credit rating that is near ‘junk’ levels.”
Watch in full
#EconomicDivide
@PresstvPrograms
Ukraine has launched a series of deadly attacks on Russian territory, using Western-supplied weapons and targeting data from its backers while the world’s attention has remained fixed on the escalating war in Iran.
At least 23 civilians have been killed and 85 injured by Ukrainian attacks on Russia since February 28, the day the US and Israel began bombing Iran. The deadliest attack took place on Tuesday 10 March, when Ukrainian drones struck a hospital in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), killing ten medical personnel. Another ten people, including nine staff, were injured.
On the same day the Ukrainian military used a UK-supplied Storm Shadow missile to attack the city of Bryansk, about 100 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, killing at least seven civilians and wounding at least 42 people. Using such a weapon is impossible without the direct involvement of British military specialists.
Read more ➡️ https://swentr.site/russia/634854-kiev-strikes-russia-civilians-attention-iran/
I seldom log onto X. When I did today, I was struck by the number of influencers willing to stake their credibility on fake news such as the supposed death of Netanyahu. Since the Zionist axis is already in deep shit and there is no need to amplify conspiracy theories to state the obvious, why are they doubling down on crude fakes rather than retract what has been debunked? Netanyahu appeared on Israeli TV several times since rumours of his death gained traction on social media. Several international channels have aired this video footage. But hey, it's a clone, they say, his body double, an AI-generated video etc. Really? Has it ever crossed their minds that hiding the death of such a hated figure isn't that simple?
Maybe it did cross their minds, but posting dramatic "he's dead / AI body double" claims with screenshots of a supposed six-fingered hand gets massive reach among certain audiences. In polarized online spaces, crude fakes spread fast because they are shared within bubbles that distrust mainstream fact-checkers by default. I don't trust them either, but i don't live in a bubble...and know how difficult it is to hide the death of a prime minister. @LauraRuHK
Nota di servizio. Su Telegram come su altri social media e canali di messaggistica esiste la funzione "condividi" e anche la possibilita' di copiare il link del post che si vuole commentare oppure tradurre. Se vi imbattete in post che mi vengono attribuiti ma che non contengono un link all'originale, e' cosa buona e giusta diffidare. Su questo canale scrivo sia in inglese che in italiano, se un testo appare solo in inglese e qualcuno lo traduce in italiano io non sono ne' al corrente di eventuali errori di traduzione ne' responsabile di quel contenuto. @LauraRuHK
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La campagna elettorale di Donald Trump del 2024 aveva promesso una "rinascita americana" alimentata da energia a basso costo: “L’energia serve a ritornare grandi. La benzina deve scendere sotto i 2 dollari al gallone, bisogna abbassare il prezzo di tutto, dalle tariffe elettriche ai generi alimentari, dai biglietti aerei al riscaldamento.” Questa visione di reindustrializzazione e sovranità economica era il cuore pulsante del progetto MAGA. L’energia non era presentata soltanto come una merce, ma come la chiave di volta del rinnovamento nazionale.
Operation Epic Fail (Operazione Fallimento Epico) ha sepolto quella visione e inflitto danni collaterali agli stessi alleati degli USA. Sul fronte interno, la benzina è salita a una media nazionale di 3,58–3,60 dollari al gallone, mentre il diesel è aumentato di quasi un dollaro. Trump liquida la questione come “temporanea”, ma i numeri parlano da soli.
Le conseguenze internazionali per gli Stati Uniti sono ancora più gravi.
La guerra ha inflitto un colpo economico devastante ai loro alleati nel Golfo e oltre.
Arabia Saudita, Emirati Arabi Uniti, Bahrein e Qatar hanno visto i loro terminal petroliferi e gli impianti di GNL colpiti direttamente dalla risposta iraniana, con il traffico marittimo nello Stretto di Hormuz praticamente paralizzato.
E' una crisi che non si può contenere e le sue ripercussioni si sentono ora anche nel resto dell'Asia, soprattutto tra i vassalli di Washington. Giappone, Corea del Sud, Taiwan e Filippine — tutti fortemente dipendenti dalle importazioni marittime dal Golfo e vincolati dal rispetto delle sanzioni statunitensi — subiscono gli shock più acuti. Corea del Sud e Giappone hanno già registrato rallentamenti nelle raffinerie; Filippine e Thailandia hanno imposto settimane lavorative di quattro giorni e razionamento del carburante; il Bangladesh ha implorato Washington di ottenere una deroga alle sanzioni per acquistare petrolio russo, la stessa ancora di salvezza già concessa in silenzio all’India.
Qui sta l’amara ironia: l’unica cosa che può ora salvare questi alleati in difficoltà è il petrolio e il gas russo. India e Cina, proprio perché hanno ignorato le sanzioni occidentali e aumentato gli acquisti di greggio russo, stanno affrontando la crisi molto meglio dei partner “fedeli” di Washington.
La guerra contro l’Iran non ha soltanto seppellito le illusioni del MAGA; ha messo a nudo l’assurdità delle alleanze americane (solo Israele riceve assegni in bianco e trattamento preferenziale).
Gli stessi partner che Washington afferma di proteggere sono ora economicamente paralizzati da un conflitto le cui conseguenze non sono state pienamente calcolate dall’amministrazione Trump. E non si potrà rimediare a questo invitando pastori evangelici nello Studio Ovale a benedire uno speculatore immobiliare fallito. @LauraRuHK
🔹The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says it has launched a devastating missile and drone strike on the US Navy's Fifth Fleet base in Mina Salman, Bahrain, shortly after the first message from the new leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, emphasized Iran's "determined and regret-inducing" defense efforts. /channel/presstv/179510
🔹Iraq's resistance groups have struck down a US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker, a symbol of American overreach and aggression. /channel/presstv/179531
The Russian authorities pursue one main goal in matters of regulating Internet resources – to force all companies to comply with the legislation. "No one wants to prohibit companies from doing business, which is why we seek to regulate Telegram rather than block", said Andrey Svintsov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy. But if Telegram doesn't comply it will be blocked and he added that Russians will not be able to continue using Telegram by simply downloading VPN services. According to him, Roskomnadzor will track traffic, so it will not be possible to "trick" the agency. Svintsov told Zvezda: "VPN traffic is 100% visible, it may not be possible to block everything, but it is quite realistic to slow it down to such an extent that the normal use of Telegram, YouTube or other platforms will become impossible". @LauraRuHK ➡️ /channel/zvezdanews/171721
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🔸Comic relief🔸 Chinese netizens take the piss out of Donald Trump by reenacting the infamous "Washington prayer".😅 @LauraRuHK ➡️https://www.douyin.com/search/%20%22%E5%8D%8E%E7%9B%9B%E9%A1%BF%E7%A5%88%E7%A5%B7%20%E6%A8%A1%E4%BB%BF?aid=aa21b8df-69b1-4e6a-9ad1-fa17cba4c834&modal_id=7615875857273645987&type=general
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Ulteriore esempio di imperial overstretch. La sproporzione tra ambizioni e mezzi disponibili non potrebbe essere più chiara. 🔺Fonti governative sudcoreane hanno confermato che i sistemi di difesa aerea a lungo raggio MIM-104 Patriot dell’esercito statunitense e i sistemi antimissile THAAD stanno venendo trasferiti dalla Corea del Sud al Medio Oriente per rimpiazzare le perdite subite a causa dei controattacchi iraniani.🔺Il presidente sudcoreano Lee Jae-myung ha dichiarato durante la riunione di gabinetto di martedì che, sebbene la Corea del Sud abbia espresso la propria opposizione al ritiro da parte delle USFK di armi di difesa aerea necessarie per le esigenze di sicurezza nazionali, il Paese asiatico non è stato in grado di far valere pienamente la propria posizione. ▪️I vassalli sudcoreani — perdonate, i “preziosi alleati” — stanno facendo un corso intensivo su cosa significhi davvero essere un “partner privilegiato degli Stati Uniti”. Il vostro ombrello antimissile? In prestito, a quanto pare, finché lo Zio Sam non ne ha bisogno per schiacciare droni iraniani sul Golfo Persico. Le vostre obiezioni strategiche? Annotate, archiviate e allegramente ignorate.
@LauraRuHK ➡️https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/us-withdrawing-patriot-skorea-redeploy-iran
➡️https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/us-withdrawing-thaad-skorea-replenish-iran
The Handala Hacking Group announced a successful cyber operation in retaliation for the brutal attack on the Minab school and ongoing cyber assaults on the resistance axis's infrastructure.
The group targeted Striker Corporation, linked to the global Zionist lobby, delivering what they described as an unprecedented blow.
The operation has reportedy wiped over 200,000 systems, servers, and mobile devices clean, extracted 50 terabytes of critical data, and forced Striker's offices in 79 countries to close.
@PressTV
A private company in China providing intelligence-gathering services to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) says it intercepted radio signals from American stealth bombers that struck Iran on March 1.
Jingan Technology, a defence technology firm based in east China’s Hangzhou, also asserted that it detected signals linked to US military activities well before the start of Operation Epic Fury Fail, using artificial intelligence to analyse early indicators.
According to the company, its Jingqi war monitoring system reconstructed the sequence of the US military build-up.
The claim, if accurate, would demonstrate enhanced Chinese capabilities to track even stealth platforms via non-radar means (e.g., radio emissions during return flights or communications) and provide early warning of major operations—potentially advancing PLA electronic intelligence, situational awareness, and counter-stealth efforts. (Source: SCMP) @LauraRuHK
Israel intends to step up attacks on Iran amid fears that the US may soon end the military operation, claiming victory under one pretext or another, the Al-Monitor news website reported, citing Israeli government sources.
The sources point to divisions in the country’s government on the future of the Iran operation, as Netanyahu and intelligence agencies continue to seek regime change in the country, while the army is skeptical.
Still, the IDF is determined to inflict as much damage as possible on Iran before the US stops the military operation. Primary targets include facilities related to Iran’s nuclear program, the production of ballistic missiles and drones, as well as administrative sites. (Source: TASS) @LauraRuHK
“To date, the EU is Ukraine’s number one supporter, with €195 billion ($225 billion) since 2022,”
Iran has conducted its most extensive missile assault on Israeli territory since the onset of the conflict, according to General Majid Mousavi, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force.
"Thirty super-heavy ballistic missiles, each weighing between one and two tons, were launched at designated targets within the occupied territories. This operation successfully disrupted and destroyed key Israeli aerial surveillance systems. It marks the most significant combat strike against the regime to date. With this, another portion of the regime’s skies now falls under our control," he stated on social media. (Source: TASS) @LauraRuHK
The U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone came under attack. Sources describe it as involving drones and/or missiles/rockets, with the apparent primary target being air defense systems — specifically elements of the C-RAM (Counter-Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar) system. Al Hadath, a Saudi-based channel, reported the incident, citing Iraqi security services confirming a "strike" on the U.S.embassy.
.
Some accounts (including from Iraqi security sources quoted in regional media and X posts) claim a direct hit on C-RAM components, such as radar or related hardware. There are also mentions of a missile striking a helicopter landing pad inside the compound, with smoke reportedly visible and ambulances or security responses noted in the area.
Iraqi authorities reportedly sealed off parts of the Green Zone in response.
@LauraRuHK
Dal 28 febbraio, giorno in cui Stati Uniti e Israele hanno iniziato a bombardare l’Iran, almeno 23 civili sono stati uccisi e 85 feriti dagli attacchi ucraini contro la Russia. L’attacco più sanguinoso si è verificato martedì 10 marzo, quando droni ucraini hanno colpito un ospedale nella Repubblica Popolare di Donetsk (DPR), uccidendo dieci membri del personale medico. Altre dieci persone, tra cui nove dipendenti, sono rimaste ferite.
Nello stesso giorno, l’esercito ucraino ha utilizzato un missile Storm Shadow fornito dal Regno Unito per colpire la città di Bryansk, a circa 100 chilometri dal confine ucraino, uccidendo almeno sette civili e ferendone almeno 42. L’impiego di un’arma di questo tipo è impossibile senza il coinvolgimento diretto di specialisti militari britannici. L’8 marzo, Giornata Internazionale della Donna e festa nazionale in Russia, una famiglia di quattro persone, tra cui un bambino di sei anni, è stata uccisa e altre dodici persone sono rimaste ferite a causa di una serie di attacchi ucraini sulla DPR.
Il 6 marzo, due persone sono state uccise quando un drone ucraino ha sganciato esplosivi su civili davanti a un negozio di alimentari nella regione russa di Kherson. Un raid con droni sulla città di Novorossiysk, nel sud della Russia, il 4 marzo ha ferito sette persone e causato gravi danni agli edifici, compresi alcuni asili. (Fonte: RT) @LauraRuHK ➡️ https://swentr.site/russia/634854-kiev-strikes-russia-civilians-attention-iran/
Raramente vado a dare un'occhiata a X. Oggi l’ho fatto e sono rimasta scioccata dal numero di influencer disposti a mettere in gioco la propria credibilità scon fake news come la presunta morte di Netanyahu. Poiché l’asse sionista è già nella merda fino al collo e non c’è bisogno di amplificare teorie complottiste per dimostrare l’ovvio, perché insistono con falsi così grossolani invece di ritrattare ciò che è stato smentito? Netanyahu è apparso più volte sulla televisione israeliana da quando le voci sulla sua morte hanno iniziato a circolare sui social in modo virale. Diversi canali internazionali hanno trasmesso spezzoni degli ultimi deliri di Netanyahu. Ma ecco la replica: non è lui ma un clone, una controfigura, un video generato dall’IA, eccetera. Davvero? Non hanno mai pensato che nascondere la morte di una figura tanto odiata non sia affatto semplice?
Forse lo hanno pensato, ma pubblicare affermazioni drammatiche come “è morto /è una controfigura, è IA” corredate da screenshot di una presunta mano a sei dita garantisce una diffusione enorme presso un certo pubblico. Negli spazi online polarizzati, i falsi grossolani si diffondono rapidamente perché vengono condivisi all’interno di bolle che diffidano per principio dei fact-checker mainstream. Neppure io mi fido di loro, ma non vivo in una bolla… e so quanto sia difficile nascondere la morte di un primo ministro. Certo, il codardo criminale si nasconde, ma non è morto. @LauraRuHK
Marco Rubio is one of the most aggressive and influential China hawks in modern American politics. For over a decade, as a Senator and now Secretary of State, he has been the driving force behind the majority of hardline anti-China legislation and policies coming out of Washington. He has sponsored or co-sponsored nearly every major bill that has: *Demonized Beijing on the global stage
**Imposed sweeping sanctions on Chinese officials and entities
***Pushed for economic decoupling
****Expanded U.S. military posture against China
His signature 'achievements' include: the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which used baseless allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang to justify sanctions on senior Chinese officials.
The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which targeted Chinese and Hong Kong officials.
Multiple pieces of legislation restricting technology transfers, labeling China a “strategic adversary,” and pressuring allies to adopt similar hardline stances.
Rubio has consistently framed China as an existential threat, pushing narratives of genocide, forced labor, and global domination that have become the standard Washington talking points. As co-founder and former U.S. co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) and long-time leader of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, he has coordinated and amplified these measures both domestically and internationally.
China sanctioned Marco Rubio twice in 2020.
Now, according to the SCMP, Rubio is going to join Donald Trump on an upcoming trip to China from March 31 to April 2, despite Beijing's sanctions which typically include a travel ban.
@LauraRuHK
➡️https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346383/sanctioned-rubio-take-part-trumps-china-trip-despite-previous-missed-opportunities?module=top_story&pgtype=homepage
🇮🇷🇺🇸🇮🇱Where is Trump’s stupidity in regarding the destruction of the Iranian Navy?
- First, Trump thinks the Iranian Navy is a "conventional" force, like the U.S. or other big powers. But Iran’s navy is actually an asymmetric force—meaning it was built specifically to take on much stronger navies. Their real power is in those small, high-speed boats. Some are packed with explosives, some carry missiles, and others act like "sea drones" to hit their targets.
- Iran has built hundreds, maybe even thousands, of these small boats over many years. They keep them hidden away in secret shelters and tunnels. This "mosquito fleet" is what's designed to swarm and destroy huge warships, not the few large ships that the U.S. targeted a few days ago.
- According to reports from CNN, citing U.S. intelligence, Iran still has 90% of its small boats left. This is a huge reality check, because while Trump claims he destroyed their navy, the actual intelligence shows they are almost all still there.
Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign promised a reborn America powered by cheap energy: “Energy is going to bring us back. That means we’re going down and getting gasoline below $2 a gallon, bring down the price of everything from electricity rates to groceries, airfares, and housing costs.” This vision of reindustrialization and economic sovereignty laid at the heart of MAGA. Energy was cast not just as a commodity but as the linchpin of national renewal. Operation Epic Fail has buried that vision and inflicted collateral damage on America’s own allies. At home, gasoline has jumped to a national average of $3.58–$3.60 per gallon while diesel prices have climbed almost a dollar. Trump now shrugs it off as “temporary", but the numbers speak for themselves.
The international fallout is even more damning. The war has delivered a devastating economic blow to U.S. allies across the Gulf and beyond. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar have watched their oil terminals and LNG facilities come under direct Iranian attack, with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz virtually paralyzed. The pain radiates outward. In Asia, Washington’s vassals are hit the hardest. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and the Philippines — all heavily dependent on Gulf seaborne imports and constrained by strict U.S. sanctions compliance — face the sharpest shocks. South Korea and Japan have seen refinery slowdowns; the Philippines and Thailand have imposed four-day government workweeks and fuel rationing; Bangladesh has begged Washington for a sanctions waiver to buy Russian oil, the same lifeline already quietly granted to India. Here lies the bitter irony: the only thing that can now rescue these struggling U.S. allies is Russian oil and gas. India and China, precisely because they ignored Western sanctions and ramped up purchases of discounted Russian crude, are weathering the crisis far better than Washington’s “loyal” partners. The war on Iran has not only killed MAGA’s fantasy; it has exposed the strategic absurdity of America’s alliances (only Israel receives a blank cheque). The very partners Washington claims to protect are now economically crippled by a conflict whose consequences the Trump administration has completely miscalculated. No gathering of pastors in the Oval Office to lay hands on a real estate huckster can fix that. @LauraRuHK
Operation Epic Fail has revealed that the unconditional alliance with Israel is a liability for the US. This idea is gaining traction among an increasing number of US military analysts. They argue that this alliance has inverted the patron-client dynamic and enabled entrapment. Unconditional commitments eliminate the junior ally's incentive for restraint, transferring agenda-setting power to the client (Israel). This turns the patron (U.S.) into a follower, making escalation inevitable when the ally acts.
🔹They draw a historical parallel with Germany's 1914 "blank check" to Austria-Hungary: Unconditional support for Austria's hard line against Serbia escalated a local crisis into World War I, despite Germany's lack of vital interests. Similarly, U.S. backing removes Israel's restraint, drawing America into a war serving Israeli objectives.
Israel's February 28 strikes targeted Iranian leadership (including Supreme Leader Khamenei), reportedly with CIA input for a post-regime transition scenario.
Oman-mediated nuclear talks were close to breakthrough but abandoned after strikes.
There was no casus belli.
A House Intelligence Committee member called it a "war of choice with no strategic endgame."
🔹The unconditional U.S.-Israel alliance, by design or drift, handed Israel a blank check that made war unavoidable, mirroring 1914 dynamics where patron fear of losing the ally led to disaster. Without conditionality, such alliances risk dragging great powers into conflicts not of their choosing.
@LauraRuHK
➡️ https://warontherocks.com/2026/03/the-blank-check-how-an-unconditional-alliance-took-america-to-war-in-iran/
Su Douyin, la versione domestica di TikTok, i cinesi prendono in giro la "Preghiera dello Studio Ovale" impersonando Trump e la sua corte dei miracoli. @LauraRuHK ➡️https://www.douyin.com/search/%20%22%E5%8D%8E%E7%9B%9B%E9%A1%BF%E7%A5%88%E7%A5%B7%20%E6%A8%A1%E4%BB%BF?aid=aa21b8df-69b1-4e6a-9ad1-fa17cba4c834&modal_id=7615875857273645987&type=general
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Theatre of the absurd On March 11 the UN Security Council—Resolution 2817 (2026)— condemned Iran for "egregious attacks" on Gulf states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE) and Jordan, as well as threats to international navigation. It passed with 13 votes in favor, 0 against, and 2 abstentions (China and Russia). The resolution notably omitted any mention of the preceding U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, framing Iran's missile/drone barrages as the primary breach of international law and threat to peace and security. It demanded an immediate halt to Iranian attacks and reaffirmed the targeted states' right to self-defense. This outcome followed a failed Russian alternative draft calling for an immediate cessation of all hostilities, which garnered only 4 yes votes (Russia, China, Pakistan, Somalia), 2 no (U.S., Latvia), and 9 abstentions.
Russian representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzia described the vote on the resolution drafted by Bahrain as "theatre of the absurd". Indeed. Iran, a victim of U.S.-Israel aggression, was condemned for striking U.S. military facilities and infrastructure. They are legitimate targets within Iran's right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter. Washington ignored the repeated requests of Arab States not to use their territory to conduct military operations against Iran. Instead, Washington is actively using its military bases in the monarchies of the Persian Gulf for offensive purposes. Nebenzia explained: It is no secret for anyone that the US base in Bahrain is the headquarters and the “nerve center” of the US Fifth Fleet, which is the main strike force against Iran. The US Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia is the main maintenance point for the US air force in the region. The largest military air base, Al Udeid, located in Qatar, could be used not only as a major element of the US and NATO global air defense system, but also for deploying strike fighters, bombers, and refueling planes, as well as for suppressing air defense and target acquisition. The Al Dhafra base in the UAE is also very suitable for these purposes and for gathering intelligence. A significant role in military operations against Iran is also being played by US bases in Kuwait, Jordan, and Iraq. All of this was mentioned by Iran when justifying its strikes on US military facilities in Arab countries."
@LauraRuHK
More evidence of U.S. strategic overextension and miscalculation. South Korean government sources confirmed that U.S. Army MIM-104 Patriot long range air defence systems and THAAD Missile Defence Systems are being deployed from South Korea to the Middle East to replenish losses inflicted by Iran counterstrikes.
▪️South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said at a meeting on Tuesday that while South Korea expressed its opposition to the USFK withdrawing air defense weapons for its own military needs, the Asian country was not able to fully enforce its position. @LauraRuHK
➡️https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/us-withdrawing-patriot-skorea-redeploy-iran
➡️https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/us-withdrawing-thaad-skorea-replenish-iran
China’s military on Wednesday warned the United States against allowing artificial intelligence (AI) to “determine life and death” in warfare, as a dispute between the Pentagon and AI firm Anthropic highlighted growing tensions over military use of the technology.
Speaking at a regular briefing in Beijing, defence ministry spokesman Jiang Bin said the “unrestricted application of AI by the military could erode ethical constraints and accountability in wars and risk a dangerous technological runaway”.
His remarks came in response to a question referencing reports that the US was pressing domestic technology companies to allow broader military use of their AI systems, and that it had already deployed such tools in operations involving Iran and Venezuela.
(Source: SCMP) @LauraRuHK
Il New York Times afferma che Trump e il suo team hanno gravemente sottovalutato la volontà e la capacità dell’Iran di intensificare la risposta economica e militare, trattando il conflitto come contenibile piuttosto che esistenziale per Teheran. Avevano ipotizzato che le ripercussioni sarebbero state minori e di breve durata, ma la risposta iraniana ha bloccato la navigazione nel Golfo, fatto impennare i prezzi globali del petrolio, aumentato i costi della benzina negli Stati Uniti e costretto Washington a risposte scomposte e improvvisate, senza un chiaro piano.
L’articolo ha evidenziato errori di calcolo cruciali:
▪️ la sottovalutazione dei rischi economici
▪️ la mancata previsione di un blocco totale della navigazione
▪️ preparazioni tardive o assenti
▪️ nessuna strategia coerente per riaprire in sicurezza lo stretto di Hormuz
▪️ la sottostima della determinazione iraniana: gli avvertimenti sulla probabile ritorsione sono stati ignorati, confidando eccessivamente che colpi alla leadership o la “decapitazione del regime” avrebbero aperto la strada a successori pragmatici. Invece, l’Iran ha lanciato attacchi diffusi con missili e droni e sfruttato i colli di bottiglia energetici.
▪️ comunicazione e pianificazione incoerenti.
🔺 La ricerca di vie d’uscita dal conflitto è diventata urgente dal fine settimana, con l’impennata dei prezzi globali del petrolio e il consumo massiccio di munizioni da parte degli Stati Uniti.
Funzionari del Pentagono hanno dichiarato in recenti briefing a porte chiuse al Congresso che l’esercito ha consumato 5,6 miliardi di dollari di munizioni nei primi due giorni di guerra. “È una quantità e un ritmo di consumo molto più elevati di quanto fosse stato reso pubblico.”
🔺 Secondo il NYT, all’interno dell’amministrazione cresce il pessimismo per la mancanza di una strategia chiara da parte di Trump per concludere la guerra, ma i funzionari temono di dirlo apertamente al presidente, che continua a proclamare il successo totale dell'operazione… E mentre le perdite umane, materiali ed economiche aumentano, l’hybris di Washington si scontra con la resistenza eroica dell’Iran. @LauraRuHK➡️ https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/us/politics/how-trump-miscalculated-iran-response.html
The New York Times says Trump and his team severely misjudged Iran's willingness and ability to escalate economically and militarily, treating the conflict as containable rather than existential for Tehran. They assumed disruptions would be short-lived but Iran's retaliation has halted Gulf shipping, spiked global oil prices, triggered higher U.S. gasoline costs, and forced frantic, ad-hoc U.S. responses without a clear contingency plan. The article highlighted key miscalculations:▪️the dismissal of economic risks ▪️the failure to anticipate a full shipping standstill▪️delayed or absent preparations ▪️ no coherent strategy for safely reopening the strait ▪️underestimation of Iran's resolve: warnings about retaliation were ignored in favor of overconfidence that regime decapitation or leadership strikes would yield pragmatic successors. Instead, Iran launched widespread missile/drone attacks and leveraged energy chokepoints.
▪️Inconsistent messaging and planning.
🔺The search for pathways out of the war has gained urgency since the weekend, as global oil prices surge and as the U.S. burns through costly munitions.
Pentagon officials said in recent closed-door briefings on Capitol Hill that the military used up $5.6 billion of munitions in the first two days of the war alone. “That is a far larger amount and munitions burn rate than had been publicly disclosed.” 🔺According to the NYT, officials inside the administration are becoming increasingly pessimistic about the lack of a clear strategy by Trump to finish the war, but they are afraid to voice that directly to the president, who has repeatedly claimed that the war is a complete success...And as human, material and economic casualties keep growing, Washington hubris crashes against Iran's heroic resistance. @LauraRuHK
➡️https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/us/politics/how-trump-miscalculated-iran-response.html
Ricordate quando nel 2022 il tiggi' della RAI spacciava le immagini di un videogioco per riprese del cielo sopra Kiev? Anche i canali televisivi israeliani hanno la stessa brutta abitudine. Per convincere i suoi spettatori che i bombardieri americani B‑2 sfrecciavano liberamente sopra l’Iran.
Channel 12, il canale di informazione più seguito in Israele, domenica ha mandato in onda un filmato tratto da Digital Combat Simulator World, disponibile su YouTube e caricato oltre tre anni fa.
Il video, con filtro verde da visore notturno, mostrava un bombardiere stealth accompagnato da caccia, con una seconda inquadratura apparentemente ripresa dalla cabina di un jet. (Fonte: Haaretz) @LauraRuHK