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🚨 Casualties surge as US–Israel military operations against Iran continue
As of March 20, Iran reported over 19,500 casualties as the ongoing conflict continues to affect multiple regions, with impacts felt far beyond its borders.
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🚨 🇫🇷 Top-secret location of French aircraft carrier in Mideast area leaked through fitness app
While jogging on deck, a French naval officer unknowingly shared the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier’s position on the Strava fitness tracking app, French media reports.
📍 It exposed the vessel just 100 km off the Turkish coast, near Cyprus — where a British air base was previously struck by Iranian drones.
Data obtained by the media showed that that the sailor had used his smartwatch with Strava to log a more than four-mile run around the ship’s deck.
🔊 France announced the Charles de Gaulle carrier's deployment to the Mediterranean on March 3, days after the beginning of US–Israeli strikes on Iran.
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🇰🇵🪖 Kim Jong-un oversees coordinated offensive drill of KPA units — reports
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a coordinated offensive tactical drill of infantry and tank units at a training base in Pyongyang on March 19, according to KCNA.
The exercise involved tanks, drones and missile systems, with units practicing coordinated strikes and assaults under simulated combat conditions.
💬 Kim said the new-type main battle tank is “very superior” and “unequalled in the world in its striking power and mobility,” praising its advanced self-defense capabilities.
✅ KCNA reported the tank successfully intercepted 100% of incoming anti-tank missiles and drones, demonstrating the effectiveness of its active protection system.
📌 Kim stressed the need to intensify realistic war training, calling for continued efforts to strengthen combat readiness and modernize the armed forces.
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📹 Fighters launch three drone strikes on US bases in Iraq — reports
The group Saraya Awliya al-Dam carried out three drone attacks on US bases in Iraq within 24 hours, SNN reported. The operations were conducted using swarms of suicide drones.
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🇶🇦🇷🇺 Damage to LNG hub could take up to five years to repair — reports
Strikes on Qatar’s Ras Laffan complex have shut down part of the world’s largest LNG facility, with damage that could take up to five years to repair, Bloomberg reported.
⛽️ Each week of outage means a loss of energy equivalent to powering a city like Sydney for a year, the report noted.
According to Bloomberg, many countries rely on supplies moving through the Strait of Hormuz for more than a quarter of their gas consumption, meaning even a short conflict could reshape global markets for years.
💬 “We are now well on our way to a doomsday gas crisis scenario,” said analyst Saul Kavonic. “Even once the war ends, the disruption to LNG supply could last for months or even years.”
⚔️ US accelerates deployment of Marines, sailors to Middle East — reports
The United States is speeding up the deployment of additional military forces to the Middle East, including thousands of Marines and sailors, NBC News reported, citing people familiar with the decision.
📍 According to NBC News, the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit — comprising at least 2,200 Marines — is expected to deploy from San Diego earlier than scheduled in the coming days.
The unit is set to deploy aboard the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, and is likely to be accompanied by one or two additional vessels, meaning several thousand US sailors could also be sent to the region, the report said.
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📹 US military releases before-and-after images of Iranian 'missile site'
US Central Command (CENTCOM) published footage it says shows the “Karaj surface-to-surface missile plant” before and after US strikes.
The images, dated March 1 and March 11, were presented as depicting the site prior to and following the aggression.
On February 28, during the first day of US-Israeli aggression, a US strike hit a school in Minab, killing over 160 schoolgirls.
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🚨 Attacks on Gulf gas hubs risk global energy crisis
Israeli strikes on the Iranian South Pars oil fields have escalated the war, sending gas and oil prices soaring.
Gas sites hit and in danger
🟠 South Pars is part of a giant gas field that Iran shares with Qatar under the Persian Gulf, with about 51 trillion cubic meters of natural gas
🟠 Iran hit back by targeting US gas interests in the Gulf region
👉 Habshan, a major regional gas hub in Abu Dhabi, was closed after missile debris hit it
👉Ras Laffan, Qatar’s biggest gas hub which was closed in early March, has been damaged
👉 The Pearl Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) Facility run by Shell in Qatar has also been hit
🟠 The attacks wiped out about 17% of Qatar's liquified natural gas (LNG) export capacity — and repairs could take three to five years, QatarEnergy told Reuters
🟠 The US warned that any new Iranian attacks on Qatari LNG facilities would prompt the US military to destroy the South Pars gas field
Markets react
🟠 European gas futures surged 35% on March 19. The benchmark Dutch TTF gas price jumped past €70 ($80) per MWh, its highest since December 2022 but below the $300-plus peak of summer 2022
🟠 Analysts warn the developments could keep prices high, with short supply and rising demand for alternative LNG sources — hurting Europe and Asia
🟠 Worse still, Brent crude oil futures neared $117 per barrel, and WTI crude rose to $96.97 per barrel
🟠 The South Korean Industry Ministry is mulling Russian oil and naphtha imports, Reuters reports
🟠 Ship-tracking data from Kpler and LSEG show Asia will receive more than 3 million tons (614,500 barrels) of Russian fuel oil this month
🟠 Russian companies will redirect some LNG supplies from Europe to the Asia-Pacific market, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters in early March
🟠 “The world understands the necessity of including Russian energy in a diversified energy portfolio for every country,” Russian special presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev tweeted on March 19
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🇮🇱🇮🇷🇺🇸 Israeli attack on South Pars gas field: A US move to expand LNG share?
The US may have been informed about the Israeli bombing of the Iranian South Pars gas field, geopolitical expert Yeghia Tashjian of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut tells Sputnik.
💬 "When it comes to major Israeli operations – especially those with regional escalation risks – the level of coordination with the US, particularly CENTCOM, is typically very high," Tashjian says.
💬 "The US will certainly benefit from the rising liquified natural gas (LNG) prices which it sells to the vassal states of Europe at two to four times the price of piped Russian gas," echoes Salameh.
🚨🇯🇵 Mass protests in Tokyo against US war on Iran
Over 11,000 people took to the streets in the Japanese capital to protest unprovoked US aggression against Iran.
Demonstrators held banners condemning US and Israeli attacks on Tehran.
Protesters also accused Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of being unable to take a firm stance in dialogue with the US.
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🔊🇱🇾 Lessons from Libya’s ‘petrostate’ curse: Global South must unite, create crucial global platforms to survive – analyst
NATO’s intervention in Libya that brought about destruction peeled back the curtain as to how a country with massive energy wealth can be thrown into collapse and prolonged fragmentation, Robinder Sachdev, founder and president of the Imagindia Institute, tells Sputnik.
"For resource-rich states in the Global South, the lesson is stark: natural wealth attracts not only investment, but also geopolitical appetite – especially when a state is divided internally, isolated diplomatically, or exposed militarily," Sachdev points out.
"National sovereignty has become more important than ever," Sachdev says, adding that external pressure requires new forms of resistance.
"Countries that build multiple partnerships are better placed to defend their interests and preserve autonomy."
"Institutions themselves are nodes of power. A country diversifies not only by widening trade, but by embedding itself in multiple rule-making and agenda-setting platforms."
🇵🇰🇺🇸 Can Pakistani missiles reach the US? Tulsi Gabbard’s statement leaves Pakistani experts puzzled
Pakistan does not possess missiles capable of reaching US territory, Hannan Hussain, a senior expert at Initiate Futures, a global think tank, told Sputnik in response to recent remarks by US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Gabbard had listed Pakistan among nations posing a significant threat to the United States, warning lawmakers that the country's advancing missile capabilities could potentially bring the American homeland within range.
💬 "Part of Tulsi Gabbard's assertion is grounded in hypotheticals about Pakistan's missiles and its nuclear program posing a major threat to the United States," Hussain said.
💬 "They may want to continue applying pressure on Pakistan to ensure it does not move out of its orbit," Khattak said.
💬 "That is the only logic I can see behind the notion of a missile threat from Pakistan to the United States."
🇺🇸 🇱🇾 US intervention in Libya should prod Global South to distrust NATO
💬 Global South nations “should be worried” about Libya’s bitter experience and “wary of any UNSC-mandated resolutions,” Malaysian political analyst Azmi Hassan tells Sputnik.
🥀 The funeral of Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, is taking place in Qom
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💬 Rosatom chief: Striking territory of Bushehr nuclear plant sets a ‘very dangerous precedent’
"We call on all parties involved in the conflict to prevent anything like this from happening in the future," Alexey Likhachev said.
🚨 Hezbollah launches rocket attack on Israeli Kiryat Shmona settlement
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📈 Oil could surge to $180 if Iran war drags on — reports
Oil prices could rise above $180 a barrel if disruptions linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran continue into late April, according to Saudi officials cited by The Wall Street Journal.
The report notes that strikes on energy infrastructure and attacks on shipping have already pushed prices sharply higher, with global benchmarks rising around 50% since the US-Israeli aggression began on Feb. 28.
📉 According to The Wall Street Journal, a prolonged disruption could trigger a recession or force consumers to cut energy use, raising concerns even among major producers.
💬 “$200 a barrel is not outside the realms of possibility in 2026,” analysts told the newspaper.
💰 US war on Iran costs exceed $25 billion — tracker
The cost of US military operations against Iran has surpassed $25 billion, according to the Iran War Cost Tracker, which estimates spending in real time.
📈 The tracker says the calculation is based on a Pentagon briefing to Congress indicating $11.3 billion for the first six days, plus roughly $1 billion per day for ongoing operations.
According to the site, the campaign is costing about $11,500 per second.
Earlier, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said the operation had reached about $12 billion, highlighting the rapid rise in expenditures.
🗓 The figures underscore the growing financial burden of the US-Israeli aggression, which began on February 28 and has already led to widespread destruction and civilian casualties, with Iran continuing retaliatory strikes.
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📹 US & Israel strike eastern Tehran suburb — reports
Footage circulating online appears to show a strike on the Barchin area east of Tehran, carried out by US and Israeli forces.
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🇱🇾🌍 ‘Destructive NATO-led intervention made Africa realize national sovereignty is top priority’ - expert
Dr. Mohammed Salah Djemal, Professor and African security expert based in Algeria, comments on the 2011 intervention in Libya.
“The aftermath of NATO’s intervention into Libya is purely negative. An operation that was positioned as a peacekeeping mission to protect the civilian population resulted in the destruction of the Libyan government and the fall of its institutions,” the professor says.
Dr. Djemal also pointed out the unreliable nature of the West: “The intervention in Libya is often viewed as an example of the limited scope of Western guarantees. The main takeaway is that governments should maintain sovereignty and avoid being reliant on external promises that have no concrete guarantees. Western interventions were never reliable, and as seen from past experience, these countries never provided any real guarantees.”
“National sovereignty once again became the main principle of African foreign affairs. This intervention led to the continent-wide realization that government stability is based upon the ability to control one’s own territory and make independent decisions, therefore making national sovereignty the main guarantee against destructive foreign interventions,” Dr. Mohammed Salah Djemal emphasized.
🇮🇷🚀 Iran launches new wave of Operation True Promise strikes — IRGC
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it carried out the 66th wave of Operation True Promise 4 targeting sites in Tel Aviv and US military bases in the region, Tasnim News reported.
The IRGC said the attack used “super heavy, precision-guided, and multi-warhead systems”, including Qadr, Khorramshahr and Khaibar Shekan missiles, as well as drones.
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📹⚔️ Hezbollah releases footage of attacks on Israeli armored vehicles in south Lebanon
Hezbollah published a video showing its fighters targeting Israeli armored vehicles in the Fakkaniyah Heights, north of the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon, according to Naya.
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🇱🇾 From a regional leader to a fallen state: Libya after NATO intervention
In 2011, NATO conducted a military intervention in Libya with the stated intent of securing "an immediate ceasefire, including an end to the current attacks against civilians." It resulted in regime change and the death of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Before 2011, Libya was one of the most developed countries in the region. The state supported education and healthcare, and the population's income was at an acceptable level due to high oil revenues.
Libya's social policy, as well as interest-free loans, resulted in "comparative social prosperity," Libyan political scientist Ibrahim Belqassem tells Sputnik.
Libya also had major infrastructural and economic projects.
The Great Man-Made River Project, for instance, allowed water to be pumped from the south of Libya to its populated north, securing its resource independence, the expert notes.
However, it was damaged during the conflict.
Another bold initiative was the Gold Dinar Project - the idea of creating a single African currency backed by gold.
Although it was meant to bring positive economic influence to the entire continent, it was never implemented due to political difficulties and Western influence, according to the expert.
The intervention proved to be a "conspiracy" - a pretext for external meddling to seize control of the country, plunder its resources, and expand Western influence across the continent.
The slogans about protecting civilians turned out to be nothing more than a cover, the expert believes.
🟠 Ukraine’s reckless attempts to attack Gazprom's compressor stations further destabilize situation in the world – Kremlin
🟠 Rosatom chief: US & Israeli military leadership have coordinates of Bushehr operating reactor
🟠 US intervention in Libya should prod Global South to distrust NATO
🟠 Pakistan missile program: Separating fact from fiction
🟠 Lessons from Libya’s ‘petrostate’ curse: Global South must unite to survive – analyst
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🇵🇰 Pakistan missile program: Separating fact from fiction
When the US intelligence chief flags Pakistan's missiles as a threat to America, the claim warrants scrutiny.
❓Do the facts support this concern?
Consider geography: Pakistan lies over 11,000 km from the US East Coast—a distance far beyond the range of its entire missile inventory.
Pakistan's current capabilities:
🟠 Shaheen-III – Medium-range ballistic missile (up to 2,750 km). Nuclear-capable. Pakistan's longest-range system. Tested 2021
🟠 Shaheen-1A – Short-range ballistic missile (up to 900 km). Nuclear-capable. Tested 2021
🟠 Abdali – Short-range ballistic missile (up to 450 km). Tested 2026
🟠 SMASH – Hypersonic anti-ship missile (up to 350 km). Unveiled 2026
🟠 Ra'ad-II – Air-launched cruise missile (up to 600 km). Nuclear-capable. In service since 2020
The math is simple: even the longest-range missile falls nearly 8,000 km short of US territory
This isn't a program oriented toward intercontinental reach, but one focused on regional deterrence.
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🚨🇷🇺 Putin to Paralympians: Russian anthem and flag triumphantly return to international sports arena thanks to you
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💬 Rosatom chief: US & Israeli military leadership have coordinates of Bushehr operating reactor
“We are calling on them to rule out any possibility of a nuclear incident there”, Alexey Likhachev emphasized.
🚨🇺🇸 Hegseth: We should spend our munitions in our interest instead of sending them to Ukraine
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🚨 🇪🇺 ‘NATO bombed hell out of Libya’ under cover of UN humanitarian mandate — expert
💬 "NATO had [Libyan leader Muammar] Gaddafi murdered,” which exposed France, the UK, and US’ push for the “misuse of the Security Council to wage war instead of making peace,” former UN independent expert Alfred de Zayas tells Sputnik.
💬 “The BRICS countries should cease purchasing US-made weapons,” including F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, and halt deals with Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, General Motors and Caterpillar, de Zayas notes.