IRAN

EI—Jon Elmer, contributing editor, covers the third week of the war across the region, including developments in the Strait of Hormuz and Lebanon. This is a segment from The Electronic Intifada’s livestream on day 895 of the Gaza genocide. Ali Abunimah, Nora Barrows-Friedman and Jon Elmer were joined by Iranian scholar Setareh Sadeqi.

MOATS—Joe Kent’s outspoken resignation is not merely a personal act but a symbolic protest against an unjust war. His military background and direct connection to battlefield losses lend credibility and weight to his dissent. Such resignations can catalyze further dissent within the military and intelligence communities, potentially undermining the administration’s war efforts from within. This shows the deep fractures and moral conflicts faced by those serving in the US government and military apparatus.

DL—The video report by Dimitri Lascaris from West Asia on March 19th, 2026, provides a detailed and urgent update on the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, focusing on the recent Israeli strike on Iran’s critical South Pars gas field and Iran’s massive retaliatory attacks on allied Gulf states and Israel itself. The South Pars field, the world’s largest natural gas field shared between Iran and Qatar, was severely damaged by Israel, prompting Iran to strike key energy infrastructure in Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. These retaliations have caused significant damage to global energy supplies and fueled a sharp spike in oil prices, threatening a major global economic crisis.

Lascaris highlights the strategic importance of the targeted facilities, describing the extensive damage and the complex geopolitical implications. He points out that the conflict is severely disrupting global oil markets, with Asian crude prices soaring far above Western prices, exacerbating economic instability worldwide. The report also reveals Israel’s vulnerability, especially its offshore gas fields, which are within range of Iranian ballistic missiles and Hezbollah attacks, suggesting that Israel might soon face reciprocal strikes on its own energy infrastructure.

BRIAN BERLETIC—The US has burned through huge quantities of high-end weapons on Iran it had been stockpiling for war it sought to provoke with China in the Asia-Pacific;
The US not only likely never had enough weapons for a war with China, but it will be unable to even replace what it has spent on Iran for years to come;
The US war on Iran is thus likely an attempt to reduce or remove 2 obstacles to US primacy with one war, degrading or toppling Iran and the imposition of a global maritime oil blockade on China at its source (US capture of Venezuela, US strikes on Russian energy production, and now the incremental shutdown of energy exports from the Middle East);
The US likely hopes it can emerge from the global economic crisis it is creating “stronger” relative to China.

GARLAND NIXON—The discussion centers on the dynamics between the United States, Israel, Iran, and their regional and global allies, including China, Russia, Syria, and North Korea. Joti Brar explains how the imperialist powers, driven by economic desperation, particularly seek control over Iran’s oil and the strategic Strait of Hormuz, but face significant resistance from a coalition of anti-imperialist states that employ asymmetric warfare and long-term strategy rather than direct military projection. The conversation delves into the historical roots of Iran’s missile program, highlighting Syrian and North Korean support in the 1980s, and how this cooperation reflects a broader anti-imperialist alliance quietly operating worldwide.