by Ashley Smith | Apr 10, 2026 | Article, Economy, Economy and Inequality, Iran, Politics and Movements: International, Politics and Movements: US, Reprint, War
This article was originally published by Truthout on April 09, 2026. It is shared here under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license.
On February 28, the U.S. and Israel expanded their joint genocidal war on Gaza onto Iran as well as Lebanon. After weeks of assassinations and bombing, President Donald Trump agreed to a ceasefire on April 7. This war of aggression by the U.S. and Israel is part of a continued attempt to wipe out any and all opposition to their dominance over the Middle East and its strategic energy reserves.
But they underestimated the capacity of the Iranian state. In addition to launching missile and drone attacks throughout the region, Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting the production and shipment not only of fossil fuels but also an array of other commodities vital to global capitalism. With fossil fuel prices spiking and stocks crashing, Trump called off his threat to wipe out Iranian civilization and agreed to a ceasefire with Iran.
But Israel has already violated it, Iran has re-closed the Strait of Hormuz, and the ceasefire seems in jeopardy on the eve of negotiations for a settlement of the conflict in Pakistan. As a result, the world stands at the precipice of a multidimensional economic crisis.
In this interview for Truthout, Adam Hanieh discusses the U.S. and Israel’s imperialist goals, the war’s impact on the economies of the Global North and Global South, and its consequences for the geopolitical order as well as class and social struggles in the region and around the world. Hanieh is a professor in development studies and director of the SOAS Middle East Institute, University of London.
by Michael Fox | Apr 9, 2026 | Latin America, Podcast, Politics and Movements: International, Politics and Movements: US, Under the Shadow, war on drugs
The US has funneled billions into its allies in Latin America under the guise of fighting the drug traffickers. It has ripped apart countries. And the violence has only gotten worse. Decades of fighting, with little to show for it except human rights abuses, displacement, and tens of thousands of dead and disappeared.
In the last episode, host Michael Fox took you to Mexico City to walk through Mexico’s Museum of Interventions to witness firsthand the long history of foreign and, in particular, US intervention in the country.
Today, he brings listeners up to the present, diving head-first into the US-backed drug war in Mexico, which has overtaken the country in recent decades and fueled an epidemic of violence that has disappeared more than 100,000 people over the last 20 years. We’ll look at Trump’s threats and the repercussions they are having in the country, and we’ll also hear the voices of Mexicans who are standing up.
This is Episode 10 of Under the Shadow, Season 2.
Under the Shadow is an investigative narrative podcast series that walks back in time, telling the story of the past by visiting momentous places in the present. Season 2 responds in real time to the Trump administration’s onslaught on Latin America.
Hosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox.
This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA.
Theme music by Michael Fox’s band, Monte Perdido. Monte Perdido’s 2024 album Ofrenda is available on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you listen to music.
Other music from Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound.
Script editing by Heather Gies. Hosted, written, produced, mixed, and edited by Michael Fox.
Many thanks to the Mexico-based journalists
by Qassam Muaddi | Apr 8, 2026 | Article, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Politics and Movements: International, Politics and Movements: US, Reprint, War
This story originally appeared in Mondoweiss on April 08, 2026. It is shared here with permission.
The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has temporarily halted, but Israel’s onslaught in Lebanon grinds on. Late on Tuesday, two hours before U.S. President Donald Trump’s ultimatum to Iran that the U.S. would obliterate the country’s “entire civilization,” a temporary two-week ceasefire was announced by Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who mediated the deal. Sharif stated that the terms of the ceasefire would also include Israel’s war on Lebanon, but on Wednesday morning, Israel launched a massive bombing campaign across Lebanon, killing over 300 people, according to local sources. The Israeli escalation leaves the state of the ceasefire uncertain, with Iran reportedly threatening to withdraw from the agreement if Israel does not halt its attacks, according to Tasnim News Agency.
The Israeli bombing campaign, targeting multiple towns in the Baalbek region as well as the capital, Beirut, continued through the height of the midday rush hour. Lebanon’s Health Minister told Reuters that Lebanese hospitals are “crowded with victims,” and hospitals have called upon citizens to donate blood, while a state of emergency was declared across multiple parts of the country. The escalation on the Lebanese front is central to understanding the stakes of each side in the ceasefire, and it is already putting the prospects of a permanent agreement at risk.
Both Iran and the U.S. announced the deal with notably different narratives, each claiming victory. Although Israel is a main party to the conflict, it was not mentioned by either side, which makes its part in the ceasefire uncertain. What is also uncertain is whether the war will permanently
by Jake Johnson | Apr 7, 2026 | Article, Iran, Politics and Movements: International, Politics and Movements: US, Reprint, War
by Maximillian Alvarez | Apr 7, 2026 | Iran, Politics and Movements: International, Politics and Movements: US, video, War
From the Trump administration’s lies and flip-flops to social media feeds filled with AI slop and misinformation, it is infuriatingly difficult to get accurate and honest information about what is actually happening in the US-Israeli war on Iran. But award-winning journalist, lawyer, and former TRNN board member Dimitri Lascaris has been reporting on the ground in Iran for the last two weeks, from the Strait of Hormuz to the Minab elementary school where US tomahawk cruise missiles killed 168 students and teachers on Feb. 28. TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez speaks with Lascaris about what he’s seen in Iran, and the sides of war people in the West are not seeing.
Guest:
Dimitri Lascaris is an award-winning lawyer and journalist based in Montreal, Canada, and Kalamata, Greece. Lascaris was named by Canadian Lawyer Magazine as one of the 25 most influential lawyers in Canada, and by Canadian Business Magazine as one of the 50 most influential persons in Canadian business. For ten years, while practicing law, Lascaris served as a Board member of, and correspondent for, The Real News Network. He is now a freelance journalist and host of the YouTube channel Reason2Resist with Dimitri Lascaris, reporting on Western government criminality.
Additional links/info:
Reason2Resist with Dimitri Lascaris YouTube channel
Maximillian Alvarez & Dimitri Lascaris, TRNN, “This Canadian journalist is in Iran to show the sides of war corporate media won’t”
Credits:
Studio Production / Post-Production: Cameron Granadino
Transcript
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. A proofread version will be made available as soon as possible.
Maximillian Alvarez:
Welcome back to the Real News Network. I’m Maximillian Alvarez. So the US-Israeli war in Iran is now in its second
by Adam Johnson | Apr 5, 2026 | Article, Iran, Media Criticism, Opinion, Politics and Movements: International, Politics and Movements: US, War
The term “hostage” is broadly understood to be the illegitimate capture of a civilian in order to extract concessions from a government or military actor. A “prisoner of war” is broadly understood to be a combatant captured by an adversary in the course of a battle. The former conveys innocence on the part of the captured and illegitimacy, terrorism and criminality on the part of the capturer. The latter conveys a lawful and reasonable response to being attacked by another military actor. Thus, how and why our media is framing Iran’s response to the unprovoked attack by the US is of tremendous importance: any potential “hostage crisis” could be used to further escalate the conflict and rally public support behind increased military aggression on the part of the US-Israeli coalition.
So it’s noteworthy that the mere potential of a single American being captured by Iran is immediately being framed by western media as an illegitimate act of aggression on the part of the country he or she was bombing. Indeed, several major Western media outlets are already rushing to frame the capture of a prisoner of war as a “hostage”:
Times of London: “US fighter pilot feared to have been taken hostage by Iran”
BBC: “If the airman is taken hostage and images circulated, it will be a propaganda victory for Iran”
ABC News Australia: “If the missing pilot is taken hostage…” “A US pilot taken hostage…”
“US fighter pilot… taken hostage by Iran.” Let us stew in that Orwellian phrasing for a bit. Though they do not explicitly call the downed pilot is a “hostage,” the New York Times dutifully orients his capture squarely
