MLK, Qassem Soleimani and the Folly of American Exceptionalism
Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-11
In April 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. powerfully condemned U.S. militarism and the war in Indochina. His speech, "Beyond Vietnam," defied his closest advisers, who feared it would alienate war supporters within the white liberal establishment. I recommend it to all Americans whether they support or oppose the recent assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
counterpunch.org/2020/03/11/%e2%80%8b-mlk-qassem-soleimani-and-the-folly-of-american-exceptionalism/

US sanctions on Iran turn coronavirus into a catastrophe
wsws.org | 2020-03-11
Officials announced at the weekend that the virus had spread to most of Iran's provinces and warned that the number of cases could rise to more than 450,000.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/11/iran-m11.html

‚Äã MLK, Qassem Soleimani and the Folly of American Exceptionalism
Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-11
In April 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. powerfully condemned U.S. militarism and the war in Indochina. His speech, "Beyond Vietnam," defied his closest advisers, who feared it would alienate war supporters within the white liberal establishment. I recommend it to all Americans whether they support or oppose the recent assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
counterpunch.org/2020/03/11/%e2%80%8b-mlk-qassem-soleimani-and-the-folly-of-american-exceptionalism/

Nukes: The Unmentionable Election Issue
Mel Gurtov | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-11
One of these days, national security policy will get a few minutes of campaign debate time. And when that day occurs, perhaps–just perhaps–attention will turn to a matter of some urgency: the continuing threat posed by nuclear weapons. As both the US and Russia pursue MADness (mutually assured destruction) with steep investments in nuclear weapons,…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/11/nukes-the-unmentionable-election-issue/

Japanese PM Abe & Capitalist Governments Helped Escalate Coronavirus Epidemic
Organizing Committee of March 11 Anti-Nuclear | indybay.org | 2020-03-11
The Organizing Committee of March 11 Anti-Nuclear Power Plant Fukushima Action has warned that the Coronavirus outbreak is a man made disaster which is being used by the reactionary Abe government to prevent mass testing of the population. It has also stopped testing the people of Fukushima.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/08/18831360.php

Bahrain confirms 77 new coronavirus cases, toll at 188
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-11
The Bahraini Health Ministry on Wednesday confirmed 77 fresh coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of people infected in the country to 188.The ministry said in a statement that it examined Tuesday 165 citizens who were evacuated from Iran and 77 of whom tested positive for the virus.Bahrain took a number of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus, including the suspension of education and banning traveling to some countries.The Bahraini Foreign Ministry also called on all citizens not to travel to countries where the virus has spread, including Iran, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Sou…
yenisafak.com/en/world/bahrain-confirms-77-new-coronavirus-cases-toll-at-188-3513753

Death toll in Iran from coronavirus reaches 354
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-11
The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Iran rose to 354, state television reported on Wednesday.Authorities said 63 people died in the last 24 hours, while 958 new cases were found, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 9,000, Iran's semi-official TV news quoted Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour as saying.A total of 2,959 people have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the virus, it added.Turkey, which has just a single confirmed case of coronavirus, closed its land borders and suspended air travel to Iran last month.Besides China, Italy, and South Korea, Iran is the…
yenisafak.com/en/world/death-toll-in-iran-from-coronavirus-reaches-354-3513756

It Looks Like Biden or Trump. So What About Foreign Policies?
Brian Cloughley | iranian.com | 2020-03-11
Now that mega-billionaire Bloomberg has realised the impossibility of being president of the United States, he has put his money behind Democrat and former vice-president Joe Biden who looks likely to be going to-to-toe with Trump for election in November. At first glance, he seems a reasonable enough candidate, as Bernie Sanders, who is now …
iranian.com/2020/03/11/it-looks-like-biden-or-trump-so-what-about-foreign-policies/

The Odyssey of US Iranian Relations: From Solidarity to Imperialism
Manouchehr Hosseinzadeh | iranian.com | 2020-03-11
So wide and deep is the gap between the United States and Iran (at every level) that any prospect of normalization of ties, governmental or non-governmental seems dim at the best. One can mostly credit this to President Donald Trump and his dark antagonizing rhetoric and reckless policies, but there are also deeper scars that …
iranian.com/2020/03/10/the-odyssey-of-us-iranian-relations-from-solidarity-to-imperialism/

How Black Swans Are Shaping Planet Panic
Pepe Escobar | iranian.com | 2020-03-11
Is the planet under the spell of a range of Black Swans

Prisons Worldwide Face Coronavirus Crisis: Overcrowding, Lack of Sanitation & Labor at Slave Wages
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-10
As Italy went on lockdown, nearly 30 prisons across the country broke into riots Sunday and Monday after visitation rights were suspended in response to the outbreak. In a prison in southern Italy, a riot left at least six incarcerated people dead and caused 50 people to escape. Prisoners have reportedly lit fires, charged guards and even escaped at multiple facilities. This comes as the United Nations confirmed that coronavirus had reached Iran's prisons, as the number of cases there continues to soar. Iran has temporarily freed some 70,000 prisoners in response to the coronavirus. And concerns are growing about…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/10/coronavirus_in_prisons_jails

Prisons Worldwide Face Coronavirus Crisis: Overcrowding, Lack of Sanitation & Labor at Slave Wages
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-10
As Italy went on lockdown, nearly 30 prisons across the country broke into riots Sunday and Monday after visitation rights were suspended in response to the outbreak. In a prison in southern Italy, a riot left at least six incarcerated people dead and caused 50 people to escape. Prisoners have reportedly lit fires, charged guards and even escaped at multiple facilities. This comes as the United Nations confirmed that coronavirus had reached Iran's prisons, as the number of cases there continues to soar. Iran has temporarily freed some 70,000 prisoners in response to the coronavirus. And concerns are growing about…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/10/coronavirus_in_prisons_jails

1983 CIA Document Reveals Plan to Destroy Syria, Foreshadows Current Crisis
Brandon Turbeville | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-10
As the Syrian crisis enters its ninth year, the Donald Trump administration is looking more and more like the Obama administration every day. With the Trump regime refusing to open useful dialogue with Russia regarding Syria, it's obvious anti-Iran and …
globalresearch.ca/1983-cia-document-reveals-plan-destroy-syria-foreshadows-current-crisis-2/5705964

Prisons Worldwide Face Coronavirus Crisis From Overcrowding, Lack of Sanitation
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-10
As Italy went on lockdown, nearly 30 prisons across the country broke into riots Sunday and Monday after visitation rights were suspended in response to the outbreak. In a prison in southern Italy, a riot left at least six incarcerated people dead and caused 50 people to escape. Prisoners have reportedly lit fires, charged guards and even escaped at multiple facilities. This comes as the United Nations confirmed that coronavirus had reached Iran's prisons, as the number of cases there continue…
truthout.org/video/prisons-worldwide-face-coronavirus-crisis-from-overcrowding-lack-of-sanitation/

Contaminated water at nuclear plant still an issue ahead of Tokyo Olympics
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-03-10
Work to deal with contaminated water at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant continues as the Olympic Games approach.Inside a giant decontamination facility at the destroyed plant, workers in hazmat suits monitor radioactive water pumped from three damaged reactors.The decontamination process is a key element of a contentious debate over what should be done with the nearly 1.2 million tons of still-radioactive water being closely watched by governments and organisations around the world ahead of this summer's Tokyo Olympics.The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, or Tepco, says it needs to free up sp…
thecanary.co/global/world-news/2020/03/10/contaminated-water-at-nuclear-plant-still-an-issue-ahead-of-tokyo-olympics/

Contaminated water at nuclear plant still an issue ahead of Tokyo Olympics
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-03-10
Work to deal with contaminated water at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant continues as the Olympic Games approach.Inside a giant decontamination facility at the destroyed plant, workers in hazmat suits monitor radioactive water pumped from three damaged reactors.The decontamination process is a key element of a contentious debate over what should be done with the nearly 1.2 million tons of still-radioactive water being closely watched by governments and organisations around the world ahead of this summer's Tokyo Olympics.The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, or Tepco, says it needs to free up sp…
thecanary.co/global/world-news/2020/03/10/contaminated-water-at-nuclear-plant-still-an-issue-ahead-of-tokyo-olympics/

Why nuclear power must remain outlawed in Australia
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-03-10
Environment Jim GreenIssue 1257 Australia nuclear power uranium miningMarch 10, 2020Nuclear power is prohibited in Australia under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC…
greenleft.org.au/content/why-nuclear-power-must-remain-outlawed-australia

Russia Provoked Oil Price Fall to Protect its Markets from US Frackers, which could Collapse
Juan Cole | iranian.com | 2020-03-10
Last weekend, OPEC Plus, an expanded cartel of petroleum exporters, considered a plan for members to cut back on their oil production so as to support prices in the face of a slowing world economy owing to the novel coronavirus. The Russian Federation rejected the plan put forward by OPEC, insisting on continuing to export …
iranian.com/2020/03/10/russia-provoked-oil-price-fall-to-protect-its-markets-from-us-frackers-which-could-collapse/

Iranian Coronavirus test kits to go to domestic market as of March 21
Mehr News | iranian.com | 2020-03-10
Secretary of Biotechnology Development Headquarters of the Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology Mostafa Ghanei informed on Monday that Iranian knowledge-based companies will put their produced coronavirus test kits to the market next Iranian calendar month, Farvardin (Starting on March 21, 2020). As Ghanei, who is also a member of COVID-19 Scientific Committee, elaborated, the available test …
iranian.com/2020/03/10/iranian-coronavirus-test-kits-to-go-to-domestic-market-as-of-march-21/

Photos: IRGC Navy establishes portable hospital in Gilan
Mehr News | iranian.com | 2020-03-10
Responding to the outbreak of COVID-19, IRGC's Naval Force has set up a portable hospital in northern province of Gilan to treat patients infected by the new coronavirus.
iranian.com/2020/03/09/photos-irgc-navy-establishes-portable-hospital-in-gilan/

Iran Air resumes flights to Europe
IRNA | iranian.com | 2020-03-10
Iran Air flights to European destinations were resumed just after 48 hours they were canceled. All Iran Air flights to Europe will be done based on the schedule. In the wake of limitations set by the European Commission for Iran Air flights, the issue was followed up by Iran Air managing director and the Iranian …
iranian.com/2020/03/10/flights-to-european-destinations-were-resumed-just-after-48-hours-they-were-canceled/

Atomic agency cites concerns over Iran testing sites, offers COVID-19 assistance
news.un.org | 2020-03-09
Iran's nuclear capabilities moved back into the international spotlight on Monday as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that it had concerns about possible "undeclared nuclear material and nuclear-related activities" in unregistered locations there.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1059001

Chernobyl to Katrina: Pundits scramble to compare Trump's handling of coronavirus to previous catastrophes
rt.com | 2020-03-09
Media are comparing US President Donald Trump's (mis)handling of the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic to high-profile historical disasters, from the Chernobyl nuclear accident to Hurricane Katrina…and even the fall of Rome. | Pundits eager to see the end of Trump have rushed to compare what they view as his failure to properly deal with the coronavirus outbreak to legendary disasters from recent and ancient history, regardless of how well those disasters reflect current events. | The president himself retweeted a meme that was quickly interpreted as comparing himself to Emperor Nero, who supposedly fiddled whil…
rt.com/usa/482683-trump-katrina-chernobyl-media-coronavirus/

Iran 'a role model for world' in fight against Coronavirus: WHO
Tehran Times | iranian.com | 2020-03-09
Richard Brennan, the Regional Emergency Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region, has said countries in the region and all over the world should use Iran's experience as a role model in fight against the novel coronavirus. "Iran benefits from one of the strongest healthcare systems in the region. Iran has made …
iranian.com/2020/03/09/iran-a-role-model-for-world-in-fight-against-coronavirus-who/

Official: US Still Preventing Medications Imports by Iran
Fars News Agency | iranian.com | 2020-03-09
Iranian Parliament Speaker's Special Advisor for International Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian denounced American officials' hypocrisy in claiming readiness for help to counter the coronavirus, stressing that Tehran is still unable to import medical needs because of the US sanctions. "The US Treasury does not allow the imports of Iran's purchased medicine and medical equipment for treating …
iranian.com/2020/03/09/official-us-still-preventing-medications-imports-by-iran/

MbS Widens Purge: Dozens Of Royals, Officers Swept Up After Powerful Princes Arrested
Zero Hedge | iranian.com | 2020-03-08
Yesterday we predicted a return to MbS' infamous Ritz-Carlton Riyadh shakedown of 2017 after a dramatic Friday morning raid on the homes of King Salman's brother, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz al Saud, and Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz al Saud. All eyes are on the spread of the deadly coronavirus, so what better time to initiate a broader crackdown (or at …
iranian.com/2020/03/07/mbs-widens-purge-dozens-of-royals-and-army-officers-swept-up-after-powerful-princes-arrested/

A "win-win" over Afghanistan and Syria
M. K. Bhadrakumar | iranian.com | 2020-03-07
Two peace agreements within a week are a bit too much. Hot on the heels of the US-Taliban peace agreement signed in Doha on February 9, Russia and Turkey have signed a peace agreement over the Syrian conflict in Moscow on March 6. On the face of it, the two are unconnected events but they …
iranian.com/2020/03/06/a-win-win-over-afghanistan-and-syria/

Alibaba founder Jack Ma donates one million masks to Iran
IRNA | iranian.com | 2020-03-07
Chinese entrepreneur, industrialist and chief executive of Alibaba Group Jack Ma has announced the donation of one million masks to Iran. Jack Ma announced his decision in his Chinese-language Vibo account. Releasing images of several children hospitalized for coronavirus infection, he referred to the thousands of miles between China and Iran but said the huge distance …
iranian.com/2020/03/06/alibaba-founder-jack-ma-donates-one-million-masks-to-iran/

Another reason to love him: Bernie Sanders at home on his Persian carpet
The Iranian | iranian.com | 2020-03-06
iranian.com/2020/03/05/another-reason-to-love-him-bernie-sanders-at-home-on-his-persian-carpet/

Nuclear non-proliferation treaty an essential pillar for peace and security
news.un.org | 2020-03-05
Countries meeting in New York next month to review progress on nuclear non-proliferation are being urged by the UN Secretary-General to use the opportunity to strengthen global peace and security.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1058801

Death Toll Rises in Iran, Middle East Epicenter of Coronavirus, Amid U.S. Sanctions & Gov't Negligence
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-02
The official coronavirus death toll in Iran, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East, has risen to at least 54

Peace Action: Senate Reclaims War Powers to Thwart Iran War
Paul Kawika Martin | peaceaction.org | 2020-02-13
Washington, D.C.