Amid growing anger over criminal response to COVID-19 crisis, Washington threatens war
wsws.org | 2020-04-02
Trump issued threats against Iran and Venezuela yesterday, both weaponizing the pandemic and desperately seeking to divert mounting social tensions in the US itself.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/02/pers-a02.html

How COVID-19 turned into major health crisis in Iran
yenisafak.com | 2020-04-02
On Feb. 21, two days after the first two cases of the cataclysmic COVID-19 were reported in Iran's Qom city, I got a call from a friend in that city.He was planning his maiden trip to India during the New Year holiday and asked for my advices to finalize his itinerary."How is the situation in Qom, I heard about some virus outbreak there," I asked him. He appeared dismissive, saying it was a "common influenza" and there was no reason to press the panic button.Qom, a popular religious tourism destination some 100 miles south of the capital Tehran, is where the virus emerged in Iran on Feb. 19.The city reported the…
yenisafak.com/en/world/how-covid-19-turned-into-major-health-crisis-in-iran-3515768

Advancing Change in a Time of Disruption: Forging a New Pathway for Nature
Mari Margil | commondreams.org | 2020-04-01
A doctor checks the body temperature of a man returning from Iran at a quarantine zone to test for the COVID-19 coronavirus in the Pakistan-Iran border town of Taftan on February 25, 2020. (Photo: Banaras Khan/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-1203058618.png …
commondreams.org/views/2020/04/01/advancing-change-time-disruption-forging-new-pathway-nature?cd-origin=rss

'Upon information & belief': Trump warns of potential Iran 'sneak attack' on US forces in Iraq
rt.com | 2020-04-01
While both the US and Iran are battling coronavirus, belligerent words haven't been forgotten. President Donald Trump claimed Iran could be planning an attack on US forces in Iraq and warned it would pay a "very heavy price." | "Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on US troops and/or assets in Iraq," Trump warned on Twitter Wednesday afternoon. | He added that if such an attack happens, Iran will pay a "very heavy price." | Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq. If this happens, Iran will pay a…
rt.com/usa/484721-trump-iran-sneak-attack/

Cuba, Venezuela, Iran: U.S. imperialism wants to let them die
W. T. Whitney Jr. | peoplesworld.org | 2020-04-01
Carlos Fernández de Cossío, head of the U.S. desk at Cuba's Foreign Ministry, recently accused the U.S. government of "terrible moral decadence." He was reacting to U.S. threats against nations confronting the COVID-19 pandemic and assisted by Cuba. He was also criticizing poor pre-epidemic preparations in the United States. His critique strayed from Cuba's usual …
peoplesworld.org/article/cuba-venezuela-iran-u-s-imperialism-wants-to-let-them-die/

Despite Calls for Global Ceasefire, Trump Threatens War With Iran Amid COVID-19
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-04-01
"Unsatisfied with a global pandemic and an economic collapse, Trump wants to add a major war into the mix." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump-threat-iran-tweet.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2020/04/01/despite-calls-global-ceasefire-trump-threatens-war-iran-amid-covid-19?cd-origin=rss

The Quiet and Lethal Wars Against Iran
Ted Snider | iranian.com | 2020-04-01
Some wars are fought with bombs and bullets. These are the wars in Syria and Iraq, in Afghanistan and Yemen. Then there are quieter wars executed by drone. These cowardly wars also kill people, but not our people. These quieter wars accomplish what the more cacophonous wars accomplish without the public outcry and condemnation. Medical …
iranian.com/2020/03/31/the-quiet-and-lethal-wars-against-iran/

US wrong if it thinks virus will stop China in Iran: Analysis
Press TV | iranian.com | 2020-04-01
China's long-running pursuit of infrastructure projects in Iran is set to continue despite intensified US sanctions as the Islamic Republic battles the novel coronavirus, analysts say. China is Iran's largest crude oil customer and a top trade partner. It regards the Middle Eastern powerhouse a key destination in China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative involving …
iranian.com/2020/04/01/us-wrong-if-it-thinks-virus-will-stop-china-in-iran-analysis/

Iranian foreign ministry's "SANCTION" graphic beamed tonight on Azadi Tower in Tehran
The Iranian | iranian.com | 2020-04-01
iranian.com/2020/03/31/iranian-foreign-ministrys-sanction-graphic-beamed-tonight-on-azadi-tower-in-tehran/

On the Need for Dissent and Debate in These Urgent Times
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2020-03-31
On the Need for Dissent and Debate in These Urgent Times…
thenation.com/article/politics/dissent-debate-massie-aoc/

Official: Many EU states back Iran's $5b loan bid from IMF
IRNA | iranian.com | 2020-03-31
Iran's Vice President for Economic Affairs Mohammad Nahavandian said many EU states back Iran's $5b loan bid from the International Monetary Fund, adding that more serious efforts have been made for releasing country's foreign exchange reserves in other countries. Speaking in a live TV program, Nahavandian elaborated on the government's relief package to help the …
iranian.com/2020/03/30/official-many-eu-states-back-irans-5b-loan-bid-from-imf/

Germany confirms first INSTEX transaction
IRNA | iranian.com | 2020-03-31
The Federal Foreign Office of Germany in a tweet confirmed the first transaction with Iran through the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX) on Tuesday. The Federal Foreign Office of Germany wrote in its Twitter page, "France, Germany and the United Kingdom confirm that INSTEX has successfully concluded its first transaction, facilitating the export …
iranian.com/2020/03/31/germany-confirms-first-instex-transaction/

World Suffering Less from Coronavirus Crisis & More from an America Crisis
John Wight | iranian.com | 2020-03-31
In his 1948 classic novel "The Plague," which tells the story of the fictional outbreak of a rat-borne plague in the Algerian port city of Oran under French colonialism, French writer and thinker Albert Camus explores the way the plague and ensuing crisis taps into the very best and worst of the human condition. The current …
iranian.com/2020/03/30/world-suffering-less-from-coronavirus-crisis-more-from-an-america-crisis/

Japanese People Send Iranians Messages of Love & Support During COVID-19 Pandemic
The Iranian | iranian.com | 2020-03-31
iranian.com/2020/03/31/japanese-people-send-iranians-messages-of-love-support-during-covid-19-pandemic/

Blast Halts Iran's Gas Exports to Turkey
Tasnim News | iranian.com | 2020-03-31
Iran's natural gas exports to Turkey have stopped following an explosion on a pipeline near their joint border, an official at the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) said on Tuesday. "The explosion occurred near the Iranian border, causing gas to be halted from 6: 50 (0320 GMT) this morning," Mehdi Jamshidi-Dana said, Press TV reported. The …
iranian.com/2020/03/31/blast-halts-irans-gas-exports-to-turkey/

Origins of COVID-19: Russia quizzes US on coronavirus' parentage
M. K. Bhadrakumar | iranian.com | 2020-03-30
All through the recent weeks since US President Donald Trump coined the epithet "China virus" to rename Coronavirus, Moscow kept a deafening silence. Finally, on Sunday, March 29, Moscow broke that silence. That the first Russian statement came at the level of the Russian foreign ministry makes this particularly significant. In an exclusive remark, a …
iranian.com/2020/03/29/origins-of-covid-19-russia-quizzes-us-on-coronavirus-parentage/

'Need Our Help?' Iran's IRGC Mocks US For Now Leading World In COVID-19 Cases
Zero Hedge | iranian.com | 2020-03-30
On the same day the United States leveled yet more sanctions against the Islamic Republic, blacklisting 20 Iran- and Iraq-based companies, officials and individuals for supporting terrorism, leaders in Tehran took to publicly mocking the US for now being the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. As of Friday evening numbers of US confirmed cases …
iranian.com/2020/03/29/need-our-help-irans-irgc-mocks-us-for-now-leading-world-in-covid-19-cases/

In a 10-Day Span, ICE Flew This Iranian Detainee Across the Country Nine Times
ProPublica | iranian.com | 2020-03-30
Less than two weeks ago, the Trump administration urged Americans to avoid nonessential travel to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Major airlines slashed their routes. All the while, Sirous Asgari took nine different flights around the country. None of them was by choice. Asgari bounced around on chartered jets from Louisiana to Texas to …
iranian.com/2020/03/30/in-a-10-day-span-ice-flew-this-iranian-detainee-across-the-country-nine-times/

Iran Develops Thermal Camera to Help Identify Corona Cases
Tehran Times | iranian.com | 2020-03-30
The CEO of an Iranian knowledge-based company announced the manufacturing of a thermo-imaging machine, emphasizing that major parts of the machine are produced domestically. "We can produce the machine as much as there is need in the country", Mohsen Karegar said, adding, "We have succeeded in making the thermo-imaging machine with a group of 5 …
iranian.com/2020/03/30/iran-makes-thermal-camera-to-help-identify-corona-cases/

Photos: Tehran In Silence As It Fights COVID-19
IRNA | iranian.com | 2020-03-30
The Iranian authorities announced the launch of a one-week social distancing plan amid the coronavirus epidemic across the country. Tehran residents respect the social distancing rules due to the serious outbreak of the deadly coronavirus.
iranian.com/2020/03/29/photos-tehran-in-silence-as-it-fights-covid-19/

[Correspondence] COVID-19 cacophony: is there any orchestra conductor?
Antoine Flahault | thelancet.com | 2020-03-28
The first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is currently invading the world, and several countries are now struggling to fight it or trying to delay its start to help smooth its peak size for the purpose of lowering morbidity and mortality, and thereby reduce the overall tension on their health-care system. China's first major outbreaks of COVID-19 happened in January, 2020. Then South Korea, Iran, and Italy entered into this Ravel's Bolero-like epidemic in late February and early March, 2020, and many other countries are preparing to play the same rhythmic pattern in the coming days and weeks.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30491-8/fulltext?rss=yes

[Editorial] COVID-19: learning from experience
The Lancet | thelancet.com | 2020-03-28
Over the past 2 weeks, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has marched relentlessly westward. On March 13, WHO said that Europe was now the centre of the pandemic. A few days later, deaths in Italy surpassed those in China. Iran and Spain had also reported over 1000 deaths as of March 23, and many other European countries and the USA reported increasing numbers of cases, heralding an imminent wave of fatalities. Following the sweep of COVID-19 is a series of dramatic containment measures that reflect the scale of the threat posed by the pandemic.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30686-3/fulltext?rss=yes

[Editorial] Learning the lessons of Chernobyl: time is running out
The Lancet | thelancet.com | 2020-03-28
Unit number 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded on April 26, 1986, causing radiation injuries to hundreds of people within a couple of weeks. High levels of radiation affected clean-up workers (liquidators) involved in the emergency response, more than 500‚Äà000 liquidators involved in later decontamination and containment, and the general population in the surrounding Soviet states. 116‚Äà000 people were evacuated, 220‚Äà000 were permanently relocated, and a 30 km exclusion zone still exists around the plant.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30687-5/fulltext?rss=yes

[Obituary] Aron Goldhirsch
Andrew Green | thelancet.com | 2020-03-28
Medical oncologist specialising in breast cancer. Born on April 25, 1946, in Landsberg am Lech, Germany, he died on Feb 26, 2020, in Lugano, Switzerland, aged 73 years.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30642-5/fulltext?rss=yes

[Correspondence] COVID-19 battle during the toughest sanctions against Iran
Amirhossein Takian, Azam Raoofi, Sara Kazempour-Ardebili | thelancet.com | 2020-03-18
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly throughout the world. WHO declared the outbreak a global pandemic on March 11, 2020.1 In Iran, the first official announcement of deaths from COVID-19 was made on Feb 19, 2020. As of March 16, 2020, 14‚Äà991 people have been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and 853 people have died from COVID-19. 4996 people have recovered.2…
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30668-1/fulltext?rss=yes

[Correspondence] Future of Chernobyl research: the urgency for consolidated action
Evgenia Ostroumova, Joachim Schàºz, Ausrele Kesminiene | thelancet.com | 2020-03-18
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster on April 26, 1986, continues to create fears and myths about its health consequences, as shown by the large response to a top-rated HBO miniseries devoted to the tragic event. Risk assessments range from recognising an increase in thyroid cancer incidence in exposed children and adolescents (becoming one of the single most established long-term health effects of the Chernobyl disaster on the general population), to claims of hundreds of thousands of deaths due to the accident.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30675-9/fulltext?rss=yes

Latest U.S. Military Strikes Are as Reckless as they are Cruel
Lilly Dragnev | peaceaction.org | 2020-03-13
Washington, D.C.

Congress Sends Bipartisan Bill to Trump Rebuking Iran War
Paul Kawika Martin | peaceaction.org | 2020-03-11
Washington, D.C.