Iran ; explosions across Tehran following Israeli and US strikes, 28 February 2026

[bearfossils]

I thought the Iranian people on the street had been begging for the support of the USA.

Have you ever talked to an actual Arab person who lives in the region? Most of them have no faith in the United States, whose intervention has almost never benefited them or changed their experience for the better. Especially when members of the American military are being told this war is, “for ‘Armageddon’, and the return of Jesus”. Violent military intervention in the Middle East is almost always driven by American imperialistic and capitalistic desires.

 

[CSIDreamer]

It is our shared national tragedy.... many many of us had connections of some sort or another...
I was working in Boston, and had colleagues with relatives who were on the planes.
We have all stayed tight over all these years, becauseof that pain.
BUT the nation obviously did not experience it first hand. But you in New York City did.

The affects were long lasting.
But the attack was not.

We are still a country of no internal attacks that lasted time and ruined people and their way of life.

I now know people and am reading journalists talking about many wonderful Iranians that they know.
I sense we are to think of Iran, and by inclusion, all Iranians as one big grey block of a desert.

If we see long lasting bombing and blasting of Iranian civilians, the US and I should be considered barbarians.

That's really thought provoking, thank you.

I remember saying to someone "gosh, the US was a no fly zone for awhile". Our government acted swiftly to protect us.

When we recall all the emotions, the fear, the sadness, the OUTRAGE of "how dare they" we must remember that MILLIONS of innocent Iranians have lived under this brutal regime of tens of thousands of deaths, fear, sadness . . . for their *entire* lives. They literally have no lived frame of reference for anything but terror.

I pray the US and Israel can help pave the path to a new freedom for them.

I know what fearing loss of freedom on 911 felt like. I cannot imagine what Iranians that are old enough to remember life prior to a terrorist regime are feeling right now. Hope maybe? May they not be disappointed.

JMO

 

[PrairieWind]

Have you ever talked to an actual Arab person who lives in the region? Most of them have no faith in the United States, whose intervention has almost never benefited them or changed their experience for the better. Especially when members of the American military are being told this war is, “for ‘Armageddon’, and the return of Jesus”. Violent military intervention in the Middle East is almost always driven by American imperialistic and capitalistic desires.

Iranians are not Arabs. Did you know that? Most Iranians do indeed have a favorable view of America. As for Arab nations, most seek now what is best for them. They know friendship with the US is helpful, Iran is harmful. Many neighbors of Israel had learned to seek peace and be prosperous. But Iran would NEVER accept that. The regime sought endless war to expand the revolution. Much of the Muslim world in the ME has simply grown tired of this.

 

[Skigh]

That's really thought provoking, thank you.

I remember saying to someone "gosh, the US was a no fly zone for awhile". Our government acted swiftly to protect us.

When we recall all the emotions, the fear, the sadness, the OUTRAGE of "how dare they" we must remember that MILLIONS of innocent Iranians have lived under this brutal regime of tens of thousands of deaths, fear, sadness . . . for their *entire* lives. They literally have no lived frame of reference for anything but terror.

I pray the US and Israel can help pave the path to a new freedom for them.

I know what fearing loss of freedom on 911 felt like. I cannot imagine what Iranians that are old enough to remember life prior to a terrorist regime are feeling right now. Hope maybe? May they not be disappointed.

JMO

My recommendation to you is to make a very simple Google search about why Iranians do not think they are Arabs .

 

[bearfossils]

Iranians are not Arabs. Did you know that? Most Iranians do indeed have a favorable view of America. As for Arab nations, most seek now what is best for them. They know friendship with the US is helpful, Iran is harmful. Many neighbors of Israel had learned to seek peace and be prosperous. But Iran would NEVER accept that. The regime sought endless war to expand the revolution. Much of the Muslim world in the ME has simply grown tired of this.

Iranians are not Arabic? LOL. Whatever you say. Literally every Persian I’ve known and grown up with would disagree. I have many close friends who are Arabic, and they would be disgusted by what you posted. Especially the loved ones I know in Lebanon and other nearby countries who have suffered under the violence from American imperialism for generations. None of them bother with the biased news in the West, so your assertions are ridiculous.

 

[bearfossils]

My recommendation to you is to make a very simple Google search about why Iranians do not think they are Arabs .

I don’t need to “Google search” an opinion when I have Iranian and Persian Americans who are close friends, family members, and people I know.

 

[Skigh]

I don’t need to “Google search” an opinion when I have Iranian and Persian Americans who are close friends, family members, and people I know.

Maybe you need a greater perspective than a few friends and family members.

 

[ab01]

Iranians are not Arabic? LOL. Whatever you say. Literally every Persian I’ve known and grown up would disagree. I have many close friends who are Arabic, and they would be disgusted by what you posted. Especially the loved ones I know in Lebanon and other nearby countries who have suffered under the violence from American imperialism for generations. None of them bother with the biased news in the West, so your assertions are ridiculous.

No, Iran is not an Arab country
While located in the Middle East and having a Muslim-majority population, Iran is predominantly Persian in ethnicity and culture. Iranians speak Persian (Farsi), which is an Indo-European language, not Arabic. Iran's identity is rooted in ancient Persian civilization.

In fact they don’t even practice the same sect of the Muslim religion. Iran is predominantly Shia Muslim.

Most Arab Countries are Sunni Muslim.

 

[PrairieWind]

Iranians are not Arabic? LOL. Whatever you say. Literally every Persian I’ve known and grown up with would disagree. I have many close friends who are Arabic, and they would be disgusted by what you posted. Especially the loved ones I know in Lebanon and other nearby countries who have suffered under the violence from American imperialism for generations. None of them bother with the biased news in the West, so your assertions are ridiculous.

Wow. Just, wow.

 

[missy1974]

My recommendation to you is to make a very simple Google search about why Iranians do not think they are Arabs .

Thanks, I did this... and the top 2 results are:

Why is Iran not an Arab country? Persian vs Arab identity explained

Iran is often grouped with Arab nations, but it is not an Arab country. Its people are largely Persian, its language is Farsi, and its history stretches back to ancient empires long before Islam. Here’s a clear guide to Persian and Arab identity.

www.indiatoday.in

MYTH vs. FACT: Persians and Arabs — American Iranian Council

MYTH : Persians and Arabs are one-and-the-same. FACT : Persians and Arabs are two distinct ethnic groups – two peoples with different languages, cultures, and histories. Properly grasping this distinction is critical to any understanding of Iran and its dynamic role in

www.us-iran.org

 

[JennieM]

UK to send Royal Navy warship HMS Dragon to Cyprus​

IMAGE SOURCE, AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Image caption, HMS Dragon is one of the Royal Navy's six Type 45 air defence destroyers

The UK government will deploy a Royal Navy warship to the Mediterranean to bolster security around RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.

Sir Keir Starmer said HMS Dragon - a Type 45 Destroyer - will be sent to the region following criticism from the Cypriot government about a lack of air defence as the Middle East war continues to spiral.

The prime minister said he had spoken with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides to let him know the UK is also "sending helicopters with counter drone capabilities".

HMS Dragon: UK to send Royal Navy warship to Cyprus, Starmer confirms

The prime minister said the "UK is fully committed to the security of Cyprus and British military personnel based" on RAF Akrotiri.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[JennieM]

50m ago
France will deploy anti-missile and anti-drone systems to Cyprus, the Mediterranean island’s government said, following a drone attack on a British base.

After four Greek F-16 fighter jets arrived on the island and two Greek frigates set sail for Cypriot waters, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said Cyprus had secured additional backing from key EU partners.

“France’s assistance has been finalised and concerns a frigate equipped with anti-ballistic and anti-drone systems,” he said.

Middle East crisis live: Israel launches fresh attacks on Tehran and across Lebanon

Israeli airforce attacking cities simultaneously with a ‘wave of extensive strikes’ as soldiers are deployed on the ground in southern Lebanon

www.theguardian.com

 

[Yellowbelly]

'Not Winston Churchill we're dealing with': Trump renews attack on PM

The US President took a fresh swipe at Sir Keir as he continued to fume at the PM's initial refusal to allow American bombers to use British bases to strike Iran.

www.dailymail.co.uk

On this, Sir Keir is in step with public opinion. I'm rather more hawkish with regards to Iran, but there we are.

Do you support or oppose the military action that the United States has taken against Iran? | Daily Question

Do you support or oppose the military action that the United States has taken against Iran?

yougov.com

 

[JennieM]

1h ago
Oman’s foreign minister reaffirmed on Tuesday his country’s call for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict between Iran and the US and Israel and a return to responsible regional diplomacy.

“There are off-ramps available, let’s use them,” Badr Albusaidi said in a post on X.

The Gulf country had been mediating talks between Iran and the United States before the Israeli and US airstrikes began on Saturday.

Middle East crisis live: Israel launches fresh attacks on Tehran and across Lebanon

Israeli airforce attacking cities simultaneously with a ‘wave of extensive strikes’ as soldiers are deployed on the ground in southern Lebanon

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

On this, Sir Keir is in step with public opinion. I'm rather more hawkish with regards to Iran, but there we are.

Do you support or oppose the military action that the United States has taken against Iran? | Daily Question

Do you support or oppose the military action that the United States has taken against Iran?

yougov.com

I would love to see Churchill dealing with Trump.

 

[Skigh]

I would love to see Churchill dealing with Trump.

I would so love Churchill to deal with Starmer !!

 

[JennieM]

1h ago

Damien Gayle

Israel and the US’s war on Iran is just days old, yet it is already unfolding as an environmental catastrophe that will reverberate across the region for years to come.

As the death toll mounts, so too is the devastation from oil spills from damaged supertankers, heavy metal contamination from bombed military sites and leaks of volatile chemicals from damaged fossil energy infrastructure.

A rapid environmental assessment by researchers from the Conflict and Environment Observatory (Ceobs) identified 120 individual incidents of environmental harm in the first 72 hours following the surprise attack on Iranon Saturday night.

“Three days in and we’re already seeing pollution incidents that are placing people and ecosystems at risk of acute and chronic harm, as well as trends that could lead to substantial environmental harm as the war continues,” Ceobs’s report says.

Researchers from Ceobs searched social and mass media for incidents before undertaking a verification and remote environmental assessment of each.

[…]

Middle East crisis live: Israel launches fresh attacks on Tehran and across Lebanon

Israeli airforce attacking cities simultaneously with a ‘wave of extensive strikes’ as soldiers are deployed on the ground in southern Lebanon

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

I would so love Churchill to deal with Starmer !!

Really? Starmer is your problem?

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Anthropic’s artificial intelligence models are being used to support the U.S. military’s operations in Iran, even after the company was blacklisted by the Trump administration, according to a source familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the details are confidential.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth designated Anthropic a “supply-chain risk to national security” on Friday after weeks of tense negotiations about how its AI models can be used. Trump also directed every federal agency in the U.S. to “immediately cease” all use of Anthropic’s technology

Iran live updates: Trump denies Israel pulled U.S. into war, says he 'might have forced Israel's hand'

Follow the latest news after the U.S. and Israel launched a massive attack on Iran that killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

www.cnbc.com

 

[Skigh]

Really? Starmer is your problem?

I think he is many people in the U.K's problem!!