Tag Archive for: Peace Through Strength

VIDEO: Extortion 17 — 15th Year Anniversary. Never Forget Our ‘Fallen Angels’!

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On August 6, 2011 – three months after members of Navy SEAL Team Six killed Osama Bin Laden – Taliban forces took down a United States helicopter, call sign Extortion 17. 

The attack killed the Air National Guard crew, seven unidentified members of the Afghan military, and 17 members of Navy SEAL Team Six – warrior brothers from the same team that had killed Osama Bin Laden just 90 days prior. Were the seven Afghan soldiers aboard that helicopter really undercover Taliban who either maneuvered the chopper within easy range of being shot down or sabotaged it from within?

Were the SEALs sacrificed on the altar of political correctness and deliberately flown into a known Taliban hot zone?

Don Brown, a former US Navy JAG officer stationed at the Pentagon and a former special assistant United States attorney, re-creates the wartime action, tells the life stories of the elite warriors our nation lost on that day and tears apart the official military explanation of the incident contained in the infamous Colt Report, which reveals either gross incompetence or a massive cover-up.

©2026 . All rights reserved.

President Trump on Fox & Friends: America’s Unrelenting Strength Keeps Maximum Pressure on Iran

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This morning on Fox & Friends, President Donald J. Trump delivered a clear, uncompromising update on U.S. operations against Iran. President Trump detailed total naval control of the Strait of Hormuz, unmatched U.S. intelligence and strike readiness, and a firm strategy that keeps maximum pressure on the Iranian regime while leaving the door open to a deal that serves American interests.

  • President Trump underscored Iran’s bad-faith tactics in negotiations: “For some reason, we can be in the midst of a beautiful discussion and they’ll come out and say, ‘We’re not talking’ or ‘we didn’t discuss nuclear.’ Well, that’s all we discussed because they’ll never have a nuclear weapon. They understand that.” (Watch)
  • President Trump confirmed U.S. intelligence and readiness to act on Pickaxe Mountain: “Because of Space Force, we have the greatest cameras in the world focused — we know exactly what’s going on. But no, I heard Bibi announce that. I said, ‘Why don’t you just tell it to me? Why do you have to announce it to the world?’ I know exactly what’s going on at Pickaxe. It’s not a big problem. We took out their nuclear sites and we’ll have to take out Pickaxe if we don’t make a deal. If we don’t make a deal, we’ll take it out very easily.” (Watch)
  • President Trump addressed different perspectives while affirming his clear strategy: “You have a lot of competing factions. You have a group of people that want it to be obliterated in the truest sense of the word, then you have a group that says, ‘This is actually a good time to make a deal for them. If they don’t make a deal, then I go back and I finish the job’ — but that’s going to take them forever to rebuild. Already, it’ll take them many years to ever to rebuild.” (Watch)
  • President Trump detailed America’s overwhelming capacity to dismantle Iranian infrastructure if necessary: “I could take out most of their bridges in less than an hour — less than an hour — but it takes them ten years to build a bridge. Bridges take the longest and power plants are second. I can knock out the power plants; within one day, all of their power plants would be gone… I think about 91 million people without power, without bridges — they have to live — and it’s a very, very delicate balance. So, I think we have a very strong position right now. They know I’m going to do that if they don’t make a deal… If I can avoid doing that, I’d like to do that.” (Watch)
  • President Trump contrasted decades of prior inaction with his decisive leadership: “For 50 years, other Presidents should have done this job and they never did anything. Obama actually paid them billions of dollars — the opposite! He thought he could bribe his way into friendship and they went out and tried to develop nuclear missiles and nuclear weapons from it… For 50 years, other Presidents should have done this job. It would have been a lot easier.” (Watch)
  • President Trump asserted total U.S. control of the Strait of Hormuz: “We have a blockade up there right now, and only ships that we want to get through get through. Iran doesn’t control the Strait. We control the Strait. Now, they can drop a couple of mines in there and screw things up, but we control the Strait. Our Navy is incredible; not one ship has gotten to Iran during any time where we had the blockade.” (Watch)
  • President Trump emphasized the blockade’s effectiveness and zero tolerance for broken deals: “We have a blockade that’s so powerful that nobody can get through. They tried, three or four of them tried over the last week. But we opened the blockade because we had the confines of a deal… then we put it back because they broke the deal. They break the deal. We cannot have them break deals anymore.” (Watch)

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©2026 . All rights reserved.

Latest Skirmish Demonstrates Why Iran Is Still the Bad Guy

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Nearly a month after President Trump informed Congress that the Iran war is “terminated,” the belligerents continue to routinely trade fire in the Persian Gulf, as Iran refuses to abide by the ceasefire. The latest exchange of fire came Tuesday, resulting in one death and dozens of injuries after an Iranian missile struck civilian infrastructure in a country not at war with it. Iran is clearly the “bad guy,” but the breathless denunciations so freely hurled at the first insinuation of Israeli misconduct are strangely absent on the Left.

The skirmish began with Iran firing one-way attack drones at civilian shipping in the Persian Gulf. U.S. Central Command shot down three of the drones and responded with strikes on Iranian ground control stations on Qeshm Island.

After that, Iran launched a volley of projectiles toward Bahrain, home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet. Bahrain’s air defenses “intercepted and destroyed three missiles and a number of drones,” with no damage resulting.

Iran also launched a volley toward Kuwait, where the U.S. operates several military bases. Two missiles failed to reach their targets, and some were intercepted, but Kuwait had to deal with a total of 13 missiles and 17 drones.

One missile that was not intercepted crashed into Kuwait’s international airport at dawn, causing “severe material damage” and suspending air traffic. Clearly, the missile was not aimed at a U.S. military base, which would have been a legitimate military target. The Iranian attack killed one Indian national and injured 63 other people in the airport. It sounds like an open-and-shut war crime — or at least it would be, for anyone named “Israel.”

For their part, Iran pointed fingers at the U.S. Earlier on Tuesday, an American aircraft fired a missile into the engine room of a sanctioned oil tanker trying to run the U.S. blockade and reach Iran’s Kharg Island, its oil export hub. Iran claimed that it launched drones at ships in the Persian Gulf in response to this incident, and that it launched missile barrages at Bahrain and Kuwait in response to America’s retaliatory strikes.

By even issuing such an explanation, Iran continues to insult the world’s intelligence by insisting that they fall for a patent lie. Seizing or disabling ships that try to run a blockade is a basic function of maintaining a naval blockade. If there were no hazard to venturing past the U.S. Navy, then the presence of its ships would not slow traffic, and if it never made good on its threats to use force against ships that tried to slip past, then the threat of force would lose its effect.

Iran understands how this game is played. In fact, it previously blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, creating a precedent to justify America’s action. The entry to the Persian Gulf is like a high-stakes version of the playground game “sharks and minnows.” The shadowy fleet of ships aligned with Iran wants to slip past the powerful American sharks, but they understand that anyone who gets tagged in the attempt must be considered “out.”

Of course, in such a playground game, it would be entirely inappropriate for a child who was tagged out to stamp off in a huff and “retaliate” against the kid who tagged him by punching the tagger’s little sister in the face. It would be even more bizarre if he stamped off and punched some random little girl in the face and claimed that it was in retaliation. Such a child would face severe consequences, parents would be involved, and charges might even be filed. Certainly, a cloud would hang over his participation in future games.

Yet this is what Iran did Tuesday — and what it has done repeatedly and consistently since February 28. Iran’s war is with the U.S. and Israel. Yet it has fired the majority of its projectiles at defenseless shipping from unrelated nations and neutral Arab countries around the region. These are — and continued to be — unjustified acts of war, naked aggression.

The sovereign state of Iran immediately resorted to the mewling tactics of a lowly terror group — like the network of terror groups it funds. Instead of playing by the rules everyone agrees to, Iran simply delights in sadistically inflicting maximum punishment on as many people as possible. Not only that, but Iran continues to violate the ceasefire while refusing to agree to reasonable terms.

The only conclusion to draw from this situation is that Iran is the “bad guy,” which every rational American already understood Iran to be.

Yet many leftists are not acting like Iran is the “bad guy.” The loud and omnipresent denunciations of Israel — heard for the past two years in every college, urban center, street protest, and even some political campaigns — are totally lacking. Yet, compared with Iran, Israel conducts wars with the care and gentleness of Mr. Rogers.

Where are the cries of genocide, of war crimes, of demands to use America’s full power to end the evil regime? They are not there. Does this mean there is a double standard for Israel? There seems to be no other explanation. And the word for such a double standard is “anti-Semitism.”

On Wednesday, House Democrats carried a resolution to force the president to end the Iran war, with support from four Republicans. The resolution perpetuates the charade of pretending that Iran is a normal state that plays by the rules, not one that lost every play in the war and still demands to be called the victor by cheating.

Yes, Iran is certainly the “bad guy.” Will we let the bad guy win?

AUTHOR

Joshua Arnold

Joshua Arnold is a senior writer at The Washington Stand.

RELATED ARTICLE: Iran Strikes Kuwaiti International Airport, Kills One Dozens Wounded

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2026 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Explainer: How Far Have the U.S. and Iran Moved toward Ending the Iran War?

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LONDON/DUBAI, (Reuters) — The United States and Iran have reached an agreement to extend a ceasefire, allow shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and lift a U.S. blockade and some sanctions on Iran, sources told Reuters, but the deal has not been finalized.

An agreement would represent a big step towards ending a war that has pushed the world towards an energy crisis, though the underlying dispute over Iran’s nuclear program would only be thrashed out in talks over subsequent weeks.

Where Are the Discussions Now?

Following a ceasefire in early April, the two sides have remained at odds on issues including Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Israel’s war in Lebanon with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia, and Tehran’s demands for the lifting of sanctions and the release of frozen assets.

After weeks of mainly indirect talks, four sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday that the U.S. and Iran had agreed a memorandum of understanding that would halt the war and give negotiators 60 days to reach a final deal.

However, both sides have said several times before that they believed an agreement was close but without ever concluding an agreement. The position of Israel, which launched the air war on Iran on February 28 alongside the United States, is central to any deal but its role in the agreement is unclear.

U.S. President Donald Trump has not yet approved the deal, according to the sources. Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday: “We’re not there, but we’re very close and we’re going to keep working on it.”

Iran has not yet formally commented, but the semi-official Tasnim news agency cited a source close to the negotiating team as saying the text of the agreement had not yet been finalized or confirmed.

Iranian sources have previously said a framework deal is only about ending the war on all fronts, establishing a 30-day framework for international and Iranian movement through the Strait of Hormuz and possibly providing some financial relief.

There would then be negotiations on the more difficult issues, such as the status of Iran?’s highly enriched uranium and details concerning the strait, and the sequencing of the many points in the preliminary deal such as sanctions relief and security.

The last deal over the nuclear program – struck in 2015 and torn up by Trump in 2018 – took years of negotiations between large teams of technical experts.

What Are The Main Issues?

Hormuz And Gulf Blockade

Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for a fifth of global supplies of oil and liquefied natural gas, has pushed up oil prices. Reopening the strait is the U.S. priority and Iran’s main point of leverage, but it could take time.

Many vessels are stuck in the Gulf and Iran says it has laid some sea mines that could be difficult to locate.

The U.S. blockade on Iranian ports is hitting Iran’s own exports and state revenue. Lifting this is one of Tehran’s main goals. A sensitive issue could be how far U.S. forces withdraw.

Nuclear

The U.S. says it believes Iran wants to build a nuclear bomb. Iran has always denied this, saying its atomic program is for peaceful purposes only. The focus is on its enrichment of uranium, which generates fuel for nuclear power but can also make material for a warhead.

The nuclear question is extremely complicated. Iran might eventually agree to dilute part of its highly enriched uranium in a friendly country into uranium enriched to 5% purity and then have it returned, Iranian sources said.

But many other issues would still need to be addressed: how long the nuclear program would be halted, whether nuclear sites would be dismantled, what happens to stockpiles of uranium enriched to 20% and 5%, the future of Iran?’s advanced centrifuges and research and development programs and the rules governing an inspections regime, among others.

Ballistic Missiles

A prominent U.S. demand before the war was that Iran limit the range of its ballistic missiles so that they could not reach Israel. Iran has always said its right to conventional weapons is non-negotiable and that it still has a large arsenal.

Sanctions and Frozen Assets

Iran’s economy has been hurt by sanctions for years, contributing to the nationwide unrest in January. Tehran badly needs them to be lifted and tens of billions of dollars of Iranian oil revenues frozen in foreign banks to be released. It also wants reparations for war damage.

The United States has resisted this, with Trump having lambasted former president Barack Obama for having returned some frozen assets to Iran under the 2015 nuclear deal. Some media have reported that the latest draft agreement would include an investment program for Iran.

Lebanon

Iran has repeatedly said that Israel’s war against its main ally Hezbollah in Lebanon must be included in any deal. Israel and Lebanon agreed a ceasefire last month but both Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other of repeated violations and Israel’s military is ramping up its campaign in southern Lebanon. Israel would oppose any U.S.-Iran agreement that limits its ability to act in Lebanon.

(Reporting by Parisa Hafezi; Writing by Angus McDowall and Michael Georgy; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Philippa Fletcher)

AUTHOR

Reuters

RELATED ARTICLES:

Critically Thinking about Iran: Some facts to consider when negotiating a peace deal

To Deal, or Not to Deal?

Iranian Cry De Profundis: We Want War to Liberate Us From Tyranny 

U.S. Launches Fresh Defensive Strikes Against Iran

RELATED VIDEO: This Is TERRIFYING… Something INSANE Is Hiding Inside Trump’s Deal With Iran

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with perrmission. ©All rights reserved.

Critically Thinking about Iran: Some facts to consider when negotiating a peace deal

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President Trump was scheduled to meet with his cabinet today, concerning the Iran issue, and then plans changed… If I were there, I would say: “Before proceeding, let’s see if we can all agree on some basic facts.” I would then propose the following…

Fact #1:

Over the last four decades, Iran has been an aggressive supporter of frequent, widespread terrorism worldwide.

Fact #2:

Over the last four decades, the government of Iran has killed 100,000+ Iranian citizens in a ruthless effort to maintain its power.

Fact #3:

Over the last four decades, Iran has repeatedly made it very clear that one of its main objectives is to harm and undermine America.

Fact #4:

Over the last four decades, Iran has been seriously working on developing a nuclear bomb, plus longer-range delivery ballistic missiles.

Fact #5:

Over the last four decades, attempts by prior US administrations to appease Iran (including giving them Billions of dollars) have not changed #1 thru #4.

Fact #6:

Over the last four decades, Iran has repeatedly publicly equivocated, distorted, and lied, so it is now extremely difficult to trust anything they say.

Fact #7:

Over the last four decades, Trump has been the first President to take meaningful actions to defang Iran.

Fact #8:

The US bombing of bridges, power facilities, etc., will harm Iranian citizens more than their leaders — so that is an inferior military/political strategy.

Fact #9:

It would seem that the US taking control of Kharg Island would be a strategic move that could have a major impact on Iranian leaders.

Fact #10:

Iran is acutely aware of the divisiveness of this issue in the US, which is encouraging them to string this along rather than come to terms.

Fact #11:

US Non-negotiables should be: a) Iran having zero nuclear weapons, and b) no restrictions for ships to traverse the Strait of Hormuz.

Fact #12:

In negotiating with Iran, President Trump should not be giving significant weight to temporary US difficulties, like higher gas prices.

Fact #13:

In negotiating with Iran, President Trump should not be giving significant consideration to who will get the credit for a successful ending.

Fact #14:

From a losing face perspective, it is much more likely that Iran would capitulate to a collection of unified countries than to the US alone.

Fact #15:

The US does not need help to defeat Iran, but it would: a) be politically wise, and b) accelerate the end of this matter, to accept assistance from allies.

Suggestion

When negotiating a Peace agreement, it would demonstrate good faith for the US to acknowledge several prior bad acts on its part. As compensation for these, the US should agree to spend several Billion dollars (that they control and oversee) to assist with rebuilding Iran.

Note 1: This is NOT a complete list of Facts, but rather a representative sample.

Note 2: For some background on US-Iran relations, read this.

Note 3: This gives an inkling of how Iranians are to negotiate with.

©2026 All rights reserved.

RELATED ARTICLE: Trump Calls Unusual Cabinet Meeting as Iran Negotiations Stall

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‘TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE’: Iran Sends Absurd Peace Proposal; Trump Erupts; Netanyahu ‘War Not Over’

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President Trump has been waiting for Iran to transmit its latest negotiating proposal, and on Sunday, it finally landed on his desk. Trump was not happy.

Why are these blood-soaked savages given a seat at the negotiating table at all? Their barbarism, butchery, and unrelenting carnage disqualifies them from civilized discourse altogether. You do not negotiate with monsters who revel in slaughter — you isolate, crush, and defeat them.

President Donald Trump on Sunday sharply dismissed Iran’s multipage proposal, signaling potential and continued deadlock in negotiations to end the war.

“I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called “Representatives.” I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” Trump said in a post shared on Truth Social.

According to reports, Iran’s response — delivered through Pakistani mediators — failed to address Washington’s core demand for advance commitments on the future of its nuclear program and uranium reserves.

Associated Press: Iran sent its response to the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal via Pakistani mediators and wants negotiations to focus on permanently ending the war, but President Donald Trump quickly rejected it as “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” with no details. Iran seeks to end the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel is fighting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, and to ensure the security of shipping, state TV said. Washington’s latest proposal addressed a deal to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and roll back Iran’s nuclear program. Trump earlier on social media accused Tehran of “playing games” with the United States for nearly 50 years, adding: “They will be laughing no longer!” Trump is giving diplomacy “every chance we possibly can before going back to hostilities,” the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, told ABC earlier.

Netanyahu: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that toppling Iran’s regime is possible — though not guaranteed — and could reshape the Middle East.

“If this regime is indeed weakened or possibly toppled, I think it’s the end of Hezbollah,” Netanyahu said in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes.”

“It’s the end of Hamas, probably the end of the Houthis, because the whole scaffolding of the terrorist proxy network that Iran built collapses.”

Turning to the likelihood of regime collapse, Netanyahu cautioned that the outcome remains uncertain.

“I think you can’t predict when that will happen. Is it possible? Yes. Is it guaranteed? No,” he said.

The prime minister also said he would be surprised by how many Arab states are interested in strengthening ties with Israel since the outbreak of the war.

“I now see the possibility of the expansion and deepening of the agreements we do have into alliances with Arab states of the kind that we never even dreamed of,” he added

Posted by Emma Bussey

AUTHOR

Pamela Geller

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EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

The Backbone of America: The Military Spouse and Their Superpower

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The military spouse journey is unlike any other. They have written their own handbooks on life; they trailblazed before their time with visions of a greater world for their children. They have pried open doors to military spouse career and employment opportunities that are, nine times out of 10, the overlooked column.

The month of May is known for Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, but there is another day of recognition on the calendar that is often overlooked by a digitally distracted nation. National Military Spouse Appreciation Day takes place each year on the Friday before Mother’s Day. This year, we will celebrate this important day on Friday, May 8. For centuries, military spouses have stood unwavering beside our troops, carrying the vital charge of preserving our nation’s values on the home front.

The capes these heroes wear may not be shiny or glistening, but the heroes donning these capes are fierce and are covered in God’s grace. There are nearly one million military spouses who serve alongside our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen. Their gift to this nation is a quiet influence, strong resilience, and selfless, unassuming service. This source of strength is often overlooked, but it is the backbone of America.

I am a proud veteran spouse, the wife of an Iraq War Army veteran, the daughter-in-law of a United States Marine, and the granddaughter of two United States Army veterans. My community is the military spouse and veteran community — the unseen people who live a life of intentional and voluntary service, too. Our “deployments” look a little different and are less visible to those around us. We support those who are serving and have served this nation we love.

My purpose and heart here is to share my personal experience and to uplift my fellow military spouses to impart a greater understanding of the importance of these heroes. Military Spouse Appreciation Day is not another “Hallmark Card” holiday; rather, it is the purposeful recognition of the spouse who is on duty 24/7/365. The ones who quietly carry out a “hurry-up-and-wait,” “I’ve-got-this-covered,” life of selfless service. They are a testament to the enduring strength and steadfast resolve of those who sustain our nation through every deployment and embody a quiet, unwavering courage of their own.

Living in and among the military community has been the way of my life for many decades. In Washington, D.C., where I served from Capitol Hill to the White House, I served alongside many military spouses who opened my eyes to an entirely new spectrum of selfless service. I have seen them in action during natural disasters, the loss of a spouse, walking with military members and/or their families through long-term sickness, and the ongoing and problematic situation of unemployment due to frequent permanent change of station (PCS) moves. I have watched the resilience demonstrated by spouses who come together to support one another and their families. When a spouse is deployed, life must continue — and it does — quietly, seamlessly, invisibly. It truly is a testament to the determination and endurance of the military spouse.

The Department of Labor reports that military spouses continue to face a high rate of unemployment, estimated at 21-25% — roughly five to six times higher than the national average. While these rates have not officially moved since 2015, I have seen and experienced this challenge up close and personal since at least early 2012. This number represents 64% of military spouses who are either under-employed or seeking work. It’s just one more uphill fight for the military spouse. Their capes might not seem perfect or shiny to many in the corporate world, but when you hire a military spouse, you hire an individual marked by exceptional dedication and unwavering commitment to their work. This is something for the boardrooms of America to consider.

These unemployment numbers are disgraceful. This is something for America’s boardrooms to consider, especially as we have a White House led by a billionaire businessman and a Congress led by small business leaders and CEOs canvassing the nation.

I have watched the veteran spouse community surround their own when one’s hero comes home with life-threatening injuries. They provide a source of strength and dignity that many civilians may not recognize. It’s the “hurry up and wait,” “get over yourself” mentality. It says, “I have a family to raise and support.” Without hesitation or complaint, they carry a deep resilience that can only be learned and developed through times of testing and hardship. This may seem like a recipe for spousal success that the modern world would look at as weakness, but, in actuality, these spouses are the strongest people I know.

The endurance and superpower of the military spouse is unmatched and deserves our full respect. The very heartbeat and backbone of these United States is the selfless service of our military spouses and children. The military spouse community exhibits a quiet strength, resilience, and vigilance. It is the true backbone of this nation.

These spouses don superhero capes that may be invisible to most, but their dignity, grace, and unapologetic love for this nation stand the test of time. And so today, and every day, I honor those who have gone before me, and those who will come behind me, as they raise their hand in honor and sacrifice for the red, white, and blue.

AUTHOR

Eden Gordon Hill

Eden Gordon Hill is founder and owner of Eden Gordon Media, LLC, as well as a weekend radio host at WMAL’s “The All-American Book Club,” veteran spouse, former Trump appointee, and advocate for faith, family, and freedom.

RELATED VIDEO: Melania Trump: Saluting Military Spouses

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2026 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

The Bombing of Iran’s Bridges and Power Plants and the Left’s War-Crimes Outrage

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The Democrats are screaming “war crimes” over plans to hit bridges, power plants, etc.

If a deal is not reached with Iran at end of the cease fire then the Commander-in-Chief can do what must be done to change the regime.

Democrats have not read the Geneva Convention nor do they have any idea of historical precedence.

Clinton bombed Yugoslavia for 78 days including taking out all their power plants during the war over Serbia/Kosovo.

He destroyed what was, at the time, the most modern and thriving society in the Balkans and wore out our F-16 fleet and depleted our supply of bombs at same time. He was not accused of committing war crimes.

Rantz: The left’s war-crimes outrage over Trump’s Iran strike is a double standard

BY JASON RANTZ

Talk Show Host and Columnist at Seattle Red

The left has suddenly discovered war crimes. Specifically, they’ve discovered them now that Donald Trump is in the White House ordering strikes on Iranian infrastructure. The outrage would be more convincing if it hadn’t gone mostly quiet during the previous two Democratic administrations that did the exact same thing.

When U.S. military officials justified the strike on Iran’s B1 bridge by describing it as eliminating “a planned military supply route for sustaining Iran’s ballistic missile and attack drone force,” critics immediately reached for the war crimes accusation. That framing is worth examining carefully, because it is precisely the framing Bill Clinton and Barack Obama used when they were bombing infrastructure to rubble and there wasn’t a collective declaration of a war crime by the left.

The legal framework at issue is dual-use targeting under International Humanitarian Law. Infrastructure that serves both military and civilian purposes can be a lawful target if it provides genuine military advantage and the civilian harm isn’t disproportionate to that advantage. Clinton and Obama both invoked it. The international community accepted it both times. Now, suddenly, it’s a novel atrocity?

Clinton bombed Serbia for 78 days — and no one called it a war crime

During NATO’s 1999 air campaign against Yugoslavia, Clinton’s commanders targeted power plants, oil facilities, bridges, factories, and water supplies, all of it civilian infrastructure targeted deliberately and justified as militarily significant because it supported Serbian air-defense and command systems.

The International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia reviewed the entire campaign afterward and declined to open a war crimes investigation. The justification held up. Clinton gave the commencement address at West Point.

The mainstream Democratic left didn’t call it a war crime. They cheered it as humanitarian intervention. Biden was actively lobbying Clinton to bomb sooner. The accountability movement that never materialized is the same one now demanding Trump face a tribunal.

Obama publicly celebrated destroying ISIS energy infrastructure — with no legal blowback

Barack Obama didn’t just strike energy infrastructure; he publicly celebrated the results.

His administration launched thousands of airstrikes against ISIS oil fields, pipelines, and supply lines, pointing to those strikes as proof the campaign was succeeding. The coalition hit facilities that also served civilian populations, because that is the definition of dual-use infrastructure. No war crimes charges followed. No humanitarian outrage erupted across the opinion pages. The legal community accepted the military utility argument and that was the end of it.

Read the full article.

©2026 . All rights reserved.

Pentagon to Deploy 82nd Airborne to Middle East

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The Pentagon is expected to send a combat team from the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, according to multiple reports.

The elite 82nd Airborne Division is known for its rapid deployment, and “secures key objectives for follow-on military operations in support of U.S. national interests,” the Army states.

The move follows the deployment last week of thousands of Marines and sailors aboard the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, along with its Marine Expeditionary Unit and accompanying warships.

The expected deployments come just a day after President Donald Trump postponed threats to bomb Iranian power plants, saying there had been “productive” talks with Iran.

The United States and Israel have greatly diminished the Iranian threat, but Iran still has the capacity to launch drones and missiles, and Trump should not “declare victory as long as that’s happening,” according to national security expert Robert Greenway.

Iran’s ability to fire missiles and launch drones “diminishes every day,” Greenway, who served on the National Security Council during the first Trump administration, told The Daily Signal. “The launches now are still in the low 20s, and as long as that’s the case, things will continue to make progress. But I don’t think we’re there yet, but we’re close.”

Ending the operation in Iran will likely take at least another week, maybe two, according to Greenway, who now serves as the director of the Allison Center for National Security at The Heritage Foundation.

The U.S. is still carrying out strikes on distributed sites across Iran, including weapons manufacturing and storage facilities and mobile launcher sites, but the “large majority of the work has been done,” Greenway said, adding that Iran is incapable of blocking the strikes.

Operation Epic Fury is now in its fourth week. Trump announced Monday that the U.S. and Iran are in negotiations to reach a deal after Trump threatened to strike Iran’s energy infrastructure unless ships could safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a key Middle East oil shipping lane.

Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, has offered to host negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.

“Washington’s first objective in any arrangement with Iran must be to prevent the regime from recovering quickly,” said Meir Ben Shabbat, head of the Misgav Institute for National Security & Zionist Strategy, a pro-Israel policy organization.

Ben Shabbat holds that any agreement should include “sanctions and diplomatic isolation of Iran,” as well as “removal and destruction of the enriched uranium, but also a ban on enrichment at any level on Iranian soil.”

The U.S. and Iran held several rounds of talks before Operation Epic Fury. Greenway says he does not think negotiations will “bear fruit” now.

Trump’s threat to strike Iranian power plants “manufactured leverage,” kicking off back-channel negotiations with Iran, Greenway explained.

Trump “put something on the table as a theoretical, it got exactly the desired end state,” he said, “which is, the attempt at negotiations would serve multiple purposes, not least of which is it demonstrates his willingness to pursue a negotiated diplomatic settlement. At the same time, strikes continue.”

Greenway estimates that the Strait of Hormuz will be navigable within the next two weeks, as Iran’s ability to carry out strikes is further diminished.

Once ships pass through the strait unharmed, then the “economic imperative of getting oil out will override” the fear of a possible Iranian strike, and “the floodgates will open back up again,” he said.

This story is developing and will be updated.

Reuters contributed to this report.

AUTHOR

Virginia Allen

Virginia Allen is a senior news producer for The Daily Signal and host of “The Daily Signal Podcast” and “Problematic Women.” Send an email to Virginia. Virginia on X: .

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