'Araghchi tells Americans to 'take back their country''

 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged Americans to "take back their country," appearing to mirror United States President Donald Trump's past remarks.

"American people deserve better and should take back their country," Araghchi wrote on X.

Trump told Iranians to "take back" their country several times, including when he announced joint US-Israeli military action against Iran's leadership on Saturday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday made similar comments, telling Iranians to "not let this opportunity slip away."

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Araghchi-tells-Americans-to-'take-back-their-country'/65780521

Has Trump Made 'Forever War' Impossible?

 The long buildup to the U.S.-Israeli attack upon Iran produced an almost unprecedented amount of fatuous comment. Many warned of a potential “forever war” and a morass reminiscent of Iraq and Afghanistan. President Trump, though, has devised a new method for dealing with sponsors of terrorism and guerrilla activity, and promised that if military action were required there would be no American occupation of Iran.

In such circumstances a “forever war” is impossible and U.S. casualties are minimal. The fact that between 75 percent and 90 percent of Iranians detest the Islamic Republic will mean that any war conducted within Iran will be between Iranians and the Islamic Republic will have little ultimate chance of survival. The fact that the last massacres of protesters by the regime had to be conducted by Iraqis indicates the Revolutionary Guard can no longer be relied on to fire live ammunition at civilians, the traditional litmus test of a crumbling despotism.

The United States and Israel have effectively made Iran a no-fly zone to the rest of the world and have closed Iran’s ports and are isolating that country completely. They have sufficient airpower in-theater to subject Iran to over 3,000 precisely targeted air and missile and drone strikes per day, a level of assault that no country can endure indefinitely. This would ensure that every target in Iran of any conceivable military or enforcement use to the regime will be destroyed within a few days.    

Iran cannot long sustain such a war. It is alleged to have 3,000 long-range and 3,000 short range missiles of which it fired rather more than 300 on the first day of this action. A significant number were also destroyed in their stockpiles and so were many of their launchers although most of them are mobile. The great majority of the missiles that Iran did launch were shot down by the ground-to-air defense systems in the targeted countries.     

In attacking many of the nearby Arab countries, Iran instantly increased the ranks of its enemies for no fathomable reason. The correlation of forces between the two sides is so overwhelming against Iran and the severe decapitation of the senior leadership of the Islamic Republic both ensure that this war cannot possibly continue for more than about ten days, though internecine strife within Iran could continue for some time. The almost certain end of the Islamic Republic of Iran soon will be the most important day in the geopolitical evolution of the world since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1991.

The international balance of power is about to be altered in favor of the West. The world’s foremost terrorism-sponsoring state is about to cease to exist, and the war on terror that was unofficially launched on September 11, 2001, in the ashes of the World Trade Center, will substantially be won. All support for Hamas and Hezbollah is about to dry up, and Israel will no longer have on its borders heavily armed states and organizations that cannot tolerate Israel’s existence as a Jewish state. Israel is now close to the first period of secure peace in its history of over 4,000 years.

Iran is about to cease to be a supplier of cheap oil to China and will instead supply Europe, along with Venezuela, and the detachment of India as an oil customer of Russia, will all suddenly make it much more difficult for Russia to finance its war in Ukraine. The virulent militancy of militant Islamic minorities around the West will no longer be sustainable. In general, unevenly but comprehensively, given the resurrection of sensible immigration policies in the principal Western countries, the abrasions between Islam and the West should enter a time of prolonged decline.

Incidental to this repression of the Iranian nuclear military program is the revival of the concept of nuclear non-proliferation. Although the nuclear powers have abandoned all pretense to full disarmament and to denying nuclear weapons to reasonably reliable countries such as India and Israel, two nuclear powers have just made the point that they will not tolerate a completely irresponsible regime joining the nuclear club.

In domestic American terms we will now see more clearly than ever the terrible failure of the Carter administration in assisting in the removal of the Shah of Iran and of the George W. Bush regime in sponsoring the elections that elevated Hamas and Hezbollah, and in the demeaning appeasement of the Islamic Republic by the Biden and Obama  administrations with their pathetic admission of the right of Iran to become a nuclear power after a less than decent interval.

The initial reaction of the Democrats to the Trump administration’s attack on Iran confirms that party’s rigorously suicidal policy: it prefers the rights of violent criminals who entered the country illegally to the rights of law-abiding Americans, has made a tragic shambles of transgender issues, has deliberately sponsored increased crime rates in American cities, and attempted to strangle American industry with their green terror with the nonsense about the existential threat of carbon use to human life. And now they prefer Iran to be unvexed. Their only policy remains frenzied abuse of a president who from Iran to Sudan to Nigeria is seen as the indispensable defender of human liberty.

Conrad Black is a Contributing Editor of the New York Sun.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2026/03/02/has_trump_made_forever_war_impossible_153894.html

Drone threat triggers 'mass evacuation' in parts of Cyprus

 Nearly all residents fled the village of Akrotiri in Cyprus after drones targeted the nearby British Royal Air Force base, The Guardian reported, citing Akrotiri Deputy Mayor Giorgos Konstantinos.

"Everyone has left with the exception of about 20 people who refused to leave," the mayor said, adding, "It's been a mass evacuation given the circumstances and fear."

According to the news agency, local police also increased patrols around the base and authorities moved non-essential personnel to other areas of the sovereign base territories after the latest attack.

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Drone-threat-triggers-'mass-evacuation'-in-parts-of-Cyprus/65780265

OpenAI and Pentagon said to boost AI protections

 OpenAI Inc. and the United States Department of War (DoW), have agreed to strengthen surveillance protections in their AI contract, Axios reported, citing sources familiar with the deal.

The updates aim to ensure AI systems are not used for domestic surveillance of American citizens, following concerns that mass monitoring remained a risk under the initial agreement.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met with United States Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael to adjust the contract. However, the revised language has reportedly not been formally signed.

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/OpenAI-and-Pentagon-said-to-boost-AI-protections/65780336

Netanyahu on Iran: No action could be taken in the future

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that Iran's nuclear and missile programs forced immediate action.

He said Tehran continued building underground bunkers that could shield atomic and ballistic weapons, which he claimed would be "immune within months," leaving the United States vulnerable if no steps were taken.

"If no action was taken now, no action could be taken in the future," Netanyahu said, adding, "then they could target America, they could blackmail America, they could threaten us and threaten everyone in between."

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Netanyahu-on-Iran:-No-action-could-be-taken-in-the-future/65780347

China Conducts Patrol In South China Sea, Accuses Philippines Of Disturbing Regional Peace

 by Alex Wu via The Epoch Times,

The Chinese regime’s navy conducted patrols in the South China Sea from Feb. 23 to Feb. 26, while the United States, Japan, and the Philippines were holding joint military exercises in international waters.

The Chinese regime criticized the Philippines for “disturbing peace” in the region.

Analysts told The Epoch Times that the standoff in the South China Sea does not necessarily mean that the situation will escalate soon, and the Chinese regime’s rhetoric reflects complicated political considerations.

The United States, the Philippines, and Japan this week conducted joint exercises over the Bashi Channel that separates the Philippines from Taiwan in the South China Sea, according to a statement by the Philippine military on Feb. 27. The drills were aimed at showcasing the forces’ “ability to operate seamlessly together in complex maritime environments,” the Philippine military said.

This was the first time that such joint exercises have been conducted in the Bashi Channel.

The Chinese regime reacted angrily to the joint drills. On Feb. 27, a spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Southern Theatre Command accused the Philippines of “disrupting peace and stability by organizing joint patrols with countries outside the region.”

China conducted a “routine patrol” of the South China Sea from Feb. 23 to Feb. 26, according to the spokesperson.

While China claims sovereignty over the waters, citing the historical nine-dash demarcation line within the South China Sea, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia each claim sovereignty over their exclusive economic zones in the South China Sea. Some of these zones overlap with each other, with communist China’s nine-dash line, and with Taiwan’s 11-dash demarcation.

On July 12, 2016, an international tribunal ruled that the nine-dash demarcation couldn’t be used by the regime in Beijing to make historic claims to the South China Sea, parts of which are claimed by six governments. China rejected the ruling and has continued to assert its sovereignty claims and operations in the South China Sea.

“China has taken strong measures to drive away ships or fishing boats that enter the area, especially Philippine supply ships,” Shen Ming-shih, research fellow at the Division of National Security Research at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told The Epoch Times.

“In such disputed areas, disputes should be shelved. It is because of China’s strong expulsion that the United States, Japan, and the Philippines are preparing for the worst-case scenario.”

Some of a total of 220 Chinese vessels are moored at Whitsun Reef, South China Sea on March 7, 2021. Philippine Coast Guard/National Task Force-West Philippine Sea via AP

Judging from the joint drills, it’s clear that the United States and Japan are paying particular attention to security in the South China Sea region, Shen added.

Commenting on the joint U.S.–Japan–Philippines drills conducted over the Bashi Channel, Wang Shiow-wen, an assistant researcher at the Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said, “This may be to test the PLA’s reaction, to see if the PLA has already considered the Bashi Channel and the South China Sea or even the Taiwan Strait as its own.”

As to the PLA’s accusation against the Philippines, she told The Epoch Times: “Why is it that the PLA’s daily harassment of Taiwan under the pretext of ‘exercises and training’ is not considered ‘disturbing peace and stability in the region,’ but other countries’ joint exercises are considered ‘disturbing the regional peace and stability’?”

The PLA spokesperson’s avoidance of directly naming the United States and Japan in its accusation may be laying the groundwork for future joint military exercises between China and Russia, or possibly North Korea, Wang said.

Furthermore, with an April meeting scheduled between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, both sides are currently cultivating a “friendly” atmosphere, making direct criticism inappropriate, she said.

Shen has a similar assessment. “Because the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is currently hoping to ease tensions with the United States, and relations between China and Japan have already deteriorated, in order to avoid further complications, the Southern Theater Command only dared to condemn the relatively weaker Philippines in its statement this time.”

Deterrence

As to whether both sides doing military drills and patrols in the South China Sea in the same week might escalate the tension into a conflict, Shen said that “the main policy of the United States is to strengthen the defense capabilities of various countries in the First Island Chain region in order to deter China from easily launching a conflict or war in this region.”

An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter, attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 14, prepares to land on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) on Jan. 15, 2026. Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Cesar Zavala/U.S. Navy

If war becomes unavoidable in the region, the United States should have many ways to participate. “Ultimately, war with the CCP will only be a last resort. Before that, political, economic, and cyber warfare are already underway,” he said.

Regarding the PLA spokesperson’s statement about China’s need to “safeguard China’s territorial sovereignty” and “uphold regional peace and stability,” Wang said that the Chinese regime is actually saying that as long as the United States, Japan, and the Philippines are not taking Chinese territory, the PLA won’t launch a preemptive attack.

Given the current military strength of the CCP, starting a war is not the problem, according to Wang. “The problem lies in how to sustain and end the war,” she said. “The Russia–Ukraine war has entered its fifth year, which should serve as a great warning to the CCP.”

“If the CCP leader Xi Jinping wants to escape his various domestic crises by starting a war, then it can only be said that he himself has determined the fate of the CCP regime,” she said.

A Chinese PLA Navy ship (background L) is seen while an Australian Navy destroyer (R) takes part in a maritime cooperative activity near Scarborough Shoal, on Sept. 3, 2025. Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images

Shen believes that the PLA’s patrol was routine, saying, “I don’t think it’s likely to start a conflict or war right now.”

“I think maintaining internal stability, conducting the CCP’s Fifth Plenary Session effectively, and balancing the power should be the top priorities right now.”

Shen added that when the internal power struggle within the CCP deteriorates or intensifies, “if [the regime] wants to take actions to divert [the] Chinese public’s attention from the domestic to the international, it might target the relatively weaker Philippines or the South China Sea.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/china-conducts-patrol-south-china-sea-accuses-philippines-disturbing-regional-peace

Dem scheme to redraw NYC’s lone GOP-held House seat blocked by SCOTUS

 The US Supreme Court blocked Democrats from redrawing New York City’s lone GOP-held House seat following an emergency appeal from Rep. Nicole Malliotakis.

The order grants a stay, barring a state judge from redrawing the 11th Congressional District map ahead of the midterm elections.

Malliotakis had appealed to the high court earlier this month, after a Manhattan judge ruled her district’s current map — which links Staten Island and Southern Brooklyn — was “unconstitutional,” and ordered it redrawn in January.

Malliotakis had appealed to the high court earlier this month, after a Manhattan judge ruled her district’s current map — which links Staten Island and Southern Brooklyn — was “unconstitutional,” and ordered it redrawn in January.REUTERS

“This evening, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a stay in the NY-11 case,” New York GOP Chairman Ed Cox wrote in a statement.

“This blatantly political case violated both the New York State and federal constitutions and, as Justice Alito stated, the lower court’s decision was a full-blown racial gerrymander,” Cox said.

A separate appeal from Republicans to halt the Dems’ attempts at redrawing the district lines was unanimously rejected by a mid-level state appellate court.

The order grants a stay, barring a state judge from redrawing the 11th Congressional District map ahead of the midterm elections.

“Today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to keep New York’s 11th Congressional District intact helps restore the public’s confidence in our judicial system and proves the challenge to our district lines was always meritless,” Malliotakis wrote in a statement.

“The plaintiffs in this case attempted to manipulate our state’s courts to use race as a weapon to rig our elections. That was wrong and, as demonstrated by today’s ruling, clearly unconstitutional. Unfortunately, the politicization of New York’s courts and its judges necessitated action from the nation’s highest court,” she continued.

The plaintiffs argued in court that the existing maps – which no Democrats in the state legislature opposed when they were adopted in 2024 – had diluted minority black and Latino voters in the 11th District.

Democrats, with the support of Gov. Kathy Hochul, had launched the effort to redraw Malliotakis’ district in reaction to Texas allegedly gerrymandering its map to favor Republicans last year.

Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the high court recognizes it would’ve likely intervened if New York redrew the lines.

“Our stay, far from causing disruption or upsetting legitimate expectations, eliminates much of the uncertainty and confusion that would exist if the Independent Redistricting Commission proceeded to draw a new district that this Court would likely strike down if the cases reached us in time,” Alito wrote.

Justice Sotomayor, in a dissenting opinion along with fellow liberal Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown-Jackson, called the stay an “unprecedented step” of the court’s intervention on redistricting matters.

“Time and again, this Court has said that federal courts should not interfere with state-court litigation,” Sotomayor wrote.

https://nypost.com/2026/03/02/us-news/dem-scheme-to-redraw-nycs-lone-gop-held-house-seat-blocked-by-scotus/