Tensions in the Middle East are reaching a dangerous new phase as fears of a possible U.S. military strike on Iran intensify. The Kremlin has issued a stark warning, saying any American attack would seriously destabilise the region, while urging restraint and a return to diplomacy.

Iran, meanwhile, says it is prepared for “any scenario,” vowing a painful and decisive response to any U.S. or Israeli aggression. As the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group enters CENTCOM waters and Iran unveils AI-generated military visuals, the risk of miscalculation grows. With diplomacy strained, military forces on alert, and rhetoric escalating on all sides, the region once again stands on the edge of a wider conflict.

Two crew on the USS Gerald R. Ford -- the world's largest aircraft carrier currently deployed for the war against Iran -- were injured Thursday in a laundry room fire, the US Navy said.

"Two sailors are currently receiving medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries and are in stable condition," a statement from US Naval Forces Central Command said.

The Navy said the fire, originating "in the ship's main laundry," was "not combat-related and is contained."

The Navy said the Ford is now in the Red Sea as part of Operation Epic Fury -- the name given to the massive US bombing assault on Iran launched by President Donald Trump on February 28.

"There is no damage to the ship's propulsion plant, and the aircraft carrier remains fully operational," the statement said.

From childhood to adulthood, Refaat Ibrahim recounts a life marked by repeated war, displacement and loss — a personal testimony of a generation growing up under siege in Gaza.

Refaat Ibrahim

The war in Gaza is not merely the one that began in 2023, but an unending policy of suffering that Palestinians have endured for 77 years under Israeli occupation and its crimes. I have lived this suffering since I was born on March 21, 2001. Today, I turn 25, having witnessed five wars and dozens of military escalations.

Jan 06, 2020 — Amid growing concern that President Donald Trump will further escalate tensions with Iran and start a new war in the Middle East, Rep. Ilhan Omar--an outspoken anti-war Democrat in the U.S. House--shared a historic clip of comedian George Carlin Monday morning that bemoaned the pattern of American militarism in which the United States--often with the help of a conspiring media and pliant public--start or jump into a major war with another country just about every twenty years.

BY JON QUEALLY

'No Laughing Matter': Ilhan Omar Shares Searing Anti-War Standup Routine by George Carlin

The ABC’s new flagship forum failed to interrogate key claims and perspectives on antisemitism, leaving major gaps in a critical national debate.

The inaugural program of the much-heralded successor to ABC TV Q&A, the _ABC National Forum_, on 9 March was a sad damp squib.

Vivienne Porzsolt

THERE HAS BEEN many investigation on why TRUMP got elected in 2024... The motives are numerous, from the rejection of the WOKE influence, to Kamala (HARRIS) being UNDEMOCRATICALLY chosen and being incoherent and WISHY-WASHY... But for GUS Leonisky, CARTOONIST extraordinaire since 1951, the main deception that tipped the scale in favour of the NOW WARRIOR-in-chief was the WARMONGER party, also KNOWN as the uniparty, the Demorepubicrats, that did a fantastic switcheroo...

REMEMBER that the Cheneys and JOHN Bolton, WARMONGERS of renown, defected from the "Republicans" to join the DEMOCRATS as anti-TRUMP... This would have irked some democrats... THAT WAS A clever TRICK.

According to The Washington Post, the Pentagon recently asked the White House to approve a more than $200 billion request to Congress to fund the war.

The Trump regime goes from madness to madness, ignoring any and every international law. Michael Pascoe writes Trump’s latest threat looks like a promise.

Make no mistake, there is no easy or early end to the Middle East quagmire Donald Trump has dumped the world into, encouraging the mad king to float another adventure to change focus from the mess he has created.

The Madness of Trump. What’s his next criminal outrage gonna’ be?
by Michael Pascoe

“I do believe I’ll be … having the honour of taking Cuba,” Trump announced. “Whether I free it, take it – think I could do anything I want with it.”

While the “Iran war” is fuelling Israel’s desire for Middle East chaos, Australia finds itself in strategic quagmire of confused priorities and escalating energy costs. Stuart McCarthy reports.

According to the 2023 Defence Strategic Review, Australia is confronting the “worst strategic circumstances since WWII.” A need to “pivot” from pointless “forever wars” in the Middle East towards the Indo-Pacific and counter a rapid build-up of Chinese military power evidently warrants an overhaul of our “not fit for purpose” defence force, expenditure of up to $368B on AUKUS submarines and a plan to enter the “missile age.”

The language and beliefs driving the US–Israel war on Iran point to escalation, not restraint – with global consequences.

When you watch the US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, announcing Operation Epic Fury, his surprise attack on the citizens of Iran, you observe a performance crafted to mirror his vision of almost unlimited US power.

John Jiggens

United States President Donald Trump has told Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that he expects her country to “step up” to assist with securing the Strait of Hormuz amid the US- and Israeli-led war against Iran.

But at a news conference in the Oval Office on Thursday, a reporter pressed Trump about why he did not tell US allies like Japan in advance about his administration’s plans to attack Iran.

Trump responded with a quip about the Japanese sneak attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor during World War II.

“We wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan, OK? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?” Trump asked Takaichi, who appeared uncomfortable.

The map of the Middle East is being redrawn in real-time. Today, March 19, 2026, we go inside the most critical diplomatic gathering of the decade. As the sun set over the Saudi capital last night, foreign ministers from across the Arab and Islamic world descended upon Riyadh for an emergency summit. The mission: to prevent a total regional collapse.

Following the Feb 28 joint strikes and Iran’s subsequent "chokehold" on the Strait of Hormuz, the geography of the Gulf has turned into a "Zone of Interception," with over 438 drones and 36 missiles neutralized over Saudi soil alone in the last three weeks.

I wrote this preview note, not sure if I’m even allowed to, but in today’s modern Wild West, it feels like we can do whatever we want.

Briefly, though, this story is important—it affects the American economy, and I wanted to share it. Yet Americans—all of us included—don’t suffer in the ways others around the world do. We often view the world as a source of entertainment, spending money and enjoying lives untouched by the wars we have created.

While Americans Worry About Grocery Bills, Israel’s U.S.-Backed War Is Devastating the World

SHEERPOST

So once again, here we have a story that hits our wallets. No kidding. We are in the midst of genocide and mass destruction on a global scale, brought on and funded by our tax dollars, and yet most of us only care about food costs and gas prices.

• Shipping fuel prices have nearly doubled due to the Middle East war and Strait of Hormuz blockade, reaching "truly unprecedented" levels, according to IBIA.
• VLSFO prices have surged; Fujairah saw a doubling since February 27, and Singapore is up 106%. This impacts shipping costs globally.
• Shipping firms are adapting by slowing ships or finding alternative routes. The UN began talks March 18 to address the shipping crisis.

LONDON - Shipping fuel prices have reached “truly unprecedented” levels, having nearly doubled from the cargo crunch driven by the Middle East war, an industry leader told AFP on March 18.