Trump continues to issue maximalist demands for conditions he helped create. The American president’s lack of strategic and emotional maturity only promises more war. Trump at a Turning Point USA event on April 17, 2026 -- public domain image By Jamal Kanj, Common Dreams The closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the temporary ceasefire is the culmination of an American policy defined by strategic incoherence. At the center stands Donald Trump, whose shifting positions, co

After failing to secure victory through overwhelming violence, Israel is increasingly relying on coercive diplomacy to impose political outcomes. IDF 162nd Division on the Israeli–Lebanese border, March 21, 2026 -- IDF Spokesperson's Unit / CC BY-SA 3.0 By Ramzy Baroud, Common Dreams A ceasefire in Lebanon was announced on Thursday by US President Donald Trump , but its reality tells a very different story. The ceasefire was not the product of American diplomacy, nor Israel

A scene in Tehran, March 4, 2026 -- Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Ali Abutalebi On April 7, the Prime Minister of Pakistan posted on X a call for an ‘extension of the deadline,’ following Donald Trump’s threat to destroy Iran’s ‘civilization.’ Shortly afterward, diplomatic sources announced that U.S. and Iranian authorities had agreed to a ‘ceasefire’ and to resume talks in Islamabad. These developments came after 40 days of unprovoked aggression aga

Gathering in Tehran on April 7 in memory of the Minab students killed on the first day of the war -- Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Carlos Ron and Vijay Prashad The United States has agreed with Iran to cease hostilities for two weeks. The illegal US and Israeli imposed war has not ended but has a break, although not in Lebanon which was supposed to be part of the deal. Just before the ceasefire was announced, the Iranian authorities released a ten-p

Trump on March 5 -- public domain image The Communist Party USA condemns in the strongest possible terms the genocidal and explicitly racist statements made by President Donald Trump about the Iranian peoples. Trump’s open threats to obliterate Iranian civilization, paired with his dehumanizing characterization of the Iranian people as “animals”, clearly exposes the fascistic character of United States imperialism in West Asia. These are not simply the reckless words of an e

Trump and Vance at a ceremony for US soldiers killed in the war on Iran, March 7 -- public domain image By Pallab Sengupta, Communist Party of India The recent ceasefire between the United States and Iran is not a diplomatic breakthrough born of mutual respect. It is a strategic retreat forced upon Washington by the very real limits of its military power. After weeks of escalating threats, the movement of carrier strike groups, and explicit warnings of “devastating bombardmen

Trump with Pete Hegseth on March 23 -- public domain image By Vijay Prashad US President Donald Trump has increasingly become unhinged as the war on Iran has not gone as he imagined. Both the United States and Israel felt that a series of domination strikes against Iran would decapitate the leadership of the country and force the remaining mid-level leaders into surrender. The miscalculation of the Trump-Netanyahu agenda has been total: a depth of wartime leadership has emerg

The Workers Party of Ireland condemns the Israeli Knesset Death Penalty Law Against Palestinian Prisoners. This legislation targeting Palestinian prisoners is blatantly racist and discriminatory in both intent and application, singling out an already oppressed and long-suffering people for the most extreme form of punishment, reinforcing the long-standing message that Palestinian lives are less deserving of dignity, protection and justice than others. The law contains no equi

2 April 2026, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia AKEL (Progressive Party of Working People of Cyprus) denounces in the strongest possible terms the Knesset’s—Israel’s parliament—approval of the death penalty law. The new law targets only Palestinians living under occupation and permits military courts to impose death sentences to be carried out by hanging within 90 days, without the right to appeal. This is a continuation of the policy of genocide and ethnic cleansing that the S

The South African Communist Party on imperialism, the war on Iran, BRICS, Lebanon, Cuba and Venezuela. South African Communist Party 14th Plenary Session of the 15th Congress Central Committee Statement - Excerpt related to the international situation. (For the full statement: South African CP, 14th Plenary Session of the 15th Congress Central Committee Statement ) 27–29 March 2026, COSATU House, Braamfontein, Johannesburg Rebuild working-class power, defend sovereignty, ad

Trump and Vance at a ceremony for the return of the remains of six U.S. soldiers killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait, Saturday, March 7, 2026 -- public domain image By Vijay Prashad Last year, in July, the United States and Israel bombarded Iran’s nuclear energy and nuclear research facilities over twelve days. After a few days, the two belligerent powers—who had no United Nations authorisation for this war of aggression—opened the door for a ceasefire . At that time,

The Left Chapter's editor Michael Laxer discusses how it is impossible to oppose US and western imperialism, adventurism and militarism without also opposing NATO both at home and abroad.

What was once covert, controversial, and constrained is now overt, normalized, and defended. Young woman at a ceremony in Tabriz, Iran, March 18, 2026 -- Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Medea Benjamin & Nicolas J.S. Davies, Common Dreams For decades, the United States moved from covert assassination plots to openly embracing assassination or “targeted killing” as policy. Now, in its war with Iran, that evolution is reaching its most dangerous phase. O

South African Communist Party Statement on attacks on Iranian Natanz nuclear facility Tuesday, 24 March 2026: The South African Communist Party (SACP) condemns that attack on the Iranian Natanz nuclear facility by the imperialist US and apartheid Israel regimes. The attack on the Natanz nuclear facility is in contravention of international law. Despite Iranian submission to periodic international inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency and there being no eviden

The Left Chapter's editor Michael Laxer looks western hypocrisy and the right of countries of the Global South to defend themselves against imperialist aggression. Articles to reference : Iran Has the Right to Defend Itself

The Left Chapter's editor Michael Laxer looks at the US and Israeli war on Iran (which they are losing), the necessity of international solidarity with the Cuban Revolution and the NDP's "leadership" race in Canada.

Image via X By Rajana Hamieh, Al-Akhbar Since the start of the current escalation on Lebanon, Israeli strikes have systematically targeted hospitals, primary healthcare centers, and emergency facilities and vehicles. These attacks are justified with the same unfounded accusations usually presented by the occupation army, most recently in Gaza, regarding emergency centers and ambulances being used for so-called “military purposes”. Meanwhile, the death toll among paramedics an

Trump on March 19, 2026 -- public domain image By Biljana Vankovska A few days ago, I had the honor of participating in an international webinar organized by SHAPE —Serving Humanity and Planet Earth. As its name suggests, this project is focused on safeguarding humanity and the planet, and its acronym carries a meaningful symbolism: shaping. The theme I addressed, alongside distinguished figures such as Richard Falk, Joseph Camilleri, Chandra Muzaffar, and Helena Cobban, was

An F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft on the flight deck of the USS Gerald R. Ford, March 2026 -- public domain image By D. Raja, General Secretary, Communist Party of India Fourteen months into his second term as President of the United States, Donald Trump has overseen a dramatic expansion of American military operations across several regions of the world. In this short span, the United States has carried out strikes or armed operations in at least seven countries including Som

Aftermath of an Israeli strike on Lebanon -- image via news video screenshot South African Communist Party Statement on bombing of Lebanon by apartheid Israeli regime Thursday, 19 March 2026: - For the past week, the apartheid Israeli regime has initiated and keeps escalating a campaign of violence against the state of Lebanon. This campaign is not merely limited to bombing of particular sites of importance to Lebanon utilising missiles as primary weapons but has now include