@joecirin
I've been working on national security in Washington for over 40 years. Government, think tanks and philanthropy. Now retired, I still write, lecture and do media interviews. And I'm still learning. On Substack at: joecirincione.substack.com
When the news is as head-spinning as it was this week, these experienced reporters can slow it down and provide the insights and analysis to help us understand just what the hell is happening. New Pod today.
bit.ly/Click-2-Listen
YouTu.be/NvTR3eqpy6k
So Iran now has, perhaps for the first time, information about the location of our most sensitive covert sites in the region.
A completely foreseeable, unnecessary consequence of unnecessary war with Iran.
Of course, there is that awkward issue of Israel annexing southern Lebanon.
I hear you.
This mass killing of children is unconscionable. It bears the hallmarks of a war crime.
Trump & Hegseth must answer for the US's role & they must be held accountable. People deserve the full truth. There must be an immediate & transparent investigation.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/w...
Peel back the bravado and displays of male dominance and you see a rotting regime creating global chaos.
What happens next in Trump’s war of choice? How bad could it get? Watch my answer to @djrothkopf.bsky.social, then stay for smarter answers from @jonatomic.bsky.social and @edwardluce.bsky.social . Spoiler: Nothing good is coming out of this war. youtu.be/9vt_-eA2JgI?...
Think it’s bad now? It could get much worse. open.substack.com/pub/thinking...
Just for context, $100 per barrel is recession territory.
“The sinking seems to be part of Hegseth’s new policy of ignoring ‘stupid rules of engagement’ and ‘punching them while they’re down.’ It raises questions of what the Trump administration would say if a country like Iran attacked an American ship it knew was unarmed. newrepublic.com/post/207429/...
It appears that the Iranian frigate was unarmed and on a peaceful visit. We have moved on from shooting helpless shipwrecked crews to torpedoing unarmed ships.
This from the former foreign secretary of India.
Well, we are using it to target school girls in Iran. Of course it is going to feel anxious.
Claude may have more humanity than Pete Hegseth.
Deeply delusional.
Reuters Exclusive
"U.S. military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school."
"The strike would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts in the Middle East."
They want to do a Gaza style campaign in Iran.
I had no idea that the ship was defenseless and hosted by India. The Navy sank a sitting duck. And Hegseth brags about it like it was a brilliant tactical victory. It was a cowardly act. But what can you expect from an administration that shoots defenseless men clinging to a shipwreck?
The worst is yet to come, warns Hegseth. Still no apology for killing 150 school girls in Tehran. What are the targets for the massive assault he promises? It may be that we are at the beginning of a Gaza-style assault to smash the ability of Tehran to function, in the hope the regime falls.
'You cannot bomb away another country's nuclear program. It's never worked — the knowledge is still there, the machinery is still there.'
CIP's @joecirin.bsky.social on the administration's case for war in Iran:
Exactly right. We have an afterimage effect here. Nations have a temporary, illusory perception of American competence that persists long after competence has disappeared. There was no careful planning for this war. No coordination with allies. No clear objectives or exit strategy. War on a whim.
Ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
Scott MacFarlane @MacFarlaneNews Another ten-cent increase today here in DC
Trump is throwing your taxpayer dollars at an illegal war abroad, while you spend more for gasoline here at home.
Little known fact: Virtually all forms of lichen are smarter than Senator Markwayne Mullen.
Stable Genius's new DHS simpleton made an illiterate
“Americans are dying.”
At the J Street National Convention, @vanhollen.senate.gov called on Congress to reclaim its authority over decisions of war and peace.
No president should be able to launch a war alone.
This is too good. She about to find out in real time that Trump has fired her. Just perfect.
“"So many [impact sites] so close together (relatively speaking) suggests there were one or more targets in close proximity to each other,"…
"[It] seems it was intentional to hit the area," he said, adding "But we don't know what they intended to strike."”
Here is the video of my interview with Alex Witt. We walk through the steps needed to make a nuclear bomb. It is clear that Iran cannot possibly be “two weeks from a bomb.” You can not find any expert who agrees with this blatant lie. youtu.be/3AQbF_R2UAg?...
I’m delighted to be included among the experts that @ms.now cites to debunk Trump’s absurd claim that Iran was “two weeks from a bomb.” www.ms.now/opinion/trum...
