On March 18, 2026, the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran entered its nineteenth day. Iran confirmed the assassination of Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib in U.S.–Israeli strikes, marking the third senior official martyred in 48 hours. Strikes also targeted key energy infrastructure, including the Asaluyeh gas processing plant, and a Red Crescent ambulance during a humanitarian mission. Iran responded with new waves of missile attacks targeting U.S. bases across the region and Israeli-linked sites, with impacts reported across central Israel. Iranian strikes also hit industrial sites in Riyadh and Qatar, causing major fires. In Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes on Beirut killed multiple civilians, including a journalist, while H*zbollah launched long-range rocket attacks reaching new areas in Israel for the first time.

Iranian officials have accused Israel and the U.S. of conducting "false flag" operations across West Asia- particularly in their use of the reverse-engineered "LUCAS" drones to attack targets in the Gulf and place the blame on Tehran. Iranian Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani recently claimed, prior to his death, that these false flags would extend to U.S. soil, and that Israel is plotting a major, destructive attack to manipulate the United States into a full scale invasion of Iran.

Most people are not aware why the event of Ashura is cited by Islamic resistance factions in modern political discourse, or what it actually signifies beneath the surface. Few understand that it traces back to a defining moment in Islamic history over 1400 years ago, when Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussain, refused to pay allegiance to the tyrant of his time, Yazid ibn Muawiyah. Hussain chose dignity, justice, and resistance over humiliation, injustice, and submission, even when faced with certain death. Few are aware that Ashura is not simply a historical tragedy, but a living principle that represents standing against oppression no matter the odds, inspiring generations through its message of sacrifice, faith, and moral courage. Yet today, it is often reduced to a slogan or stripped of its deeper meaning, even as it continues to shape movements, revolutions, and resistance across the Muslim world. When something this central is invoked but rarely explained, it raises a deeper question: how much of what we hear today is missing the historical and spiritual context that gives it its true meaning? TMJ News Network is American independent media that is fully grassroots. Your support keeps us independent and fuels our journalism. 🔔 Subscribe to our YouTube to stay up to date with our latest productions If you enjoy TMJ News’ content, please support our work here: ►https://tmj.news/support/ Join TMJ’s Inner Circle for conversations that go beyond the news and into meaning, power, and responsibility with all exclusive content just for our Patrons: patreon.com/tmjnewsnetwork Sign up for the TMJ Insider email-newsletter: https://www.tmj.news/newsletter/ Follow us on: Facebook ►: https://www.facebook.com/tmjnewsnetwork Instagram ►: https://www.instagram.com/tmjnewsnetwork/ Whatsapp ►: ‎ https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakKl7oLNSa50syScY06 UpScrolled ►: https://share.upscrolled.com/en/user/9247858d-79c7-493c-a66a-861482a7ad7a/ X (formerly Twitter ) ►: https://x.com/tmjnewsnetwork LinkedIn ►: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-muslim-journalists/ Substack ►: Substack.com/tmjnewsnetwork Telegram ►: https://t.me/tmjnewsnetwork Rumble ►: https://rumble.com/user/tmjnewsnetwork Patreon ►: https://www.patreon.com/tmjnewsnetwork Listen to our Podcast ► Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-political-current/id1782478753 ► Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1sq6995S3lAOcEMPuxRDQ8

On March 19, 2026, the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran entered its twentieth day. Israel struck more than 130 targets across Iran, including its first reported attacks in the north targeting naval infrastructure in the Caspian Sea. Iran responded with new waves of missile strikes targeting Israeli sites and U.S. assets across the region, with direct impacts reported on Haifa’s oil refinery causing fires and power outages. A U.S. F-35 fighter jet was also forced to make an emergency landing after being hit by Iranian fire. In Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes continued as H*zbollah reported ambushes on advancing forces and the destruction of multiple tanks. Meanwhile, the conflict is increasingly hitting global energy infrastructure, with strikes reported on facilities across Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait, as oil prices surge and markets face mounting disruption.

The U.S. military previously maintained a ban on media photography of flag-draped coffins of fallen soldiers during the Gulf War in 1991 and after the Invasion of Iraq in 2003- the policy was widely viewed at the time as a tool to manage public opinion on war. The policy’s reintroduction in 2026 needs to be met with the same scrutiny, as the US dives into the third week of its widely criticized and deeply unpopular war with Iran.

On March 20, 2026, the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran entered its twenty-first day. U.S.–Israeli airstrikes hit multiple locations across Iran, including Shahmirzad, Nur, and Shiraz, as Iran confirmed the killing of IRGC spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naeini. Iran responded with new waves of missile attacks targeting U.S. bases and Israeli defense systems across the region, with impacts reported in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem. In Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes continued across the south as H*zbollah launched repeated rocket attacks and targeted Israeli armored vehicles. Meanwhile, regional tensions are escalating further as the UAE cracks down domestically, and reports emerge that the U.S. is considering a takeover of Iran’s Kharg Island while deploying thousands of marines, amid growing divisions with NATO allies.

Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski joins TMJ News to break down the rapidly escalating U.S.–Israel war on Iran, challenging the official narrative coming out of Washington and raising concerns about intelligence failures and strategic miscalculations. Drawing on her experience inside the Pentagon, Kwiatkowski offers a rare insider perspective on the decisions driving this conflict, warning that it risks becoming another costly and un-winnable mistake with far-reaching consequences for the U.S. and beyond. 00:00 A war of choice 03:43 What does the US gain? 08:49 Miscalculations about Iran 15:07 Historic mistakes, repeated 19:35 Do Americans want this war? TMJ News Network is American independent media that is fully grassroots. Your support keeps us independent and fuels our journalism. 🔔 Subscribe to our YouTube to stay up to date with our latest productions If you enjoy TMJ News’ content, please support our work here: ►https://tmj.news/support/ Join TMJ’s Inner Circle for conversations that go beyond the news and into meaning, power, and responsibility with all exclusive content just for our Patrons: patreon.com/tmjnewsnetwork Sign up for the TMJ Insider email-newsletter: https://www.tmj.news/newsletter/ Follow us on: Facebook ►: https://www.facebook.com/tmjnewsnetwork Instagram ►: https://www.instagram.com/tmjnewsnetwork/ Whatsapp ►: ‎ https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakKl7oLNSa50syScY06 UpScrolled ►: https://share.upscrolled.com/en/user/9247858d-79c7-493c-a66a-861482a7ad7a/ X (formerly Twitter ) ►: https://x.com/tmjnewsnetwork LinkedIn ►: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-muslim-journalists/ Substack ►: Substack.com/tmjnewsnetwork Telegram ►: https://t.me/tmjnewsnetwork Rumble ►: https://rumble.com/user/tmjnewsnetwork Patreon ►: https://www.patreon.com/tmjnewsnetwork Listen to our Podcast ► Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-political-current/id1782478753 ► Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1sq6995S3lAOcEMPuxRDQ8