Zoya Rehman

an op-ed written with frankness + rooted in a personal place. have intentionally omitted many details out of respect for those who have borne the weight of personal costs: x.com/SAAGanthology/…

And let me try and calm everyone down a bit: 1. If you think Iran has been preparing for this war for 40 years and never taken into account a nuclear threat, better think again. If the US and Israel want to bet that Iran does not have a potent reply to this, either in the form of counter nuclear strikes (either by bringing their capabilities to maturity somewhere the colonizers can never reach, or by procuring this ability elsewhere), or by using something different no one has thought about - let them try. 2. Sending West Asia into a death spiral will cause the generational total collapse of Western economies and financial systems. 3. Iran is a vast and decentralized country. Whatever they do, it will survive. Israel is a tiny isolated strip of land held by and for a human group increasingly hated around the world. Whoever makes this existential carries the full responsibility for whatever ensues

💢📰 REPORT | New reporting from NYT reveals how Trump decided to go to war with Iran — after a closed-door Israeli pitch and despite deep internal divisions inside his own team. At a secret Feb. 11 Situation Room meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a four-part pitch for regime change, including a video montage of potential replacement leaders such as Reza Pahlavi. JD Vance was absent, stuck in Azerbaijan. Appearing alongside Mossad chief David Barnea and military officials, Netanyahu argued: Iran’s ballistic missile program could be destroyed in weeks. The regime would be too weak to close the Strait of Hormuz. Street protests — fomented with Mossad help — could trigger an uprising. Kurdish fighters from Iraq could open a ground front in the northwest. Trump’s response: “Sounds good to me.” Trump’s response: “Sounds good to me.” The next day, U.S. intelligence pushed back sharply. CIA Director John Ratcliffe called the regime-change scenario “farcical,” with Secretary of State Marco Rubio adding: “In other words, it’s bullshit.” Gen. Dan Caine told the president: “This is, in my experience, standard operating procedure for the Israelis. They oversell, and their plans are not always well-developed.” Trump dismissed regime change as “their problem” — but remained focused on targeting Iran’s leadership and military. By Feb. 26, in a final Situation Room meeting, opposition inside the room was clear but fractured. Vice President JD Vance warned the war could spiral and drain U.S. resources, but ultimately said: “You know I think this is a bad idea… but I’ll support you.” Rubio said regime change was unrealistic, but destroying Iran’s missile program was achievable. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was the biggest proponent of war and backed immediate action. Military leadership outlined risks, including depleted munitions and the threat to Hormuz, but all stopped short of opposing the plan. Key officials responsible for managing the fallout, like the Treasury Secretary, and DNI Gabbard were notably absent. Trump went around the table asking advisors their view, then made the call: “I think we need to do it.” The strikes began two days later.

Call me crazy, but we shouldn't have to wake up every day trying to figure out if the president of the United States is trying to manipulate the market or start a nuclear war.

Professor @bikrumsinghgill reminded me: Trump can existentially threaten an entire civilisation. And the fact that the US is not experiencing of a crisis of legitimacy in this moment. With no mass mobilisation and direct action against the sitting p*dophile and administration, is due to the years of demonisation and delegitimisation of The Islamic Republic. For every academic and leftist social commentator who said “regime” and “supported the people” you contributed to this. You have a direct hand in reproducing the logic that now allows for the president to threaten mass extinction of a people. We won’t forget.

Donald Trump is clearly threatening to use nuclear weapons against Iran. He needs to be removed as President to prevent a catastrophe that our species will never recover from.

The BBC is now saying Iranians are asking to be nuked.

Why are no journalists asking Trump if he is threatening to use nuclear weapons? He's repeatedly made what sound like nuclear threats. So why isn't he being asked this basic, very important question?

The US and Israel are carrying out intense bombing raids on Iran’s South Pars petrochemical complex, which accounts for 85% of the country’s production in this sector. The damage is massive, yet the complex covers 54,000 hectares and would require many days of sustained heavy bombing to achieve its total destruction. Even so, the losses are certainly in the range of tens of billions of dollars in destroyed infrastructure and lost profits.

@stariq88 some people's brains stop at the level of impression because they are wayyy too comfortable with their first reaction/s. that's just how dull they are, can't be helped. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

@pind_wave Haha.. I love this!

too many people around us whose voice develops much before their thinking skills do. usually elite-adjacent folks since childhood, who learn, v early, that *sounding* thoughtful (by, say, being needlessly abstruse or verbose) = enough to be treated as if one *is* thoughtful 🤢

missing mediafire links with my entire being these days, in the absence of record (stores, plural) culture in pk

This is the most predictable weekend ever: Sunday morning, Trump tweets out his most aggressive message to Iran or anyone ever. Sunday afternoon: “we might have a deal Monday” despite Iran still not talking. Sunday night right before futures open: “we are close to a ceasefire” despite Iran hours earlier claiming that they have cut all ties with mediators and no talks with America will happen. Suddenly, dumb ass traders believe Trump again Monday will come.. stocks will go high until the market realizes Trump was lying and we are headed towards the most violent week in the Middle East in decades Trump is all about $$ He manipulates the media, especially Axios. He manipulates the market. Stocks will go shooting down, oil up tomorrow afternoon and then will last for the rest of the week.

@faizansharif the veiled threat itself is appalling enough. and i don't think history is particularly instructive in this regard, esp when it comes to this being israhell's war.

@pind_wave Nope. He won't. There's too much in US Arsenal before the ultimate weapon. Besides, the conflict has not reached that point. If WW2 is to be taken as the precedent, that happened after several million soldiers, and almost a decade - few weeks is just too short a time.

sounds a lot like he's threatening to use nukes. somebody please institutionalise this cretin asap. x.com/rachelvscott/s…

i love people who post lots of stories and say things, no matter how quotidian they may be! if you're one of those folks and i follow you, i see you and appreciate your insta vibe wholeheartedly. <3

Terrifying reality check. Al Jazeera confirms the US and Israel have bombed over 760 schools and 350 health centers in Iran. They are intentionally obliterating mental health hospitals and residential markets. The scale of these war crimes is absolutely sickening.

Iran has allowed French ships through the Strait of Hormuz — a sign of the leverage it now holds. US hubris and overreach handed Tehran the tools to exploit divisions and turn them to its advantage. This is imperial decline: allies making their own arrangements while you posture and lose influence. Trump and Netanyahu have accelerated the erosion of American power faster than any enemy ever could.

🇨🇺 Thousands of Cuban youth took to the streets to protest against the US blockade and imperialism. Riding bikes, scooters and electric bicycles, the people of Cuba took part in the Youth Rally Against Blockade and Imperialism, to show that the Cuban people are united against the attacks of the Donald Trump administration. The ride also commemorated the 65th anniversary of the Organization of Pioneers José Martí, a children and youth organization that promotes socialist values.

Only barbarians bomb places of learning and culture.

JUST IN: The US/Israel bombed the Laser and Plasma Research Institute as well as the girls' dormitory of Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran.