Video from a Chinese cargo ship which shows an Iranian Shahed-136 striking an oil tank at the Port of Salalh in Oman.

Announced by French President Emmanuel Macron on the 9th of March, 10 additional French warships are being pledged to the Middle Eastern theater amidst the ongoing war with Iran. www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...

"Public discussion about #war tends to swing between optimism and catastrophe. The reality is usually quieter and far more dangerous. " #Iran #Tehran #Substack #GroundedPerspectives #Peace #Theatre #Strategy

We know. It's a bad case of the Mondays indeed. Let’s give ourselves a Mulligan this week. Whatever is destroyed, we can rebuild. We have no other choice. Come commiserate with us & stay for the art & solidarity. ⤵️ #Substack #StraitOfHormuz #Oil #Ayatollah #Cyprus #Nicosia #Espionage

📌 ICYMI: Last weeks Friday wrap up! Worth a read. And of course, we always bring the juice 🧃with art and culture to reflect, inspire and give you a little escape. Don't doomscroll. Let us do it for you! ⤵️ #Substack #StraitOfHormuz #Iran #Ayatollah #Claude #DurandLine #Headlines #War #Trump

@gperspectives.bsky.social Qarchak Prison: Women Prisoners Face Water Shortage and Uncertainty Amid War wncri.org/2026/03/05/q...

“If deep reading cultivates empathy,” Joel Halldorf writes, “the attention-fracturing, dopamine-hitting, scroll-spurring design of digital media often undermines it”:

From UKMTO Update:

Meet The Female Journalist Risking Her Life To Report On Women In Afghanistan

For Russia, the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader was the latest blow to President Putin’s network of anti-Western partners. But the Kremlin hopes that the U.S. becoming ensnared in a prolonged Middle East campaign will work to their favor.

Iran’s regime has never looked so weak, some Kurds argue, nor the alignment of foreign forces so favourable. Will Kurdish fighters cross the border?

People in Qazvin burned a billboard condoling Khamenei's death Today March 5

The #MiddleEast just crossed a major threshold. Decapitation strikes in #Tehran. Regional retaliation. #NATO defenses activated. And now all eyes are on the Strait of Hormuz. Enter our briefing ↘️ #Substack #GroundedPerspectives #war #geopolitics #Iran

⚡️ NATO reiterates collective defense as alliance shoots down Iranian missile heading toward Turkey. "Our deterrence and defense posture remains strong across all domains," NATO spokesperson Allison Hart told the Kyiv Independent.

Upcoming Friday wraps will be for our paid subscribers only! Don't miss out on our newsletters and high quality insight on global affairs, culture, and much more. We keep it juicy with signal over saturation 🧃 Come join our briefing! 👉🏼 #Substack #geopolitics #culture

From 6 years ago! "In a dystopian world a new form of A.I. weaponry has been created [...] Nuclear is obsolete. Take out your entire enemy virtually risk free. Just characterize him, release the swarm, and rest easy." #Slaughterbots #DUST #scifi #shortfilm #SiliconValley #war #attackdrones

"Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has become more than a military force. In the latest episode of The Iran Reckoning, Afshon (@osto.bsky.social) and Yeganeh Torbati (@yjtorbati.bsky.social) unpack their growing role in the economy. Listen here: warontherocks.com/ep..."

Breaking news: NATO air defenses shot down an Iranian ballistic missile heading toward Turkish airspace, said Turkey’s Defense Ministry, warning that such attacks risk further escalation of the war across the region.

Breaking news: A U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. The Sri Lankan navy said that about 180 people were aboard.

We're going to need this as we close out the week. Also, send your Advil and copious amount of café (throw in appropriate liquor). 💊☕️ 🧘🏻‍♂️

⚡️ Zelensky orders development of support plan for Middle East allies hit by Iran strikes. "Our military has the necessary capabilities. Ukrainian experts will work on site, and teams are already negotiating this," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

White House says Spain has agreed to cooperate but Madrid denies reut.rs/4rUhnDh

after absolutely eviscerating Kristi Noem and calling for her resignation, Tillis is applauded. He thens threatens to hold up nominees if she doesn't stop stonewalling him. My God.

Pam Bondi subpoenaed by US House in Jeffrey Epstein investigation

Grounded Perspectives has a Buy Me A Coffee page! ☕ #Substack #diplomacy #geopolitics

#Iran #Substack #ProtestArt

#MSC #MSC2026 #MunichSecurityConference #Substack #GroundedPerspectives #Podcast

“Today, the people of #Iran expect from the world what we in #Ukraine needed on February 24, when the #Russian invasion began – unity, determination, and speed. When they have time, they only kill more. They must be stopped immediately [...]" #Substack

#Iran #Epstein #Starlink #Zelenskyy #ElCangrejo #sanctions #missiles #war #rapprochment #AI #Substack #geopolitics #diplomacy

"The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 today that President #Trump does not have authority to enact wide ranging #tariffs without #Congressional approval. This constitutes a major setback for one of the administration’s core #economic policies [...]" #Substack

"The debate comes as #Berlin confronts a compressed timeline. #Russia’s invasion of #Ukraine has exposed #Europe’s #ammunition shortages, #drone gaps, and bureaucratic procurement inertia. #Germany’s €100-billion #Zeitenwende defense fund is meant to correct this, but drone acquisition [...]"

#Olympics #SOTU #Caracas #Trump #tariffs #FIFA #Gaza #Peru #NewsHeadlines #Substack

#Ukraine #Zelenskyy #War

"The President’s address often felt less like a constitutional report and more like a rally. He claimed to have won eight wars so far [...]" #SOTU #Trump #Substack

#SOTU #Trump #GOP #Democrats #PeoplesStateOfTheUnion

#AI #Claude #Anthropic

"The King is Dead in the Castle. Now What? We’re on a wild timeline. No longer a shadow war fought amongst proxies [...]" #Israel #Iran #Substack #War #Ramadan #Purim #Khameini #Khomeini #Persian

"Today’s strikes on #Cyprus by #Iranian-linked drones and #Hezbollah affiliates mark a pivotal escalation [...]" #Substack

Iran News in Brief – March 2, 2026 www.ncr-iran.org/en/news/iran...

Spring to the rescue...! #Substack #Iran #Austin #OilPrices #AI #stagflation

Exclusive: The Trump administration is quietly building a legal case against Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodriguez, including readying a criminal indictment, one of several tools it's using to strengthen leverage with Caracas, sources told Reuters reut.rs/3OHWexr

It’s Monday and we could really use an espresso ☕️ Let’s start this Lunar New Year 🧧 week right with rebirth, transformation, unity, art, poetry and so much more (plus our first Live chat!) — to give context and texture to these hot & heavy headlines. 📰 #Substack #Navalny #MSC2026 #WutheringHeights

We're back at it － let's meet for the headlines and stay for the art, books, Ancient Rome, Rosalía, CAKE and so much more. 🎂 #Substack #journalism #news #globalaffairs #foreignpolicy #MunichSecurityConference #ValentinesDay #Lupercalia #Harvard #Pentagon #CIAFactbook #Tariffs #EpsteinFiles