3 Things about Operation Epstein Fury: 1) It appears WH is hiding Trump bc he is especially unfit right now, yet he ordered unilateral war (which is quickly spreading) on his own. 2) Iran quickly demonstrated to Trump he needs Europe. 3) Iran quickly demonstrated Ukraine has some cards. [corrected]

Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, launched rockets into Israel as Iran fired on Israel and Arab states. President Trump told The New York Times that the U.S. planned to keep up the assault on Iran for “four or five weeks.”

Ranking Member of the House Armed Services: "I ... still have not heard from anybody from the Department of Defense -- nor has Chairman Mike Rogers, the Republican Chairman of my committee or in the Senate." (hat tip: @acyn.bsky.social)

They are starting to scamper away.

What are the objectives? The people footing the bill and in whose name you are doing this would like to know.

Trump on service members getting killed in his war: “That’s the way it is.” Trump when his country called for him to serve: I have bone spurs. Trump’s sons: We’re too busy making billions off daddy’s presidency in the Middle East to waste time as a sucker and loser.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll finds only 27% of Americans approve of the military attacks. 43% disapprove.

"Suckers" and "losers."

a slurring Trump in new video on American troops killed by Iran: “Sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That's the way it is. Likely be more.“

www.cnn.com/2026/02/28/m... Text-only version: lite.cnn.com/2026/02/28/m...

The C.I.A. transmitted to Israel intelligence offering "high fidelity"'on Ayatollah Khamenei’s location. Then Israel struck.

Here’s my 2021 report touching on this exact move. Though I view this as mostly sloganeering and divorced from an effort to actually examine endlessness, escalation as route out of endlessness is a common symptom (and may sometimes work). www.newamerica.org/future-secur...

Some thoughts on this. First, it’s not a new frame. I noted this use in my report on Defining Endless Wars. Second, I do think using “forever war” here functions to keep the focus on duration and not on opening a focus on strategy that can come with endless war.

The Iranian government vowed on Sunday that it would retaliate for the attacks that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s longtime supreme leader and an implacable enemy of Israel and the United States, as attacks on the country entered a second day.

I'm sure Trump, having been prepped by Stephen Miller, would say, it's okay for the US bc if anyone did it to US we would obliterate them in response.

Immanuel Kant writes extensively about this and concludes that assassination of opposition leaders is not a wise tactic to use in wartime, and certainly is highly immoral. Having assassinated the Iranian Supreme Leader, both Netanyahu and Trump have made themselves perfectly legitimate targets.

New: No imminent threat: Experts dispute Trump admin claims for attacking Iran open.substack.com/pub/diplomat...

This is consistent with what one hears from serious analysts all around. The US negotiating team, led by two New York real estate developers with a reputation for incompetence at that and no serious diplomats or nuclear experts, were a bunch of ignorant pikers incapable of engaging in serious talks.

A senior administration official said the U.S. believed the American and Israeli militaries needed to strike first to blunt Iran’s retaliation. The official said Iran’s refusal to discuss its ballistic missile program led the U.S. to attack.

The Israeli Defense Forces said they launched an “opening strike” against high-level officials that also killed the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s defense minister, and other senior officials. www.airandspaceforces.com/us-israel-at...

Israeli officials say they killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. U.S. officials also believe Khamenei is dead, but are still assessing the situation. Trump said the U.S. offered intelligence support to Israelis for the strike. www.airandspaceforces.com/us-israel-at...

A group of Trump staffers party at a Washington DC restaurant, talking openly in the bar area Friday afternoon about a national secret that was about to literally explode hours later—the bombing of Iran. This is what Kegseth calls "op sec." www.tmz.com/2026/02/28/m...

"The heavy and pinpoint bombing, however, will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!" Bombing for Peace. Truly a Peacemaker.

I remember how many times we killed Baghdadi, and UBL, and a couple other members of senior AQ leadership. I’m gonna need to see a body or a state funeral before I believe Khameini is dead.

Much is wrong here. He signals to Iranian officials not to trust offers of immunity if we make them. He says we obliterated the country but will continue strikes….what will be left for the Iranians to “take back”? We killed children. Why would Iran do anything but take up arms against us?

I've made a new starter pack of people to follow for news and commentary on Iran. Got the idea from a request by @kakape.bsky.social

As predicted, retaliatory Iranian strikes on U.S. forces in the region.

www.cnn.com/2026/02/28/m... Text-only version: lite.cnn.com/2026/02/28/m...

AFRICOM reported late last night (Stuttgart time) that the US conducted airstrikes targeting ISIS-Somalia from Feb. 22-26, 2026. www.africom.mil/pressrelease...

REGIONAL WAR HAS STARTED -US-Israel strategic attacks on Iranian leadership -US Navy attacking Iranian Navy. USAF attacking ballistic missile facilities Iran has retaliated with successful ballistic missile attacks against Israel, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar.

Dozens of attacks in Iran were carried out by warplanes launched from bases and aircraft carriers around the Middle East. President Trump said the targets included missile sites, Iran’s navy and nuclear facilities.

In an eight-minute video, President Trump said Iran directly endangers the United States and urged the Iranian people to rise up once the U.S. strikes end.

In Corpus Christi, TX, Trump again suggests he should be president-for-life, or at least for another seven years.

rapid onset dark ages

Pete Hegseth is the warmest, bravest, most wonderful man I’ve ever known.

Trump raises prospect of 'friendly takeover' of Cuba, says Rubio in talks reut.rs/3Mz2OFR

The functional equivalent of firing top-tier scientists from the government because they aren’t loyalists.

Trump has dismissed Vice Admiral Fred Kacher, deputy director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for issuing warnings to him about what might go wrong in a new war against Iran, Reuters report. www.reuters.com/world/us/pen...

www.cnn.com/2026/02/26/u... Text-only version: lite.cnn.com/2026/02/26/u...

Let me see if I've got this right: DoD shoots down an unidentified drone...which turns out to be a DHS UAV. (1st friendly fire incident in US airspace?) Catching the FAA by surprise and prompting them to close the airspace. Incredible interagency coordination. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/u...

New: US so far mum after Iran talks in Geneva open.substack.com/pub/diplomat...