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Mar 10, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump is sweating that his war in Iran will blot his legacy with an indelible black stain — and he's blaming a key ally for making it happen, a columnist wrote Tuesday.While the 47th President of the United States has much to worry about when it comes to his legacy — from his prominence in the Jeffrey Epstein files to the unmanaged cost-of-living crisis — the latest crisis is the one Trump is worrying about, Heather Digby Parton, wrote in Salon.And she suggested the influence of Republican Party members and administration figureheads had strong-armed the president into making a call on whether to strike Iran — and he knows it.Parton wrote, "Trump knows that a failed war would be the ultimate black mark on his legacy, and until now he was reluctant to go all out."But [Lindsey] Graham was there, the little devil on his shoulder, whispering sweet nothings into the presidential ears about how Trump will be remembered as one of history’s greatest leaders if only he will do what no president in his lifetime has been willing to do: launch wars of choice to demonstrate American military might."Graham and the rest of the admin's influence on Trump may come back to bite the president who, Parton suggests, should have known better than to be dragged into a war he could not win. "Until now, even the most hawkish Republican presidents knew this notion was absurd," Parton wrote. "They had learned from the mistakes of Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat, and Richard Nixon, a Republican. "Over three years, from 1965 to 1968, the U.S. conducted Operation Rolling Thunder, a sustained bombing campaign with the objective of putting the Viet Cong in their place — and it was remarkably unsuccessful. "Nixon tried it again with Operation Linebacker in 1972, and it was equally a failure. The North Vietnamese were not cowed. They just kept on fighting until the U.S. finally pulled up stakes three years later and withdrew."Of course the hawks all said that the military just didn’t go hard enough, destroy enough, kill enough or it would have worked — an argument that persisted throughout the rest of the Cold War and the years of Iraq and Afghanistan."

Mar 10, 2026 - World

Pentagon chief spoke with Gen Dan Caine at a press conference and blamed Iran for civilian casualties Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has warned that Tuesday would be the “most intense” day of US strikes yet, even as he blamed Iran for civilian casualties by claiming its forces were firing missiles from schools and hospitals.Speaking alongside Gen Dan Caine, the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, Hegseth alleged Iran was deliberately firing missiles from schools and hospitals, describing the country’s leadership as “desperate and scrambling like the terrorist cowards they are”. Continue reading...

Mar 10, 2026 - World

Saudi Arabian state oil firm calls crisis by far the biggest the region has seen but firm can reroute 70% of exports and tap crude held in storageBusiness live – latest updatesHow the Iran conflict could affect energy prices – video explainerSaudi Arabia’s state oil company has warned of “catastrophic consequences” for the world’s oil markets if the US-Israeli war with Iran continues to block shipping in the strait of Hormuz.The world’s biggest oil exporter expects to be able to supply the market with about 70% of its usual crude output despite the stranglehold on the vital trade artery, but its chief executive warned that there would still be “drastic” consequences for the world economy if the disruption continues. Continue reading...

Mar 10, 2026 - World

Sen. Rand Paul warned of a "disastrous election" if President Donald Trump did not end his war against Iran."As far as the reasons for the war, there have been many different reasons floated, but none of them, I think, have been very convincing," Paul told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo on Tuesday. "Another statement has been made, well, they're a week away from a nuclear weapon. You can take clips from the '90s all the way through the present of people arguing that they're a week away from nuclear weapons.""We were also told their nuclear weapons were obliterated," he noted. "So I guess I don't think the arguments are valid. And I think war should be the last resort, not the first resort.""My fear is that we get dragged into a long process here and that chaos results. Order doesn't come from this."Paul said he also opposed a supplemental spending bill for the Pentagon."I'm very, very concerned about the debt," he said. "And a half a trillion dollars to the military budget is fiscally irresponsible."Bartiromo wondered if Paul was leading a split in the Republican Party that would lead to midterm losses. "I don't think a split party is the problem," the senator replied. "I think the 2026 elections, already, we are behind the eight ball as far as the electoral process. I think if you add in high gas prices, high oil prices. And if we are still bombing Iran with kinetic action, people don't want to call it war, but if there's still kinetic action that causes oil to be over $100, I think you're going to see a disastrous election."

Mar 10, 2026 - World

Several MPs question why the party rushed to endorse strikes that were likely in breach of international lawGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLabor MPs were privately alarmed about the Albanese government’s immediate response to the US and Israel’s bombing of Iran, including a statement that offered unreserved support for the legally questionable attack that sparked the war.Guardian Australia can reveal the concerns were aired during a meeting of Labor’s left faction after the first strikes on Iran in February, which triggered the conflict that has since spread across the region. Continue reading...