"The administration has provided no clear casus belli, instead grafting shifting narratives onto a largely predetermined course of action as war advocates steer Washington toward military action despite the lack of a discernible endgame":

• Iran and the Persistence of US Failure in the Middle East (CATO Institute)

"With no viable armed opposition on the ground, and no U.S. troops in the region to physically take territory, it’s unclear how an air campaign against a country of 93 million will achieve objectives that have yet to be laid out":

• The U.S. Is Unprepared for a Significant War with Iran (American Security Project)

Trita Parsi gives three reasons why "this won't work":

• No, Even a 'Small Attack' on Iran Will Lead to War (Responsible Statecraft)

The Zionist war on free speech -- and the resistance-- continues:

• Censorship of Palestine Overshadows Berlin Film Festival Finale (New Arab)

"They (the Pentagon) have something for every scenario. One scenario takes out the ayatollah and his son and the mullahs" -- a Trump advisor:

• Kill Orders Against Khamenei, His Son: Report Flags Trump's Iran Options (NDTV)

"The release of the activists comes after the British High Court ruled that the government’s ban on Palestine Action as a 'terror group' was unlawful and disproportionate":

• Twelve Palestine Action Activists Granted Bail (Aljazeera)

An film about a motorcycle riding social/political activist lesbian midwife and political candidate  who insists she is comfortable with her gender is the first Iranian documentary nominated for an Oscar:

• Iran's Motorcycling Midwife and Rights Campaigner Is Star of Oscar-tipped Film (BBC)

"The internet is, by design, a decentralised and deeply inter-dependent network. But Iran’s recent example indicates that it is becoming far more plausible" to splinter:

• The Splinternet: How Online Shutdowns Are Getting Cheaper and Easier to Impose (The Guardian)

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Email any questions or comments to mfi@minaret.org.