The Sanity Interview: Mudar Adnan Zahran
Mudar Zahran
Everything you need to know about the Iran war…
My interview with The New York Sun.
Mudar Zahran
Everything you need to know about the Iran war…
My interview with The New York Sun.
By Pamela Geller |
President Donald Trump and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia attend the meeting of the Leaders of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf Countries, Sunday, May 21, 2017, at the King Abdulaziz Conference Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
Once again the wisdom and the bravery of President Trump shifts the balance toward a force for good.
With their economies on the line, Gulf states press US to neutralize Iran for good
Peloni: This was a good day
| Published: March 17, 2026
16:31 – IDF detects Hezbollah preparations for large-scale rocket attack later today
“In recent hours, the IDF has detected expanded preparations by the Hezbollah terrorist organization to launch rocket barrages toward the State of Israel in the coming hours,” the IDF warned.
Several days ago, the IDF had apologized for not issuing a warning to the public after receiving similar intelligence.
Analysts and advocacy voices warn that key structural issues must be addressed before any ceasefire agreement is considered sustainable.
David Bedein | The J.Ca | Mar 16, 2026
Over the next weeks and months, Israel will be pressured by the US into accepting a ceasefire.
However, before agreeing to a ceasefire, fundamental issues must be brought to the forefront to show that the war conducted by the Palestinians and their Iranian allies is far from over.
• The official Voice of Palestine, operating on Israeli government radio and TV frequencies, continues its daily incitement.
Peloni: Could Larijani’s death lead to a greater chance of regime transformation rather than regime change?
Ali Larijani, a key behind-the-scenes figure in Iran, was killed in an IDF strike, leaving a major gap in the regime’s leadership amid growing instability.
This comes days after he and other regime members had appeared in public during Friday’s Quds Day events. Larijani was rumored to be one of the Tehran regime’s figures who might assume leadership after Israel and US strikes on February 28 killed other regime officials, including the supreme leader.
Arlene Kushner | Mar 16, 2026
Israeli Air Force F-15I Ra’am warplanes. Photo by IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikipedia
We Israelis are going through a tough time. There is no denying it: the whole country is on edge. We are suffering from serious sleep deprivation because of sirens that go off in the night. We are regularly called upon to make decisions regarding whether a particular outing is wise, and relatively safe. We are enduring a heightened sense of loneliness because safety restrictions curtail social interactions.
Peloni: While the world was fixated on counting Netanyahu’s fingers, the key figure behind the slaughter of the 30-50,000 Iranian protesters in January of this year was assassinated. Coincident to this enormous victory, the commander of the internal Basij militia, Gholamreza Soleimani, was likewise assassinated in an Israeli overnight strike in Tehran, as was the majority of the Basij leadership… this is a major step forward for the Iranian people to take back their state.
CONFIRMED: ALI LARIJANI ELIMINATED IN TARGETED STRIKE
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz:
? Full statement (translated):“The head of the Iranian government and I congratulate the Air Force for acting with determination and for hitting the head of the snake in Iran — and I… pic.twitter.com/26DSXxThzM
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) March 17, 2026
Text:
Rabbi Jacob Herzog | X | Mar 16, 2026
Image via X
I liked the interview of the King of Jordan today with the President of the UAE, Mohammed bin Zayed. Honestly, it’s the best recorded “film” I’ve seen in my life. Only the Jordanian intelligence chief will understand exactly what I mean.
International security crises are rarely fought by a single nation alone.
Moshe Phillips
Jewish Legion soldiers at the Western Wall after British conquest, 1917. Public Domain, Wikipedia
U.S. President Donald Trump recently called on Western allies to help secure shipping lanes in the Gulf, urging European navies and other partners to contribute forces to protect global commerce and regional stability. The request highlights a longstanding reality of international conflict: Wars and security crises are rarely fought by a single nation alone. Coalitions form, partners contribute in different ways and throughout history, even peoples without a sovereign state have found ways to organize and fight alongside larger powers.
Public gestures matter. When someone in a position of influence treats atrocity as liberation, the signal travels far beyond a social media post.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji. Screengrab via Youtube
Dear Ms. Rama Duwaji,
You publicly liked social media posts describing the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas as “collective liberation.” You also placed a heart next to an Instagram post claiming that the reports of mass rapes on Oct. 7 were a “hoax.”
By Allen Gindler
For several decades after the Cold War, American foreign policy presented itself as a moral project. The United States, it was said, would no longer merely defend its interests abroad; it would help build democracy. Dictatorships would be replaced by representative governments, institutions would be strengthened, and societies would gradually move toward liberal norms. As Natan Sharansky argued in his book The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror (2004), liberal democracies are less likely to go to war with one another, thus warranting prolonged peace. The policy sounded morally attractive. Unfortunately, it also proved enormously expensive and rarely successful.
Peloni: Fascinating!
by
Vice Consul for the American Diplomatic Mission in Persia, later Iran. Buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.By U.S. Foreign Service Memorials – Findagrave.com, Public Domain, Wikipedia
Long before the Iranian hostage crisis or the suicide bombings that would follow, Iranian Islamists and their Communist allies teamed up to murder a top American diplomat.
Peloni: Israel must not fall for the same Lebanese shell game which begins promises being exchange for Israeli withdrawals, and ultimately months of delay with no follow thru by Lebanon’s feckless govt. Peace with Lebanon is a fiction built upon a promise with only a long list of similar broken promises to back it up. Israel must follow thru on its initiative in Lebanon, and stop mowing the grass. Seize the land south of the Litani River and extend a safety buffer north to the Awali River. This will provide Israel with security, something which will never materialize from a Lebanese promise.
Peloni: David Wurmser comments on the Carlson claimed CIA sting below the video.
| Published: March 16, 2026
15:02 – CENTCOM says 6,000 combat missions completed, 50,000 U.S. troops remain deployed
In an update on Operation Epic Fury, U.S. Central Command Commander Admiral Brad Cooper reported that to date, U.S. aviators have flown more than 6,000 combat missions, maintaining air superiority over Iranian skies.
Cooper noted the strategy toward dismantling Iran’s defense industrial base, stating, “It’s one thing to defend by striking launchers and intercepting missiles and drones, but it’s another thing to eliminate the wider manufacturing apparatus behind them. And we are doing that today.”
US president still considering seizing Kharg Island as Strait of Hormuz remains closed
| Published: March 16, 2026
Strait of Hormuz. Public Domain, Wikipedia
U.S. President Donald Trump said overnight that he is “demanding” that about seven countries join a coalition to secure the Strait of Hormuz and help reopen the critical waterway amid the ongoing war with the Iranian regime.
Peloni: As the war rages in the Persian Gulf, and the Strait of Hormuz lies closed, pressure is building to have Israel realized as the vital cog in satiating the world’s energy markets. Yet, this opportunity will not last forever…
As Iran disrupts shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a long-overlooked alternative energy route could emerge through Israel; linking Saudi oil pipelines with the Eilat–Ashkelon line could reshape global energy flows
Amir Avivi | YNET |Mar 15, 2026
Map of Strait of Hormuz. Image by Pascal – This image is a derivative work of [1] from [2], which was created by the w:Central Intelligence Agency in 1980 and hence is PD-US-Gov, Public Domain, Wikipedia
The current crisis in the Persian Gulf is not just another isolated event in the global energy arena. Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the laying of naval mines in this strategic passage have shaken global energy and trade markets.