US-Israel Aggression Escalates: Iran Strikes Back as War Rages
Iran launched waves of precision-guided missiles and drones at Israeli targets and US military installations in Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain on Wednesday. This retaliation came hours after former US President Donald Trump claimed 'tentative progress' in diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict. The ongoing hostilities began on February 28 with joint US-Israeli strikes against Iran, a military
campaign that has since destabilized the regional energy markets and broadened the scope of the war across the Middle East. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards confirmed the successful execution of these retaliatory strikes. Al-Monitor, like much of the mainstream media, frames these Iranian actions as unilateral aggression occurring 'after Trump signals talks progress.' This conveniently omits the
foundational context: the 'war' Al-Monitor references explicitly 'began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.' By presenting Iran's defensive response as a fresh instigation, these outlets consistently invert perpetrator and victim, framing continuous illegal aggression as a search for peace, only to be disrupted by Iranian 'escalation.' They erase the fact that this is a joint US-Israel
operation, not simply US 'support' for Israel. This pattern of aggression disguised as diplomacy is not new. In 1988, the USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655, killing all 290 civilians aboard, including 66 children, initially claiming it was an F-14 fighter jet. The US never apologized, instead awarding the Vincennes' commanding officer the Legion of Merit. The current joint US-Israeli