The Lead
Iran and the Moral Midgets of the Epstein Class
by Stewart Battle (EIRNS) — Mar. 01, 2026
”Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget / falls drop by drop upon the heart, / until, in our own despair, / against our will, / comes wisdom / through the awful grace of God.”
This quote from Aeschylus’ play Agamemnon was recited from memory by Robert F. Kennedy Sr. the night Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, April 4, 1968. Kennedy had traveled into the ghetto of Indianapolis to speak to a gathering of black Americans, despite recommendations from his security and police teams not to go. Kennedy ended his short remarks to the gathering by saying: “Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people.”
That night, there were violent riots in 110 cities across the United States—but there were no riots in Indianapolis.
Rather than heed the wise words of true statesmen and historians who have come before, U.S. President Donald Trump has shown that he does not possess such “painful wisdom” learned through “the awful grace of God.” His initiation of a full-blown regime-change war against Iran, and the ensuing unleashing of a cauldron of violence, now threatens the early destruction of human civilization.
Reactions and counterreactions are spreading across Southwest Asia as a whole. Iran is retaliating not only against Israeli and American targets, but also against targets in their Gulf neighbors, and Saudi Arabia has itself threatened to become involved in the counterattacks against Iran. At the same time, protests against American embassies and military bases have erupted across at least Pakistan, Iraq, and India, while Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian called the assassination of Khamenei a “declaration of war against Muslims.” Passions are becoming inflamed. To top it off, Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, with multiple hits reported on oil tankers in the vicinity, and all major shipping companies have announced they won’t transit the Strait.
Pope Leo on Sunday, March 1, said the series of events could become “a tragedy of enormous proportions,” and appealed to all parties “to assume the moral responsibility to stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss!”
President Trump and other glib members among the Epstein class are promising that all is going according to plan and the Iranian government will be toppled within mere days. However, Iran’s response appears to be stronger than expected, with announcements on March 1 that nine Israelis and three American servicemembers have been killed, as well as many others in Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the U.A.E. There are also reports questioning how long the U.S. and Israel can sustain such an intense conflict requiring huge numbers of interceptor missiles, with some saying supplies may only last 1-2 weeks. No matter what happens, such an arrogant and deranged approach will lead to the end of the world one way or another, and an alternative must urgently be found.
Exactly what such an alternative policy must look like will be taken up in a powerful way at EIR’s Emergency Roundtable, starting at 8 a.m. Eastern Time on March 2. Leading voices from around the world will be convening to chart a pathway toward survival, at a moment when the world is staring down the barrel of absolute destruction.
As Kennedy acknowledged, the pathway to peace can never be imposed through force, but rather requires an almost spiritual reckoning with oneself and the nature of mankind. Join the roundtable and don’t sit out this vital period of history.
Contents
Strategic War Danger
- War Against Iran Continues Into Day Two (↓)
- The Death of Khamenei and Regrouping in Iran (↓)
- Strait of Hormuz Effectively Closed (↓)
- U.S. Military Reports Three Troops Killed (↓)
- Protests in Several Countries Against the United States (↓)
- Saudis Effectively Side With U.S.-Israel War of Aggression Against Iran (↓)
- Anonymous Officials Detail the Lead-Up to the Feb. 28 War on Iran (↓)
- International Responses to Death of Khamenei and Worsening Conflict in Iran (↓)
- Russian Ambassador to UN Condemns Attacks on Iran at UN Security Council (↓)
LaRouche movement
- Presidential Candidate Sare Calls on American Citizens To Demand Congress Stop Iran War (↓)
- EIR Special Report: The Empire Has No Clothes! The End of Oligarchy, Not Just Epstein (↓)
Collapsing Imperial System
Harley Schlanger Update
Watch The Daily Update with Harley Schlanger, a short video update available every weekday morning from The LaRouche Organization.
