The Lead
The Dangerous Spiral in Iran and the Power of Truth
by Stewart Battle (EIRNS) — Mar. 18, 2026
Anyone trying to make sense of U.S. President Donald Trump’s buffoonery in Iran is undoubtedly having a difficult time. If he has had this all planned out the entire time, then why do the stated objectives keep changing? Why has a short, allegedly successful “excursion” now become broader day by day? And why has a war supposedly intended to liberate the Iranian people now become one where civilian infrastructure is being targeted, a move which will collapse their livelihoods and the economy they depend on?
Of course, any honest observer will understand that this is because the entire narrative is a lie, and is being reinvented by the hour. As each previous one fails, a new, more desperate one is chosen, threatening to cause a dangerous and irreversible spiral of war. However, this policy is not Donald Trump’s, he is only the latest fool to fall victim to a series of tricks and beliefs that are beyond his understanding. In actuality, the policy is that of the infamous Epstein class, which believes in the right to exploit peoples and nations to achieve their desires—from the bedroom to the war room. The only question remaining is whether enough of us have the courage to stand up and stop it.
In her weekly webcast on March 18, Helga Zepp-LaRouche warned that “the world has never been in such a dangerous moment.” She pointed to the recent assassinations of Iran’s Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani, as actions that will further inflame the conflict. This was made even worse when Israel, with the support of the United States, bombed Iran’s South Pars gas field later in the day—the largest gas field in the world. This blatant attack on civilian infrastructure is a major escalation, with initial indications as of the time of this writing that Iran has already begun striking other natural gas facilities in nearby Gulf states. If not quickly turned around, this entire region could be plunged into a new phase of destruction, with disastrous consequences for the world as a whole.
But with Iran so far remaining defiant, and with no signs of its governmental structures weakening, the question is what further steps will Trump now take? Will he plunge into a ground invasion and attempt to seize the buried supply of Iran’s enriched uranium (which they can of course make again)? Or, will he follow the advice of some, such as senior Atlantic Council advisor Harlan Ullman, who urge that he use a nuclear bomb?
In an emergency press conference on March 18, independent Presidential candidate Diane Sare raised the power of speaking the truth during a period of crisis like today. She noted the case of Lt. Col. Anthony Aguilar, who also spoke at the press conference, and whose courageous actions in exposing the hideous nature of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation last year led to the shutting down of that institution. Also consider the case of former Director of the Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent, whose public resignation letter has hit a raw nerve in the Trump administration, forcing it into a hysterical fit in response. This is the power of truth, Sare insisted, and it can work, because “I don’t believe that human beings are fundamentally evil; I believe that Americans have conscience.” Therefore, she said, “We are here to appeal to Americans of conscience to speak up and tell the truth about what is happening.”
This is indeed the task for all citizens of the world today—not to passively watch, assuming that the situation is so obviously bad that it will correct itself at some point. That would be a fatal mistake, as today’s Epstein class has shown there is no red line which they will not cross. As Zepp-LaRouche said in conclusion: “What it comes down to is that the entire system is rotten to the bone. And if honest citizens are not getting together and demanding that this stops, I think we will see the collapse of Western civilization. And you don’t have to blame either the Russians or the Chinese or anybody else, because it will be the West all by itself because of a complete moral decay which is causing its own demise.”
Trump’s new regime-change outlook “has all the signs of a typical overstretch of empires,” she said, noting that, “it is a clear, obvious fact that all empires in history collapsed; and they all collapsed more or less for the same reason, for overstretching and the decadence of their elites, and I think we see right now both phenomena.”
Sign and circulate the Schiller Institute’s Open Letter to Pope Leo XIV, and plan to attend this Friday’s meeting of the International Peace Coalition, which will further gear up these actions.
Contents
Strategic War Danger
- Israel Attacks South Pars Gas Facilities in Iran (↓)
- The Iran War Gets Hotter in Wake of Israeli Assassinations (↓)
- U.S.-Israeli Make Strike Near Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (↓)
- Trump Lashes Out at NATO for Not Helping the U.S. in the Strait of Hormuz (↓)
- Israel's Murder Spree in Iran (↓)
- Iran Refuses to Collapse (↓)
- Ukraine Sends Anti-Drone Experts to Gulf States (↓)
- Russian Foreign Minister Warns of Growing Strategic Instability, New Nuclear Proliferation (↓)
- Russia Maintains Firm Stance Against War on Iran (↓)
U.S. and Canada
Harley Schlanger Update
Watch The Daily Update with Harley Schlanger, a short video update available every weekday morning from The LaRouche Organization.
