Amid ongoing diplomatic talks with on-again, off-again optimism about reaching an agreement, the United States resumed airstrikes inside Iran, triggering reciprocal Iranian strikes on a U.S. military base in Kuwait, where Tehran said the attacks originated.

In addition, while the U.S. and Iran traded blows of missiles and drones in the escalating exchange, Israel launched deadly bombardments into Lebanon, which has been increasing by the day.

Iranian officials warned Tehran will deliver a “proportionate response” to any continued U.S. provocations, after its Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) hit back against the U.S. projectile attack on the Bandar Abbas airport in southern Iran on May 28, reported Iran’s PressTV.

“The response delivered by the IRGC demonstrated the full readiness of Iran’s Armed Forces,” Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said. “Should such actions continue, the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond proportionately.”

“Enemies must understand that Iran will show an appropriate and proportionate response to any repetition of threats or acts of aggression,” Mr. Gharibabadi warned.

The U.S. and Iran agreed to a so-called ceasefire mediated by Pakistan on April 8; however, the fighting has not paused. At the same time, America’s war partner Israel has tripled down on attacks into Lebanon, despite a Washington-brokered ceasefire in April.

One of the demands in the 14-point Iranian proposal to end the war was for Israel’s aggression to cease in Lebanon. According to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), approximately 670 projectile movements were recorded on May 27—the highest number since the supposed cessation of hostilities took effect on April 17.

The mission also reported increased ground and air activity by the Israeli military, including armored vehicle movements and strikes north of the Litani River—the strategic boundary line in southern Lebanon.

“We again urge all to respect the cessation of hostilities and stop any further attacks,” said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. “We reiterate that civilians and civilian infrastructure must never be targeted. We condemn the loss of civilian lives,” he said.

Mounting bloodshed and carnage

By Final Call presstime, according to the UN, nearly one million people in Lebanon have been displaced, and according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health website, 3,200 people were slain, with nearly 10,000 people injured from Israeli strikes. Observers see the severity of Israel’s onslaught as potentially a second Gaza and a field of destruction.

While talks continue for a U.S.-Iran deal and Israeli bloodshed mounts in Lebanon, carnage has also been ongoing in Occupied Palestine. According to media outlets, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on May 28 that he ordered occupation forces to expand Israel’s 60% control of Gaza to take 70% of the enclave.

The Occupied Palestinian Territory remains heavily fragmented, with people not allowed to move between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and movement within each of those areas further restricted by military divisions, physical barriers, and closed zones, combined with ongoing violence claiming civilian lives.

In its May 25 situation report, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said more than 150 families were displaced from eastern Khan Younis and eastern Gaza City between May 16–17 due to Israeli tank movements and bombardment, with at least 40 families requiring emergency aid.

Israeli strikes also hit residential areas and shelters, including a May 18 airstrike in Jabalya Camp that damaged tents belonging to 35 families and displaced dozens, said OCHA’s report.

In the West Bank between May 12–18, Israeli forces and settlers killed five Palestinians, including a child, and injured nearly 60 others, including six children, across the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

More than half of the injuries occurred during settler attacks. OCHA documented over 50 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage during the same period, bringing the 2026 total to more than 870 attacks across over 220 communities—an average of six per day.

“The repeated targeting of densely populated residential areas reflects a deliberate policy aimed at maximizing human loss,” said the Gaza City-based Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, in an email statement on May 28.

The center strongly condemned the continued escalation by Israeli occupation forces of grave violations against civilians in the Gaza Strip, coinciding with the Islamic Eid al-Adha holiday.

Over a span of 48 hours (May 26-28), these attacks have resulted in the killing of 21 Palestinians and the injury of dozens more, including 10 civilians who were killed in a nighttime airstrike targeting a residential home near Al-Israa Tower on Omar Al-Mukhtar Street in central Gaza City.

The attacks reflect an “accelerated expansion” in the systematic targeting of civilians, and mass atrocities in the ongoing genocidal campaign against the Palestinian population, said the center.

Peace eludes the peace-breakers

Israel, with the complicit backing of America have remained war criminals in the region. On Iran, observers argue that America, along with Israel, is conducting an unjust, unsanctioned war. Despite negotiations and claiming “peace” as the endgame, America and Israel’s actions undermine peace.

The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam, and His National Representative, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, have warned about why peace escapes the peace-breakers.

Both Divine Warners explained that global conflicts are rooted in injustice, hypocrisy, and the refusal of powerful nations to pursue peace on equal terms and justice. On multiple occasions, Minister Farrakhan has pointed out that they want so-called peace, but peace on their terms.

He has cautioned that there can be no peace without justice and accountability for destructive foreign policies imposed on the peoples of the Earth.

“What is the recompense for those who administer ‘suffering’ and ‘loss’?” Minister Farrakhan asked, in Part 15 of his yearlong lecture series, The Time and What Must Be Done, delivered in 2013.

“Jesus mentioned this ‘Law of Requital’ in these words found in the Book of Galatians, Chapter 6, verse 7: ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap,’” Minister Farrakhan said, referencing the scriptures.

“Also, in the Book of Hosea, Chapter 8, verse 7, Jesus said that if you ‘sow the wind’ you will ‘reap the whirlwind’— because Nature never gives you ‘exactly’ what you gave. Nature always gives you more; so, if you’ve done ‘good,’ God will give you more than the good that you have done.

But for the ‘evildoer’: God will bring recompense on your head. And for The Wicked who persist in evil: Oh, this ‘whirlwind’ is now blowing at your door,” said Minister Farrakhan.

In Part 16 of the same lecture series, Minister Farrakhan explained: “They are the world’s meddlers and snoopers. They are not contented to live alone without ‘snooping’ around and meddling in other people’s affairs. [And] even though you divide the earth equally with them, they want your part or try to run your own business for you the way that they think best.”

Minister Farrakhan’s guidance is just as true in 2026, describing America and Israel.

The wage of war

Currently, U.S. lawmakers are deciding on a record-setting trillion-plus-dollar Pentagon budget. But some analysts argue the exorbitant price for war extends far beyond the Trump administration’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget.

It includes the human, political and moral consequences of prolonged conflict and instability, said Middle East expert Phyllis Bennis, director of the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, in remarks to The Final Call.

“It’s way beyond just the money,” said Ms. Bennis, adding, “but the money is staggering.”

“The amounts of money that are being spent on these wars in the interest of promoting and maintaining global hegemony, that’s what this war is fought for. This war isn’t for nothing; it’s to make sure that the world knows that this country is the global hegemonic power,” reasoned Ms. Bennis.

America relies on military force because that is where its dominance over other countries and blocs is strongest. It exerts power politically, diplomatically and economically as well, but its military dominance surpasses all the rest by a wide margin.

“So that’s their first choice. This was not just a war of choice; it was an illegal war. It was not just immoral, it was illegal and wrong,” said Ms. Bennis. “It’s all those things that have been true of, in my view […] every war this country has fought since World War II,” she said.

In the meantime, on the ongoing diplomatic talks, President Trump says a deal has been reached. Iranian officials maintain that no final understanding has yet been reached and caution that similar American claims about being “close to a deal” have been repeated many times before without producing tangible results.

Press TV reported Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman responded to President Trump’s remarks on his Truth Social platform that Iran “must agree” that they will never have a nuclear weapon or bomb and the Hormuz Strait “must be” immediately open.

“We said goodbye to the language of ‘must’ 47 years ago,” Esmaeil Baghaei told state television on May 29, referring to the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

“None of the Western parties can use the language of ‘must’ when they talk about the Islamic Republic of Iran. We make our own decisions based on the interests and rights of the Iranian nation,” he said.

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The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam and His National Representative, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, have warned Muslim nations to exercise discipline, restraint and unity and not allow outside mischief makers to cause Muslims to shed the blood of fellow Muslims.

“Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would be very displeased seeing Muslims killing each other because of the interference of The Mischief-Maker and The Blood-Shedder,” he said.

“And you have not ‘figured it out’ yet … America is The Mischief-Maker. America is The Blood-Shedder,” Minister Farrakhan pointed out, during Part 27 of his yearlong lecture series delivered in 2013, called “The Time and What Must Be Done,” in words of warning that he spoke then that could apply today in the current crises permeating the Middle East.

Western media outlets reported that the UAE and Saudi Arabia carried out covert retaliatory strikes against Iranian targets, including reported attacks on oil infrastructure and air operations. The UAE has outright denied the allegations, and Saudi Arabia has not confirmed these allegations. Could it be that Israel and the U.S. launched these attacks against Iran from their military bases inside those two Gulf State countries?

A statement posted May 13 on X.com by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that amid the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, the Israeli leader “secretly visited” the United Arab Emirates and met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed in what Israel describes as a “historic breakthrough in relations” with the UAE. However, via a statement on the UAE Foreign Ministry website, the Gulf nation denied that the meeting ever occurred or that it received an Israeli military delegation on its territory, referring to media reports that Mossad chief Dedi Barnea also visited the UAE twice during the conflict to coordinate military actions.

“The State asserts that its relations with Israel are open, established within the framework of the well-known and declared Abraham Accords and are not based on secrecy or hidden arrangements,” read the statement. “Accordingly, any allegations of undisclosed visits or arrangements are unfounded, unless they are made by the competent official authorities in the UAE,” said the ministry.

In response to the Israeli pronouncement about the alleged meeting, Iranian officials lambasted the claim and called on the nations to beware of a relationship with Israel. “Netanyahu has now publicly revealed what Iran’s security services long ago conveyed to our leadership,” said Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister on X. “Enmity with the Great People of Iran is a foolish gamble,” he said. “Collusion with Israel in doing so: unforgivable,” and “Those colluding with Israel to sow division will be held to account,” said Mr. Araghchi.

In the Holy Qur’an, the scripture of the Muslims, chapter 46, verse 6, it states: “O you who believe, if an unrighteous man brings you news, look carefully into it, lest you harm a people in ignorance, then be sorry for what you did.”

Despite the volatile warmaking and instigation by the U.S. and Israel in the Middle East, there are efforts among Muslims toward unity.

Recent Sunni–Shi‘i unity efforts have continued despite attempts to create regional tensions. For example, the February 2026 Bahrain conference “Intra-Islamic Dialogue: One Nation, Shared Destiny” brought Sunni and Shi‘i scholars together to reject sectarian division, while the April 2026 London conference “Hussain: The Symbol of Unity” promoted inter-sect cooperation and Muslim solidarity.

Arab world polls indicate their citizens view America and Israel as the real threats to the region.

According to The Arab Opinion Index 2024–25, released in early 2026 by the Doha-based Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, Israel and the U.S. are viewed as the greatest threats to Arab security, The New Arab reported. The survey showed there is serious concern across the West Asia and North Africa region over stability, war, and foreign intervention, where 44% of respondents across the Arab world identified Israel as the main threat to security in the region, while 21% pointed to the United States. Iran ranked a distant third at 6%, followed by other global and regional powers.

The U.S. and Israel started the regional tensions with their unprovoked attacks on Iran. Since the war broke out in late February, Iran has responded with retaliatory strikes inside Israel and on U.S. military bases scattered throughout the region in its defense. Iranian officials maintained that its retaliatory attacks were against American military bases located in Gulf nations, not against the nations themselves.

The current attempt to create turmoil between the Muslim nations can be understood in the history of European colonial influence in shaping Gulf monarchies and supporting the creation of Israel. While Britain laid much of the colonial groundwork in the Middle East, the U.S. expanded that role, becoming the chief military, political, and economic backer of both Israel and Gulf monarchies.

However, America’s fate and the bloodshed were foretold by the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad on pages 171 and 172 in His monumental book, “The Fall of America.”

“America is falling. She is now losing the power and authority that she was enjoying in foreign lands. Her fall is very visible. Wherever her authority has been exercised the people are now crying out in one voice, ‘Leave us, leave us; Americans go home to America,’” wrote the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad.

“The citizens of other countries are telling the American citizens, ‘Leave us.’ America no longer has friends. America and England deposited their little brother, Israel, on foreign soil, Palestine, which is Arab land. They deprived the Arabs of their own land and sent them into exile.

“This injustice against the Arabs is now costing America the power and authority that she once exercised in the East. She is on her way out of the Near East. This means bloodshed and plenty of it,” He wrote.

In a message to the global Muslim ummah (community) at the conclusion of the Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan live via teleconference on the Ramadan Prayer Line (now called The Ummah Reflects podcast), on June 25, 2017, Minister Farrakhan again warned the Muslim world about the consequences of division at the behest of America and Israel. “I am not here to curry favor with any Muslim group, or with Mecca, I am here to warn you of The Great Displeasure and the Fierce Anger of Allah at the way we have disregarded our covenant with Him,” Minister Farrakhan cautioned.

“Do we want to get away from that brink of the pit of fire, and the hatred that is in our hearts for one another? Do we want Allah’s favor, that He might once again unite our hearts, and make us brothers again? Then keep the infidel out from among us! Every time America got in trouble, she would always go to Arabia, to Saudi, to get money; millions of dollars! Now it’s in the billions, to buy second-grade weapons from America. Israel has already told America, ‘You can’t make Saudi Arabia have weapons the same as we! We must maintain weapon superiority in this region.’ So, what you are buying are inferior weapons, and weapons designed to kill and slaughter each other!” Minister Farrakhan said.

“Are you going to fight, Sunni (Muslim), your brother Shia Muslim in Iran? Is this what it’s all about? How can we look to you for guidance? Did not The Prophet say whenever two Muslims quarrel with one another, make peace between them? And we are not ‘Muslims’ until we permit The Messenger to be the arbitrator of our disputes! Why are you setting up in Mecca a ‘center against extremism’ when you should be setting up a center for conflict resolution among us as Muslims? Where are the scholars? If The Prophet is not here to settle our disputes, then it falls on those who say you are ‘the scholars of Islam.’ But if the scholars of Islam will fail the Muslim Ummah, and fail to step up to solve the disputes among us, and then you look for this weak institution called the ‘United Nations’ ruled by the corruption of The West, particularly America: Is this, now, your ‘guide’? Is this, now, your God; that America can dictate to you, so you don’t follow the dictates of Allah? Shame on you!”

So, beware of the mischief-maker. Final Call staff contributed to this report.

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Despite the standoff, missiles were shot in the waters off the coast of Iran with accusations of ceasefire violations. A senior Iranian military official told Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting on May 7 that Iranian forces retaliated against an unprovoked U.S. attack on an Iranian oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman by targeting American units near the Strait of Hormuz.

“In a statement, Ebrahim Zolfaghari noted that the ‘aggressive, terrorist, and outlaw’ U.S. military, in violation of a ceasefire, targeted an Iranian oil tanker,” reported Press.TV.ir. Ebrahim Zolfaghari is spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters.

Another vessel near the Emirati port of Fujairah was attacked by U.S. forces, and with support from some regional countries, there were airstrikes on civilian areas along the Iranian coast, including Bandar Khamir, Sirik, and Qeshm Island.

Iranian officials said the country’s armed forces responded by striking U.S. naval vessels near the Strait of Hormuz and the port of Chabahar, claiming significant damage was inflicted.

Notwithstanding the May 5 attack on the tanker and renewed firepower exchanges in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump, continued to insist that diplomacy remained on track and that prospects for a second round of direct talks with Iran had not collapsed.

However, blame-shifting, U.S. officials claimed the attack on the tanker was retaliation for Iran allegedly firing 15 ballistic cruise missiles toward the United Arab Emirates on May 4, which Iran refutes.

The missile flew while America says it is pursuing peace; however, critics point out that this is the third time America has attacked Iran while negotiations were in motion. America had not been a trusted actor in its dealings with Iran. For years, America has been reproached for its errant foreign policy, warmongering, and mischief-making.

As Divine Warners, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam, and His National Representative, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, have cautioned America against exceeding the limits of justice.

“America, in trying to hold her place as the greatest power among the nations of earth, is one of the most troubled countries on earth today,” wrote the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad on page 115 of His pivotal and profound book, “The Fall of America.”

“America brought all of her troubles upon herself. She alone is to be charged with being the cause of the troubled world and people today,” he continued.

“America loves meddling into other people’s affairs. She just cannot stay out of other people’s business, whether they be a two-cents worth soap-box teacher or presidents and kings of countries,” explained the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad.

“America goes abroad and makes war against other people. Then she charges them with making war against her when she is the one who is guilty of the war-making. The Bible says Allah (God) will destroy those who delight themselves in making war,” warned the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad.

Minister Farrakhan, like his teacher, has warned America to change its posture and respect the self-determination of other nations. “While the Iranians have problems to solve, as do every nation and people on earth, they are a proud and independent people,” said Minister Farrakhan, in a Nov. 7, 2018, statement from Iran.

“They do not wish to be under the thumb of America again. As I said several times in Tehran, the U.S. sanctions are a mistake. And, while dialogue should be a good thing, the U.S. has a history of lying and breaking her commitments,”

Minister Farrakhan explained. “To survive, America must turn away from yesterday’s policies, go forward in a new spirit and seek a new direction,” he continued.

The current crisis was exacerbated by a joint U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran in February. Minister Farrakhan said that America is a troubled nation suffering internal decay marked by political division, moral and spiritual decline, social fracture, fiscal instability, a culture of violence and a leadership blind to the weight of the times.

“Despite U.S. efforts to foment disunity and rebellion inside of Iran, the Iranian people may not be as gullible as America believes. Iranians have the right to resolve their own problems without outside interference,” Minister Farrakhan reasoned. Just a few short years later, his warnings and guidance are just as applicable today.

On May 4, U.S. officials began announcing that America’s war in Iran was over and a so-called “Project of Freedom” began, aiming to militarily force a full opening of the Strait of Hormuz. Notwithstanding, Washington abruptly backed off the plan less than 48 hours later, saying a peace deal was imminent from talks underway in Pakistan.

But Iran countered that an agreement was not in play and said that America failed in both its war aims and attempt to take control of the vital waterway.

Dueling blockades on the waterway are still impeding commercial transit, driving up global energy prices, and raising the risk of wider regional conflict. The months-old war has reverted to high-stakes posturing and indirect talks.

On the table is a U.S. proposal reportedly aimed at ending the conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, alongside a 14-point counterproposal from Tehran. Several proposals and counterproposals have been submitted by both sides over the course of the war.

As of Final Call presstime, according to several media outlets, the full text of Iran’s proposal had not yet been released, but a few key components, some of which have been previously presented, according to Al Jazeera, included:

• Ending the war instead of extending the truce and all issues resolved within 30 days.
• Guarantees against future attacks
• A withdrawal of U.S. forces from around Iran.
• The release of frozen Iranian assets worth billions of dollars and the lifting of sanctions.
• War reparations
• Ending all hostilities, including in Lebanon, and a new mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz.

“We expect an agreement sooner rather than later,” Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on May 7. “We hope the parties will reach a peaceful and sustainable solution that will contribute not only to peace in our region but to international peace as well,” according to Associated Press.

At Final Call presstime, commenting on the indirect talks, Esmaeil Baghaei, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Iran is reviewing messages received via the Pakistani mediators; however, it has not yet reached a conclusion, and no response has been given to the American side yet, according to Iranian Press TV.

His comments came on the heels of the United States, alongside Bahrain and the Gulf Arab states of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar, advancing a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council intended to block Iran from restricting commercial ship passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

The draft follows other failed attempts, including a U.S.-backed Bahraini resolution that Russia and China vetoed in April.

“The only viable solution in the Strait of Hormuz is clear: a permanent end to the war, the lifting of the maritime blockade, and the restoration of normal passage,” said Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s Ambassador to the UN, in May 8 remarks to the press.

“Instead, the U.S. is pushing a flawed, politically motivated UN Security Council draft resolution under the pretext of ‘freedom of navigation’ to advance its political agenda and legitimize unlawful actions—not to resolve the crisis,” said Mr. Iravani.

He contends that if adopted, the resolution would seriously damage the “credibility” and “impartiality” of the Security Council and “politicize” the Council’s enforcement powers.

The resolution would establish a dangerous precedent for legitimizing unilateral coercion and unlawful actions by the United States against the sovereignty and sovereign rights of coastal States.

“The unlawful war of aggression by the United States and the Israeli regime remains the sole and direct cause of the current situation in and around the Persian Gulf,” Mr. Iravani stated.

With America’s domestic economic and political damage spawned from the crisis, Iran argues the U.S. Government has sacrificed the interests of its own nation to the hegemonic ambitions of the Israeli regime in the region and to the illusory aspiration of establishing a “Greater Israel” through the expansion of occupation.

The consequences for the global economic crisis arising from this aggression rest entirely upon the initiators of the war, Iran has argued.

An analysis published on May 5 by Press TV said Washington’s announcement that the war was over and abrupt ending of the so-called “Project of Freedom” was not a “signal of strength” but an “admission that the blockade had failed,” and revealed that the United States overestimated its own strategic endurance and underestimated Iran’s.

“Washington has now been forced to recognize that prolonging the blockade inflicts greater damage on the U.S.—politically, economically, and temporally—than on Iran,” said the analysis.

For Trita Parsi, analyst and co-founder of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, by the U.S. entering a war with Iran instigated by Israel, the picture may be far worse.

“To say that Trump underestimated Iran is an understatement. The Israelis sold him—and he ended up believing—a narrative that portrayed Iran as so weak that the war would be won within 4 days,” said Mr. Parsi on his X page. Now, “60 plus days later, Trump is still stuck in the mess Israel sold him,” he added.

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At the same time, proposed cuts to healthcare, education support, childcare, and homelessness programs sharply contrast with elevated military spending. While people and nations suffer the costs of conflict, corporations tied to war are reaping gains from death and destruction.

The U.S. has been admonished by voices of reason about her contradiction. The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam, and His National Representative, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, have long warned America about its actions.

“This is America, the glory of the world in wealth, sport and play, with her merchant ships ploughing the high seas carrying her costly merchandise throughout the population of the nations of the earth,” wrote the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad on page 124 of His pivotal book, “The Fall of America,” a book of guidance and warning.

“The ships of America can be seen everywhere … in every port of the nations of earth. Her great navy is built to command the high seas. Her decks are mounted with great bristling rifle-barreled guns. The decks of her ships are covered with planes with which to carry deadly bomb-shells to pour on other nations who dare now to reject her entrance into their waters,” He continued.

In reference to scriptures, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad said America was foreseen as “threatening and daring” the nations to disobey her order to allow her entrance. America’s Navy planes fly high with deadly bombs ready to drop on the cities of other nations that dare to attack her.

He further explained that the sky over America is shadowed with thousands of planes, a sign of unmatched military power, yet looming destruction remains. America launches aircraft and rockets into space with the most advanced technology ever developed, while at home, its forces stand prepared to confront internal unrest.

“The prophet who foresaw all of this readiness and preparation for the world showdown of military might, says, ‘Woe to the land shadowing with wings …’(Bible Is. 18:1),” the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad continued.

In his enlightening book, “A Torchlight for America,” Minister Farrakhan, echoing his teacher’s guidance, explained that the root cause of the disparity between the world’s marginalized and the wealthy profiteers of death is greed.

“The fundamental motivation in this society is greed and the preying upon the weak of the country and the weak of the world, versus sharing wealth in cooperation with the weak and the poor,” said Minister Farrakhan on Page 29.

“There is a certain arrogance and false pride among the leadership that encourages the wrath of God,” Minister Farrakhan further said on page 35. “The leadership would like to keep up a reputation in the world that is not supported by its people,” he said.

“America gives away billions to other countries while she is suffering at home. What is the basis for this spending? It’s the lust for power and the maintenance of imperialism. America gives $4 billion in aid to Israel, whose population is just 6 million [now 9.6 million],” said Minister Farrakhan at the time of his 1993 writing.

According to the National News Desk, “Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign aid since World War II. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the United States has provided more than $300 billion in total economic and military assistance to Israel since 1948, when adjusted for inflation.”

Military and monetary support flows to Israel while only a fraction of annual aid ($7-8 billion) goes to sub-Saharan Africa, which has more than 1.3 billion people.

The U.S. government chose to maintain the global posture while neglecting suffering at home. Billions were spent abroad—even as millions of Americans, including former workers, taxpayers, and soldiers, were left living under bridges, in cardboard shelters, or on the streets. In its pursuit of power and image as a global superpower, America turned a deaf ear to the needs of its own people.

Longtime political activist Sara Flounders of the International Action Center argues “the U.S. empire faces an untenable situation” with relentless wars that have failed but made billions for the military industries.

“So, even if there are disastrous losses in U.S. terms, either driven out of Afghanistan, the poorest country, out of Iraq. Even if they can’t succeed all the way back to Vietnam, the military industries made big, huge profits,” explained Ms. Flounders. “But now the script has flipped, you could say, because they face an untenable problem in their war on Iran,” she reasoned.

Barry Landendorf, a past president and board member of Veterans For Peace, told The Final Call that going into Iran was an unnecessary, unconstitutional war. “Iran was not an imminent threat to the United States, and it hasn’t been,” he said. “I think, frankly, Israel is behind this part of it. Because as [Benjamin]Netanyahu said, for 40 years, he’s been trying to get an American president to join with Israel to attack Iran. And he finally found somebody in Donald Trump,” said Mr. Landendorf.

Meanwhile, America is still paying for past wars, he said. “For the Vietnam War, just think about that, the Vietnam War and these other wars, we’re going to be paying into 2050 and beyond for the veterans who have been wounded and who are suffering,” said Mr. Landendorf. “Some of them will get 50 to 100% disability because of that,” he added. “We’ll be paying through the health care system for a long time for the Veterans Administration,” he said.

Mr. Landendorf argues that there is anger among the American people because the military-industrial complex has a stranglehold on Congress.

“We’ve cut back on health care. We’ve cut back on food stamps… the USAID,” he said. “We were helping people overseas, and it was actually helping the farmers here, because the government would pay farmers in this country a lot of money for using the corn, soybeans and all that we would send overseas,” from our surplus,” he said.

Major U.S. defense contractors have posted billions in revenue, driven by sustained conflicts and increased demand for weapons systems, missiles, and military technology. The Russia-Ukraine war raging since 2022, along with the U.S.-Israel war on Iran and ongoing tensions in the Middle East, have fueled increased arms production and international weapons sales.

According to a July 2025 brief issued by the Quincy Institute called “Profits of War: Top Beneficiaries of Pentagon Spending, 2020 – 2024,” private firms received $2.4 trillion in contracts from the Pentagon, approximately 54% of the department’s discretionary spending of $4.4 trillion over that period.

During those five years, $771 billion in Pentagon contracts went to just five firms: Lockheed Martin ($313 billion), RTX (formerly Raytheon, $145 billion), Boeing ($115 billion), General Dynamics ($116 billion), and Northrop Grumman ($81 billion). The authors wrote by comparison, the total diplomacy, development, and humanitarian aid budget, excluding military aid, was $356 billion. In other words, the U.S. government invested over twice as much money in five weapons companies as in diplomacy and international assistance.

Meanwhile, congressional hearings are underway on the Trump administration’s $1.5 trillion budget request. Defense contractors are experiencing strong profits. For example, according to its website, in the third quarter of 2025, Lockheed Martin brought in $18.6 billion in sales, up from $17.1 billion the year before. It made $1.6 billion in profit and saw a sharp rise in cash coming in—clear signs of profiteering as global conflicts continue.

These figures came amidst a record $179 billion backlog—orders already locked in but not yet delivered—giving Lockheed Martin a pipeline of guaranteed future business. For defense contractors, backlogs often indicate ongoing or anticipated military activity. And while active war exists with daily costs mounting, it is a win-win scenario for the makers of war-fare, drones, missiles and related material. When stockpiles are diminished, they must be replaced.

According to vestedfinance.com, an investment adviser website based in California, which indicates it gathers its information from sources such as the Financial Times, Bloomberg and other reputed media houses, “Wars consume weapons at a terrifying rate. In just the first 16 days of the conflict, the U.S. and coalition forces burned through more than 11,200 munitions, at an estimated cost of $26 billion. Among these were over 1,200 Patriot missile-defense systems made by RTX, hundreds of Tomahawk cruise missiles, and more than 300 Thaad interceptors built by Lockheed Martin.”

Vested Finance explained why that number matters. “A single Patriot missile costs more than $3 million. And it takes months to build one. You cannot just order more and have them show up next week. Replacing what was used in the first two weeks alone will require years of sustained production. Which means years of sustained revenue for the companies that make them.”

It is not just the large corporations waxing rich off of the death and destruction of war in the Middle East. Vested Finance also explained that smaller firms in the U.S. and abroad are getting in on the moneymaking action.

“Arizona-based SpektreWorks built low-cost attack drones by literally reverse-engineering captured Iranian Shahed drones. The U.S. started using them within the first 24 hours of the conflict. Los Angeles-based Neros, which had previously supplied attack drones to Ukraine, saw Pentagon demand spike rapidly. Its CEO noted they’d never seen the need for having systems on the shelf ready to go for urgent demands. at this scale before,” noted vestedfinance.com.

People are growing tired of wars with no clear purpose or end. Even as leaders promised to avoid prolonged conflicts, new ones emerge with shifting goals—from regime change to nuclear threats to control of key routes like the Strait of Hormuz. At home, rising costs for food, fuel, and basic goods add pressure. Globally, disruptions to critical supplies such as fertilizer threaten agriculture and food production, increasing the risk of hunger in developing nations.

Advocates for social programs warn that reduced funding for domestic needs risks widening inequality at a time when many communities are already struggling with housing instability, access to care, and economic uncertainty.

“Every time Trump says, ‘Oh, we have unlimited oil and gas.’ The prices are set globally. So the average person here, on electricity… gas…food products, is paying more and more,” said Ms. Flounders.

These are the hardships paid for with U.S. tax dollars, “And throughout West Asia, they pay with their lives,” she said. Final Call staff contributed to this report.

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Meanwhile, there is growing dissatisfaction among American citizens with the war amid rising economic strain. According to the tracking service WarCosts, the staggering price tag has already made this the most expensive air campaign in U.S. history.

As tensions remain high and the rationale for the war grows increasingly unclear, a widening chorus of critics is reacting to the moral and human consequences of the war, insisting that enough is enough.

However, decades of warnings were issued by the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam, and His National Representative, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.

Both Divine Warners cautioned America about the consequences of its war posturing.

The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad warned that peace-breakers have reached an impasse in finding solutions and pathways to peace. “We do not hope for peace as long as we add to the war that which serves as fuel to a fire,” wrote the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad on page 209 of His book “The Fall of America.”

“The fire cannot go out as long as we keep it burning by adding more fuel. A dying, burning fire is increased when more fuel is thrown into it,” He wrote.

“How can we expect peace where the method used to bring about peace is the same method that started the war—instead of finding a right solution and then practicing the right solution?” the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad continued.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan also shed light on the consequences of U.S. actions in the Middle East, particularly in Iran. “What gives a nation perpetuity versus that which undermines and destroys a nation?”

Said Minister Farrakhan, in a Nov. 7, 2018, statement from Tehran. “Evil, falsehood and violation of divine law doom nations to destruction, and the holy books of the world’s three greatest monotheistic religions warn us of such,” he said.

If Iran is striving to uphold divine law, respect women, and pursue righteousness, it is on the right path. If America has violated the principles of life, liberty, and justice—through its mistreatment of Indigenous people, Black communities.,

And the poor—then it has not only failed its Constitution but also disobeyed divine law and stands subject to judgment. In this view, American democracy has too often protected the interests of the White, the wealthy, and the powerful, Minister Farrakhan explained.

“So, to stand with Iran against unjust sanctions and mass punishment is to stand in the proper place. To warn America that these sanctions—which have been rejected by the European Union, France, Britain, Germany, Russia, China and other countries—are wrong is to stand in the proper place.

I am trying to help America face the error of her ways and see the enmity she is sparking across the globe alongside a growing loss of friendship. This is not good for America, nor the world and only marches us steadily to acrimony, conflict and the final war of Armageddon spoken of in the Bible.

America can no longer act unilaterally in the world and be successful. Success can only come from righting old wrongs and purposing just and progressive policies,” said Minister Farrakhan.

Minister Farrakhan’s remarks are applicable and relevant to today’s current crisis.

“If people feel strongly, or somewhat strongly about these wars, want them to end and are concerned about the future of this country, get involved,” said Michael McPhearson, executive director of Veterans For Peace.

“Let your congressperson know that you want these wars to end and make it a major issue, not a secondary issue,” he said. “Tell them that.

I want you to end these wars, and I want you to use the resources that we use on these wars to take care of people here at home in a real way,” Mr. McPhearson told The Final Call. “End the wars, and then invest in people, make that a priority.”

Now, the clarion call being issued by activists, pro-peace advocates, U.S. citizens and even some politicians is to stand up, exert pressure and make America know her sins and misguided steps in its interference and warmongering in the Middle East.

Veterans For Peace maintains that wars will not end until there is a “sea-change” in the thinking of the American people and political leaders.

The U.S. government has conducted itself as a meddler and mischief-maker on the world stage. Over the last several decades, the U.S. was embroiled in “forever wars” that cost lives and resources. Observers note that dissatisfaction and fatigue with the current war among the American people are increasing.

Mr. McPhearson, a veteran of the Persian Gulf War, said there are different reasons for the present public reaction. “The biggest reason,” he said, “the United States has been at constant war since post-9/11, really before then,” he stated.

But in the layperson’s view, “we’ve been at war in Afghanistan and Iraq for 20 years,” and the peace movement has for several years talked about “forever wars” or “endless wars,” and the political right picked up that language in the past few years, he explained.

Among opposers are military veterans who know firsthand the lived experience of war, who are also voicing their opposition to America’s war with Iran, instigated by Israel.

On April 20, a coalition of organizations, including Veterans For Peace and the Center on Conscience & War (CCW), stood in formation, flanked by military family members, inside the Cannon Rotunda, located on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol Complex.

They unveiled banners that said, “End the War on Iran,” and standing at attention, held red tulips honoring Iranians killed by U.S. bombs.

The groups conducted a flag-folding ceremony symbolizing American troops killed, and who will continue to be killed if the war continues, said a statement issued by the CCW, a non-profit that opposes military conscription and serves conscientious objectors to war.

The veterans and families demanded that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) come meet them to accept the folded flag and pledge to end funding of the war.

Instead, the group was met with arrests.

“First of all, they work for us,” said Mike Prysner, CCW’s executive director in a telephone interview with The Final Call, referring to the president, the House and the Senate.

“The American people don’t want this war,” he added.

These are elected representatives refusing to uphold their responsibilities and reflect the American people, who overwhelmingly reject President Trump embarking on this war against Iran.

“What they should be doing is the tens of billions of dollars that are being sent over and over again, approved by Congress to Trump, to continue this war should be used to meet human needs here at home,” Mr. Prysner contends.

The message to the government from the veterans who protested at the Capitol was “we are their legacy” and were mostly veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan war.

Two wars that Mr. Prysner argues “we were lied to about every step of the way” and caused untold suffering for American service members, their families, the people of those occupied countries, and the communities where billions in tax dollars were ripped away for bombs that dropped on the other side of the world.

“That is their legacy of the last 25 years, and we see that they are about to do it again. And we’re not going to let them,” said Mr. Prysner. “We’re going to do everything we can to make it difficult for them.”

Tired of war and American interference abroad

Americans’ aversion to war—especially among younger service members—stems from lived experience and exposure to its consequences.

Many in the post-9/11 generation grew up during the so-called “War on Terror,” witnessing prolonged conflicts marked by questionable justifications, high human costs, and unclear outcomes, which has left a lasting skepticism toward military intervention.

More recently, graphic, real-time exposure to modern warfare—particularly during Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians and its current brutality in Lebanon—has intensified this shift.

Seeing the human toll up close has reshaped public perception, especially among young Americans, leading to deeper moral questioning of U.S. foreign policy and military alliances.

This evolving consciousness is reflected within the military itself, where younger service members increasingly question the purpose, legality, and human impact of war, contributing to a broader cultural and political shift away from support for prolonged conflict.

An Ipsos poll conducted April 10–12 found that only 24% of Americans believe military action in Iran has been worth the cost, while 51% say it has not and 22% are unsure. A majority (54%) also reports that the conflict has negatively impacted their personal finances.

Earlier polling from March 27–29 shows strong support for ending the conflict quickly, with 66% favoring an expedited withdrawal even if it means falling short of U.S. objectives, compared to just 27% who support continuing the war to achieve all goals.

Overall, public sentiment remains negative, with 58% disapproving of U.S. strikes on Iran, compared with 38% who approve.

More politicians are also becoming increasingly dissatisfied. U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) recently introduced legislation to block the U.S. sales of bombs and bulldozers to Israel; however, it failed to get the required votes to pass.

“It was the fourth time Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Senate Democrats, had forced consideration of resolutions cutting off military aid for Israel in the Senate, all of which have been rejected by the chamber’s Republican majority, and many Democrats,” reported the U.K.-based The Guardian.

Forty senators backed a resolution brought by Senator Sanders that would have prevented the sale of $295 million in bulldozers and 36 members voted for a second resolution that would have halted a $151.8 million sale of 12,000 1,000lb bombs to Israel’s military, the outlet reported.

“Today, more than 80% of the Democratic caucus stood with the American people and voted to block U.S. military aid to Netanyahu and his horrific, illegal wars. When we started this effort there were just 11 votes. Now, there are 40,” said Senator Sanders in an April 15 statement.

“That shift reflects where the American people are. Americans, whether they are Democrats, Republicans or independents, want to see our tax money invested in improving lives here at home—not used to kill innocent women and children in the Middle East and put American troops in harm’s way as part of Netanyahu’s illegal wars of expansion,” he continued.

Political analyst Richard Becker of the Act Now to End Racism and War (ANSWER) Coalition said what the public polls reflect about the war is emphatic.

He reasons that with the war on Iran, backlash to the Trump administration grew beyond an “anti-Trump” and “anti-billionaire” sentiment to include a strong anti-war current.

Particularly visible in the recent March 2026 “No Kings” demonstrations, where an estimated eight million people mobilized in 3,400 demonstrations across America and globally.

He anticipates the sentiment will be expressed even more strongly during the May Day Rallies held annually on May 1 by workers worldwide as International Labor Day to decry what they view as attacks on the working class.

Along with that is discontentment among the Trump Administration base, who supported the president because he promised to end prolonged wars like Iraq and Afghanistan and pursue a different path.

However, critics argue that, rather than a shift, U.S. involvement in Middle East conflicts continued and was very destructive—both in terms of the damage inflicted abroad and the strain at home. “We have half the population in the United States is either living in poverty or low income, which is just another gradient of poverty,” said Mr. Becker.

Mr. Becker also noted that while the government had public support at the start of past wars, the unique aspect of this war was that opposition began early, attributing the level of dissatisfaction to a number of factors.

“The most important thing that’s happened in terms of war … has been the uprising of Palestinians and the genocidal oppression that has been visited on them by the Israeli government, but with the full backing and arming and funding of Washington,” reasoned Mr. Becker.

“Millions of young people, of all nationalities in the United States; all ethnic groups have joined the movement and became anti-war … became anti-government,” he explained. “And continue to express their revulsion with these wars [and] with the genocide that’s going on,” Mr. Becker noted.

The post ‘The American people don’t want this war’ Conflict overseas in the Middle East drags on as public patience runs out appeared first on Final Call News.

After high-level American and Iranian delegations met for nearly 24 hours in Islamabad on April 11, they failed to resolve core disputes or reach an agreement to end the conflict that began on February 28, when U.S. and Israeli forces launched attacks on Iran. By press time, while direct strikes on Iranian territory had waned, ongoing regionwide military activity, including Israel’s attack against Hezbollah—an Iran-aligned force—in Lebanon, economic warfare, and naval clashes in the Strait of Hormuz continued, underscoring the fragility of the truce. At best, the situation amounts to a high-stakes pause—but not peace.

The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam, warned that war will be in the Middle East and He was asked the question, “will there be bloodshed?” And the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad responded with one word, “plenty.”

For decades, U.S. foreign policy—largely driven by instigation from Israel— has fostered a climate used to justify confrontation with Iran. In its errant and duplicitous foreign policy, multiple U.S. presidential administrations worked to influence the international community, particularly the Muslim world, to isolate Iran.

While this posture set the stage for a potentially catastrophic conflict—one that could trigger a wider war described in scripture as Armageddon—warnings against such a course were issued by the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and His National Representative, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. For generations, both Divine Warners cautioned America against exceeding the boundaries of justice.

Minister Farrakhan has forewarned multiple U.S. presidents about the dangers of aggression and of being drawn into war with Iran at the urging of Israel.

“Our president and the government that supports him should be very, very careful,” said Minister Farrakhan, on Oct. 13, 2019, during an annual Holy Day of Atonement message, commemorating the anniversary of the historic Million Man March.

“Because if the trigger of war in the Middle East is pulled by you, using your surrogates, at the insistence of Israel, then the war will trigger another kind of war, which will bring China, Russia, all of the nations, into a war,” Minister Farrakhan said. “And it bothers me to say this to you, Mr. President, but the war will end America as you know it,” he cautioned.

That warning to President Donald Trump in his previous term echoes in the current moment, as tensions between the United States, Israel, and Iran have moved to a direct confrontation, a fragile pause, and a dangerous standoff.

But whichever way the pendulum of war or peace swings, serious questions are being raised over whether U.S. and Israeli actions in the war have amounted to war crimes—potentially exposing them to international accountability.

The strikes by American and Israeli militaries brought death and damage to the people of Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, and beyond, hitting the centers of government and civilian life. Hospitals, universities, and on Feb. 28, during the initial airstrikes, a Tomahawk missile struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in the town of Minab, killing 175 students and staff.

A U.S. military investigation determined that the United States was responsible for the bombing. A March 16 Human Rights Watch release said the U.S. must be accountable for the deaths.

“The findings of the U.S. military investigation into the Minab school attack show a violation of the laws of war that cannot be boiled down to a blameless mistake,” said Sarah Yager, Washington director at Human Rights Watch. “Even if those responsible for the strike did not deliberately target a school full of children, the U.S. military has an obligation to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm, which it clearly did not do in this case.”

Under international humanitarian law, including Article 57 of the Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, forces must verify that targets are legitimate military objectives and halt attacks if they are not. Indiscriminate attacks are prohibited. Governments that violate these rules are obligated to provide reparations and to investigate and prosecute those responsible for potential war crimes.

Legal analysts and human rights advocates have pointed to allegations involving strikes on Iranian desalination plants, energy facilities, ports, and transportation networks inside Iran that also serve civilian populations.

The president of Alborz University of Medical Sciences in Iran told Tasnim News that a dialysis center was destroyed after being set on fire during strikes near the Fardis oil depot. Shahram Sayadi told Tasnim that “during last night’s enemy attacks on the vicinity of the Fardis oil depot, a dialysis center that was located near these facilities, was caught on fire and its equipment and building were destroyed.”

Condemning the incident, he said, “The attack on health service providers once again portrayed and exposed the inhumane face of human rights claimants and the real nature of the enemies in targeting the welfare and health of citizens.” He said the center had 35 active beds and played a vital role in treating dialysis patients in the region.

Esmaeil Baghaei, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, said the U.S. and Israel must be held accountable and prosecuted for their “brutal aggression” against Tehran, in violation of international humanitarian law.

“We must do this, and I believe not only Iran, but the entire international community demands accountability from the U.S. and the Zionist regime,” said Mr. Baghaei, in an interview on April 16 with Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency.

He called the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran a crime against international peace and security, a “war crime” and “crime against humanity.”

Mr. Baghaei said accountability will remain a permanent demand among Iranians, and that Iran will pursue justice through its legal system and international law for what he described as serious crimes committed against the Iranian people.

As prospects of ending the war grew less likely, President Donald Trump made incendiary remarks that, if fulfilled, would have amounted to war crimes. On his Truth Social network, where he posts his official presidential positions, Mr. Trump on April 7 threatened to obliterate Iran and its “whole civilization” if it did not open the Strait of Hormuz, in an ultimatum that drew wide global condemnation.

After the February 28 U.S.–Israeli strikes, Iran responded and effectively limited the Strait of Hormuz, later permitting passage only to “non-hostile” vessels while barring U.S.- and Israel-linked shipping.

Some critics dismissed the ultimatum as President Trump being bombastic, while others saw it as an unfiltered and dangerous threat.

Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, sharply criticized the president, warning that his conduct poses a serious threat nationally and globally. “The rhetoric and behavior we are witnessing from Trump isn’t just alarming, it’s dangerous,” he said in an April 7 statement.

An April 7 joint letter of 200-plus organizations and experts condemned President Trump’s threats of war crimes.

“We, the undersigned human rights, humanitarian, civil liberties, faith-based and environmental organizations, think tanks, and experts, are deeply alarmed by President Trump’s threat regarding Iran that ‘a whole civilization will die tonight’ if his demands are not met,” said the letter. Such language describes a grave atrocity if carried out. A threat to wipe out ‘a whole civilization’ may amount to a threat of genocide. Genocide is a crime defined by the Genocide Convention and by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as committing one or more of several acts “with intent to destroy in whole or in part a national, racial or religious groups as such.”

Israel has already been widely condemned for its genocide in Gaza and its ongoing brutality against the Palestinians there, as well as in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

It is also being heavily criticized for the mounting casualties impacting Lebanon and the displacement of the Lebanese people. The regime’s attacks on civilian infrastructure and residential buildings in Lebanon “may amount to war crimes,” said Thameen Al-Kheetan, the spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights back on March 16.

“In many instances, Israeli airstrikes have destroyed entire residential buildings in dense urban environments, with multiple members of the same family, including women and children, often killed together. Such attacks raise serious concerns under international humanitarian law. People displaced by the fighting and living in tents along Beirut’s seafront have also been hit. And in recent days, at least 16 medical staff have been killed,” he continued.

Deliberately attacking civilians or civilian objects amounts to a war crime. In addition, international law provides for specific protections for healthcare workers, as well as people at heightened risk, such as the elderly, women and displaced people,” Mr. Al-Kheetan added.

At Final Call presstime, although reports stated that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day “truce” it was also reported that gunfire was still being heard.

The UK-based The Guardian reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “called the ceasefire a ‘historic’ opportunity for peace but refused to withdraw his troops from southern Lebanon during the pause in fighting.” 

The outlet also reported on April 17 that “The Lebanese army warned people displaced from southern Lebanon about returning home because of intermittent shelling that was reported after the ceasefire came into effect,” and that “the Israeli military warned residents of southern Lebanon not to return south of the Litani River despite the truce.”

The post An uncertain truce and questions of possible war crimes appeared first on Final Call News.

A fragile “ceasefire” brokered by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was reportedly agreed to nearly 40 days into the conflict that had spiraled into a global economic crisis and a multifront war with related firefights in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and counterattacks from Yemen by the Ansar Allah (Houthis) resistance group, in support of Iran.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the two-week so-called ceasefire on April 7, with talks days later in Islamabad to advance a final agreement.

The talks in Islamabad included U.S. representatives led by Vice President JD Vance—joined by Washington’s regional envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The Iranian delegation was headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Qalibaf and included Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Supreme National Defense Council Secretary Ali-Akbar Ahmadian, Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati, and several members of parliament representing the security.

Days prior, on April 7, Mr. Sharif posted on X.com, “With the greatest humility, I am pleased to announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere including Lebanon and elsewhere, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.”  

He added, “We earnestly hope that the ‘Islamabad Talks’ succeed in achieving sustainable peace and wish to share more good news in (the) coming days!” 

However, before the proverbial ink had sufficiently dried on the so-called ceasefire, allegations were reported that the U.S. and Israel had breached the terms.

What media reports described as a massacre and then nonstop carnage beginning the very day the so-called ceasefire took effect, Israel struck more than 100 commercial and residential locations across Lebanon, including in the capital, Beirut, killing hundreds of people and injuring more than a thousand by presstime.

International calls for Israel to end the attacks in lieu of giving the Islamabad talks a chance were rebuffed. Israel argued that implementing a ceasefire in Lebanon was not part of the Pakistan-brokered deal.

However, the claim contradicts the agreement and statements by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Sharif, who explicitly included Lebanon in Iran’s 10-point proposal that Washington agreed to and that President Donald Trump publicly lauded on his Truth Social platform.

Observers and analysts argue that Washington must rein in Tel Aviv’s continued attacks in Lebanon to avoid undermining the Islamabad negotiations. However, neither the U.S. nor Israel have historically been a trustworthy broker for peace or keeping their word.

Middle East analyst Mouin Rabbani told The Final Call that developments in Lebanon will be a key indicator of Washington’s commitment to preventing a resumption of full-scale war.

“The key issue to look for in the coming days is Lebanon,” said Mr. Rabbani. “If Israeli attacks in Lebanon cease, then you know that the U.S. has turned the screws on Israel and is serious about not restarting this war,” he added.

On the Israeli violation, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian strongly reviled the continued onslaught on Lebanon as a move that endangered the Islamabad talks.

“Renewed aggression by the Zionist regime against Lebanon blatantly violates the initial ceasefire,” President Pezeshkian said on April 9 on X.com. “Such actions signal deception and non-compliance, rendering negotiations meaningless,” he continued. “Our hands remain on the trigger. Iran will never forsake its Lebanese brothers and sisters,” warned the Iranian president.

The Iranian government issued a statement on April 8, outlining three key clauses that the U.S. violated, which it said fit a pattern of duplicity by Washington. In less than a year, the U.S. had entered talks with Iran and then militarily attacked in the midst of negotiations—the most recent being the Feb. 28 joint attack with Israel on the Islamic Republic.  

“The deep historical distrust we hold toward the United States stems from its repeated violations of all forms of commitments,” said the statement. “A pattern that has regrettably been repeated once again,” said an official statement one day after the so-called ceasefire was announced.

“As the president of the United States has clearly stated in his Truth (Social network) the Islamic Republic of Iran’s 10-point proposal is a ‘workable basis on which to negotiate.’ And the main framework for these talks.”

However, three clauses of the proposal were violated, said the Iranian statement. The first violation was against the clause for a ceasefire in Lebanon, referring to Israel’s continued bombing. Tehran also accused Washington of breaching the agreement by flying drones into Iranian airspace and also denying Iran’s right to enrichment—the sixth clause of the proposal.

“Now the ‘very workable basis on which to negotiate’[quoting Pres. Trump’s post] has been openly and clearly violated, even before the negotiations began,” said the statement posted online by Mr. Ghalibaf.  In addition, the statement said, in such a situation, a bilateral ceasefire or negotiations is unreasonable.

Mr. Rabbani said the available information points squarely to Washington as the initiators of the ceasefire push, having turned to Pakistan to broker the arrangement, with Islamabad subsequently drawing Iran into the process through its contacts with China.

“So on the face of it, it looks like the Americans needed this agreement more than the Iranians, who regardless of what you or I may think, the Iranians, felt that they were in the comparatively stronger position,” said Mr. Rabbani.

He said the development raises pressing questions about U.S. intent—whether the so-called ceasefire was designed as a tactical pause to regroup for further escalation, or an acknowledgment that its objectives were slipping out of reach as economic and strategic costs mounted.

“My own view is that the Americans have basically called it a day. And even if they’re going to be further bombings … I think the return to a full-scale war is extremely unlikely,” reasoned Mr. Rabbani.

On the negotiations, Mr. Rabbani cautioned that the divide between the parties remains wide, casting serious doubt on the prospects for a formal agreement and suggesting that talks may instead serve as a mechanism to manage tensions rather than resolve them.

“Now you have these negotiations, and the first thing I would say is that the parties are simply too far apart to reach an agreement, and it may well be that they just decide to continue the talks on the basis of an informal understanding that there won’t be a return to full scale hostilities,” he opined.

He pointed to two critical flashpoints that could determine the trajectory of the crisis. The first is the dynamic between Israel and Iran, particularly if continued Israeli attacks compel Tehran to choose between military response and preserving negotiations. The second is the Strait of Hormuz, which he described as a central pressure point with global implications.

“This is not something the Iranians are going to give up on, because they consider any American commitments to be worthless, even American commitments on sanctions relief, they consider to be worthless,” he said.

Mr. Rabbani added that Iran sees its control over the Strait of Hormuz not just as leverage, but as a decisive instrument of pressure—one it is unlikely to surrender given its deep distrust of U.S. assurances.

The ball is in the U.S. court, and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments.

“The Iran–U.S. Ceasefire terms are clear and explicit: the U.S. must choose—ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both,” said Mr. Araghchi, via X.com on April 8.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, the National Representative of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam, along with his teacher, has long warned the United States about the consequences of flexing its might on the world stage.

“Their lands and seas are filled with deadly weapons of war; their islands of the sea are afloat with corruption by all the nations of earth, for they are proud and boastful and [are now hated and] despised according to their wishes,” said Minister Farrakhan, in Part 15 of his 2013, 58-week lecture series, “The Time and What Must Be Done.” 

“They command the sea with their powerful navies, parking them off the shores of other nations—as they are doing now in Asia; as they’ve done in the Gulf of Sirte, or Sidra, in The Mediterranean, and as they are doing in other parts of the world,” he continued.

“They secure air bases on their soils to place their deadly bomb-carrying planes within easy striking distances of those whom they fear to be their enemies. Is this not the easy way to make more enemies?” said Minister Farrakhan.

In counterattacks to the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran, the Islamic Republic has responded. Several U.S. bases and installations have been rendered temporarily unusable or severely degraded, with cumulative damage running into the hundreds of millions of dollars and forcing America to disperse forces, rely on improvised facilities, and adjust its regional posture under sustained pressure.

Iranian missile and drone strikes inflicted widespread damage on American military bases across the region. Installations from Iraq and Kuwait to the Gulf monarchies and beyond were hard hit. For example.

Camp Arifjan, the Ali Al-Salem Air Base, and Bubiyan Island in Kuwait, and sites in Iraq like Ain al-Asad Air Base and Erbil, absorbed repeated hits that damaged infrastructure, struck equipment, and in some cases forced the relocation of American troops.

Iran struck high-value command and airpower hubs, including Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar—headquarters of the U.S. Central Command—and naval facilities in Bahrain, where strikes damaged support infrastructure and nearby housing used by U.S. staff.

In Saudi Arabia, Prince Sultan Air Base suffered some of the most visible losses, including the destruction of a high-value surveillance aircraft, as reported by Defense Express, underscoring the vulnerability of even well-defended sites.

The airbase, since the beginning of America and Israel’s attacks, has been constantly under counterattack by Iranian drones and ballistic missiles, resulting in serious losses. Other facilities in the United Arab Emirates and as far as RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus were also struck, demonstrating Iran’s expanding range.

The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam, wrote that America has arrived at a time of reaping and sowing, as written in the scriptures: “…As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee…” [Obadiah, Chapter 1, verses 13–15].

“America has done the worst work of deceiving other peoples and making false friendships with them. Now her turn has come. No one wants to trust her for friendship, for she has deceived many nations,” He wrote in Chapter 25 of his book, “The Fall of America.”

By Final Call presstime, the Islamabad talks collapsed after 21 hours of negotiation. The discussions marked the first major high-level engagement between Tehran and Washington since the 2015 multinational nuclear negotiations, and the highest-level face-to-face talks since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

However, no agreement was reached on core issues, including Iran’s nuclear program, decades-long sanctions relief, and control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran downplayed expectations and blamed the U.S. for making what it called unreasonable demands, reported Al Jazeera.

“The success of this diplomatic process depends on the seriousness and good faith of the opposing side, refraining from excessive demands and unlawful requests, and the acceptance of Iran’s legitimate rights and interests,” Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei wrote on X.com.

He added that the two sides discussed a range of issues, including the “Strait of Hormuz, the nuclear issue, war reparations, the lifting of sanctions, and the complete end of the war against Iran,” he said. 

Mr. Baghaei emphasized that the lack of a deal should not be seen as a failure of the broader process, saying, “No one had such an expectation.”

Central to the disagreement was Washington’s demand that Iran not pursue a nuclear weapon or the “tools” to achieve one—an accusation Iran has long denied, citing a religious decree issued by the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The Final Call will continue to monitor this story as it develops.

The post Are the U.S. motives behind temporary ceasefire in Iran a strategic pause or a retreat? appeared first on Final Call News.

Incessant bloodshed in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, war on the Islamic Republic of Iran, and battles inside Lebanon—all involving Israel with the implicit support of America.

There is a growing confrontation in the region after the U.S. and Israel jointly attacked Iran in late February. Analysts had previously warned that the move could draw in other countries and that conflict would subsequently spread throughout the region. 

The current phase of the conflict was triggered by the coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, opening a dangerous new front in an already volatile region. The attacks set off immediate retaliation from Tehran and drew in its allied forces, including Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The expansion into Iran underscores a broader pattern of Israeli military escalation, enabled by the United States, pulling the region into a bigger risk of a multi-front war. 

“A month has passed since a devastating war, which we warned against and which most Lebanese feared would erupt, seeing it as imposed on our country,” said Nawaf Salam, the Lebanese Prime Minister, in a Cabinet transcript posted on X.com.

Mr. Salam said there is no justification for dragging Lebanon into wars that belong to other countries. He warned that Israeli actions point to broader objectives, including expanded occupation, buffer zones and mass displacement of people currently exceeding one million.

He said he will be rallying Arab and international support to intensify diplomatic efforts to halt violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty and international law.

In Lebanon, Israel is threatening the same tactics used on displaced Palestinians in past decades—not allowing a return to their homelands once removed. 

Reuters reported on March 16 that Israel warned that displaced Lebanese driven from their homes by its military campaign would not be able ​to return until the safety of Israelis living near the border was ensured, as Israeli troops pushed into new parts of southern Lebanon.

In a briefing, Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told reporters that soldiers were now conducting ground operations in “new locations,” Reuters reported.

Israel’s military, which has occupied five positions in southern Lebanon since a November 2024 so-called ceasefire with Hezbollah, sent additional ​forces into the country in early March after Hezbollah fired a salvo of rockets in support of Iran.

The conduct of Israel fits a pattern that has become its modus operandi of terror and illegal land grabbing.

“Israeli policies of settlement expansion, annexation, property transfer, and demographic manipulation have intensified over decades,” said a March 30 paper issued by Al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights organization. “The culminating in a multifaceted campaign that, today, threatens the very existence of the Palestinian land, life, and identity,” said Al-Haq.

In the last two years of Israel’s continuing genocidal assault on Gaza, 72,265 Palestinians have been killed and 171,959 Palestinians injured, including 689 Palestinians killed and 1,860 injured since the so-called ceasefire in October 2025, according to Al-Haq.

Gaza’s physical and social infrastructure has been obliterated. Satellite images show that over 80 percent of Gaza has become uninhabitable. The scale and pattern of devastation indicate the systematic targeting of residential and civilian infrastructure, consistent with long-term objectives of territorial control and demographic reshaping.

While Gaza lies in ruins, the West Bank—including East Jerusalem—has become the focus of Israel’s accelerating annexation efforts. Since late 2024, more than 36,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced—on a scale described as unprecedented—amid illegal settlement expansion, demolitions and settler violence. Israeli authorities have also advanced or approved roughly 27,200 settlement units and established at least 84 new outposts.

“These measures are not routine administrative adjustments,” said Francesca Albanese, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, in a Special Procedures statement on Feb. 18.

“They are deliberate, incremental steps toward permanent annexation, advanced piece by piece, in broad daylight, and with total impunity,” she said. “They will only deepen and entrench an occupation that the world’s highest court has determined to be unlawful, further eroding the rights of Palestinians,” Ms. Albanese explained.

In its July 2024 Advisory Opinion, the International Court of Justice confirmed that Israel’s settlement policy is irredeemably illegal and clarified the obligation of all States not to recognize as lawful the illegal situation arising from Israel’s conduct, nor to render aid or assistance in maintaining it. Observers argue this is where the U.S. is complicit in breaking international law. 

Settlement expansion constitutes a transfer of the occupier’s civilian population into occupied territory, prohibited under Article 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention and criminalized under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Legalizing these transfers worsens the violation and carries criminal responsibility.

“The architects of the measures, including the Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich and the Minister of Defense Itamar Ben-Gvir, have openly and repeatedly stated that the objective is to accelerate settlement development for ‘Jewish self-determination’ only,” the Special Rapporteur said. “This is not neutral governance. It is a criminal policy pursuing ethnic cleansing that must be halted immediately,” she contends.

However, Israel’s eye for expansion also includes the remaking of the Middle East. While Israel marches forward in multi-front conflicts, answers to why the temperature of war is rising rather than subsiding are unfolding.

Before the current crisis reached this level of upset were years of warning by the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam and His National Representative, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.

Minister Farrakhan warned that the ultimate aim of the uprising is the sinister plan of genocide and illegal seizure of Palestinian lands, and why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to back away from war, slaughter, displacement, and destruction, despite global condemnation.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu has a vision of Eretz Israel. Several states over there, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, they intend to annex that to what is called ‘Greater Israel,’” said Minister Louis Farrakhan, in his message entitled “What Does Allah, The Great Mahdi And The Great Messiah Have To Say About The War In The Middle East?” delivered on Feb. 25, 2024 at the Nation of Islam’s Saviours’ Day convention.

“Do you know about that? That man already has over 400 nuclear bombs sitting in the desert in Dimona, Israel,” Minister Farrakhan  continued.  “That’s a lot of weapons. And they, now, feel that they are the power in the Middle East, and they are,” he said.

However, Iran has posed a central obstacle to Israel’s expansionist ambitions. One of the primary demands from the U.S. and Israel is that Iran cease supporting groups like Hezbollah in its “axis of resistance,” which have been responding to Israeli aggression in the region.

Iran has been one of the foremost pro-Palestinian nations—arguably more so than several Gulf States, including Saudi Arabia. Iran has backed its position with material and military support, framing its support as solidarity and defense of Palestinians against past and ongoing Israeli actions.

On a recent episode of the Joy Reid Show, author, commentator and culture critic Touré spoke on the resistance groups. “Hezbollah is the only thing protecting Lebanon. Lebanon does not have an army, they don’t have a functioning government. So, without Hezbollah, Lebanon would cease to exist and that’s part of the big point here.

I read through what America’s demands to Iran are, some of which are clearly written by Israel and what Iran’s five demands back to Israel and America are. And one of the things that America and Israel want is ‘stop funding Hamas and Hezbollah.’

And one of the things that Iran wants is an end to the wars that Hamas and Hezbollah are fighting. So, they (Hamas and Hezbollah) want you [Israel to] stop fighting Palestine, stop fighting Lebanon, right? Because, Hamas and Hezbollah are responses to Israeli aggression in the region.

All the Americans that talk about ‘we are pro-Palestine,’ Iran is the most pro-Palestine nation in the world,” he said on the March 30 broadcast. He argued that from his purview, Iran wants the U.S. and Israel to leave Palestine and Lebanon alone.

“They (Israel) have expansionist dreams. They want to expand. We’ve talked about Greater Israel … but they’re already trying to take over the bottom third of Lebanon. … They’ve told a million people ‘you cannot return home,’ so that’s a new Gaza,” Touré continued.

Iran has made clear it will not sever ties with the resistance groups confronting Israel and the United States as long as Israeli military actions and aggressive policies persist in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. Tehran has also rejected any notion of scaling back its response to the ongoing war on its soil, which began February 28, when the United States and Israel launched large-scale strikes on Iran.

Analysts argue that Palestine remains the unresolved issue in the Middle East. They contend this is a primary source of regional anger toward Israel—rooted in its continued occupation of Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, with the backing and support of the U.S.

The military power of Israel is reinforced by U.S. domestic law that allows the Jewish state to have the military advantage in the region. The Qualitative Military Edge (QME) law, formalized in 2008, legally commits the U.S. to ensuring that Israel maintains a decisive technological and operational military advantage in the Middle East.

In practice, this requirement shapes U.S. arms sales and defense cooperation across the region to preserve Israel’s superior military capabilities over potential adversaries.

Although massive U.S. security pacts exist with Arab states like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the U.S. law grants Israel the edge.

Besides the unbalanced arrangement, Washington maintains a military footprint of aircraft carriers docked in the Eastern Mediterranean, replete with fighter planes and thousands of navy troops to also back Israel.

America argues such force is for regional deterrence, but critics argue the posture supports Israel’s brazen destruction in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Lebanon, and now Iran.

Such a show of military might is used not as a deterrence but as a tool of intimidation. This is the kind of arrogance the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad condemned decades ago.

“America wants everyone to believe she is right in her wicked dealings with the people of earth. With her might of arms commanding the high seas and the land around the globe, she wishes everyone to think she is right in building up arms and forts in foreign countries and on their shores a bristling, deadly navy with guns trained on foreign peoples’ towns and cities, as a dare without any cause.

This only shows her pride and daring aggressive acts against people who would like to be at peace,” the Honorable Elijah Muhammad wrote in Chapter 33 of His monumental book, “The Fall of America.”

Final Call staff contributed to this report.

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The world lost a giant among giants with the passing of Minister Abdul Akbar Muhammad, the International Representative of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam.

“A great tree has fallen,” as the African proverb says, with the passing of the man who gave more than six decades of dedicated service to the struggle and rise of his people. Minister Akbar, affectionately known as “Brother Akbar,” passed away on March 17 after a lengthy illness. He was 83-years-old.

“We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return,” reads a verse from Surah (chapter) 2, Ayat (verse) 156 from the Holy Qur’an in his family’s statement announcing his passing. “With deep gratitude for a life of service, the family of Minister Abdul Akbar Muhammad announces his peaceful transition,” the family statement further read.

For those who knew him, a “life of service” describes Bro. Akbar, the Muslim minister, husband, father, a brother’s brother, soldier, chief and servant. He was a faithful helper to Minister Farrakhan in sharing the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad in the U.S. and abroad.

As the International Representative of the Nation of Islam, his work as a helper to his brother, companion and friend, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, carried him to over 180 nations and many walks of life, meeting heads of state, prime ministers, and dignitaries worldwide.

Min. Akbar was also a man of the people. From the Black communities in America to the Caribbean to South America’s favelas, the zongos of West Africa to the isles of the Pacific, he connected to the people.

Connecting was his gift, whether sharing a teachable moment with a taxi driver while weaving through Cairo’s frenzied-paced traffic or conversing with diplomats from nations that he always seemed to know something about—that was Bro. Akbar.

Minister Abdul Akbar Muhammad was born Lawrence James Prescott Jr. on June 9, 1942, in Hampton, Virginia, to Lawrence Prescott Sr. and Celeste Brown. In his early years, he was known to his family and friends as Larry.

But like many Black children, he was also known by nicknames: “Junie” and “Headquarters.” Akbar would later explain that he was called “Headquarters” because of the size of his head.

Around 1944, a young Larry relocated with his family to New York City to live with his mother’s sister, Aunt Arnella. He lived in the South Bronx, where he attended elementary and junior high school and developed his passion for books and love of reading.

Bro. Akbar then moved to Queens, N.Y., where he completed junior high school and high school. He attended Aviation High School as well as classes at Hunter College.

Eventually, he moved to Hollis, Queens, where he met Miriam Williams, his childhood sweetheart, when she was 11 and he was 13. A few years later, they married in November 1960.

Accepting Islam and a mighty mission

Bro. Akbar first attended a Nation of Islam meeting in New York City in 1960 as a dare from a school friend. “In high school I was challenged by a brother named Horace Smith to attend the Muhammad Mosque (known as Temples at that time),” Bro. Akbar said in a 1976 interview.

“I pretended to know something about Islam, but I really didn’t know that much. I had heard something about Malcolm (X) and this ‘fanatical’ group of people who search you,” he said.

He recalled that Sunday, Minister Malcolm did not speak, instead Minister Wallace D. Muhammad, the minister of the temple in Philadelphia, and son of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught. His representation was strong and convincing. “When he finished and asked for acceptances, I was afraid to do anything but accept,” Bro. Akbar told the interviewer.

Although he stood up that day, Bro. Akbar did not enter the Nation of Islam right away. He went into the U.S. military. During this brief stint in the army, influenced by reading and reflecting, he decided the Nation of Islam is where he needed to be.

It was in the service, “I had time to read and reflect,” he said. “One book, ‘Inside Africa’ by John Gunther, talked about the Muslim countries there. Another volume, Louis Lomax’s ‘The Negro Revolt’ discussed the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and made a strong impression on my mind,” said Bro. Akbar.

He prayed to Allah (God) for a way out of the service, reasoning if he can say “yes sir” and “no sir” and soldier for the Caucasian military, “then I could certainly do it for the Honorable Elijah Muhammad,” he said.

After getting out of the Army, Bro. Akbar joined the Nation in 1961. Excelling as a top salesman for the Muhammad Speaks newspaper, the young Bro. Larry 4X—as he was known—was invited to join the ministry class by Minister Malcolm X.

Bro. Akbar served in various posts within the temple, steadily advancing in the ministry. By 1963, he was appointed assistant minister of a new temple in Corona, Queens.

In 1965, when Minister Farrakhan was assigned to New York as minister, Bro. Akbar became his top assistant—marking a period in which his impact in New York and the Nation of Islam expanded rapidly.

The recording Angel

From that time, a bond of friendship developed between Brother Akbar and Minister Farrakhan. As companions in the Mission of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad to raise the condition of Black people, they grew close as brothers, and their families became close, rooted in that bond.

In 2019, remarks during a celebration banquet honoring Bro. Akbar, Minister Farrakhan spoke to the value of his brother and friend.. “I wanted to say something tonight about my brother. I don’t know if I will get to say it again. I pray so. But I want you to know what he meant and means to me,” said Minister Farrakhan on July 27, 2019.

“I’m the type of brother who has been very careless about the things that I do, great things that God inspired me to do; but I was careless with those things because I didn’t pay it what some would say was adequate attention. And I think it’s because of the way I was made by God,” Minister Farrakhan said.

“But by my side was a man. I woke up maybe two weeks or so ago weeping. But I was thinking about Brother Akbar and in the middle of the night, it was as though Allah was showing me the extreme value of my brother,” said Minister Farrakhan.

“And the way the God brought it to me, he put by my side a ‘Recording Angel’ that I would never write about me because I never thought that I was that important. I lived my life in the shadow of greatness. Never, ever believing that I was, in fact, great.

But God put by my side a Recording Angel who saw value in me that I did not see in myself,” he said, referring to Bro. Akbar, who documented Minister Farrakhan’s works and accomplishments.

“I had to be here to say to his family, to say to his friends, and to say to my family and my friends, that everybody needs somebody—somebody that loves you literally unconditionally because they see the value in you that you don’t see in yourself,” he said. (See page 20-22 to read Minister Farrakhan’s 2019 message in its entirety.)

Remembering and reflecting on the life and impact of Bro. Akbar, many people he touched and influenced, expressed the quality of selflessness he possessed.

Imam Nuri Muhammad of Belize met Bro. Akbar over 50 years ago and shared a friendship that deepened over the decades.

“In the late sixties, before I joined the Nation, my favorite weekly newspaper was the Muhammad Speaks, and in that paper was a weekly ad for a bookstore in New York called ‘Books n Things.’ It was the source for finding books and exotic oils,” Imam Nuri said in a statement to The Final Call.

“Finding books by and about Black people was a rarity in those days. It was your source for J.A. Rogers’ three-volume ‘Sex and Race,’ and Frantz Fanon’s ‘Wretched of the Earth’ and ‘Black Skin, White Mask.’ I used to order these books and have them shipped to me in California,” he said.

“It was not until 1974, when I was a young minister of the Nation, that Minister Farrakhan invited me to New York to his Student Ministers Class, where I was to meet Brother Larry 4X Prescott (Bro. Akbar), owner of Books n Things and Special Assistant to the Minister (Farrakhan),” Imam Nuri continued.

The two “hit it off” immediately because of their mutual interest in books and international affairs. “I was fascinated at his wide scope of knowledge of current world affairs and his particular interest in the Caribbean,” said Imam Nuri.

During the Nation of Islam’s transition in 1976, Bro. Akbar adopted the name Karriem Abdel Aziz. That name was given to him by the leader of the Nation of Islam at that time, Imam Wallace D. Muhammad.

In 1975, then Karriem Abdel Aziz was transferred to Chicago to serve as the Special Assistant to Imam Wallace D. Muhammad. In this role, over the course of 1975 and 1976, Bro. Akbar traveled to Belize, Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Guyana, Türkiye, Algeria and Saudi Arabia. In 1975, he was transferred to St. Louis to administer the mosque there.

In the latter part of the 1970s Bro. Akbar rejoined his brother and friend, Minister Farrakhan in the rebuilding of the Nation of Islam. He was given the name Abdul Akbar Muhammad by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan in 1983.

He served as the National Assistant and was later appointed International Representative, representing Minister Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam on the global stage. In that capacity, he interacted with numerous heads of state and government leaders and traveled to many regions around the world.

In 1989, Minister Farrakhan asked Bro. Akbar to open an office for the Nation of Islam in Ghana. The request was in fulfillment of an invitation from President Jerry Rawlings several years earlier. Bro. Akbar said yes and opened the Ghana Mission.

In October 1994, Bro. Akbar spearheaded the organization of the first Saviours’ Day Convention convened outside of the United States. Held in Accra, Ghana, nearly 2,000 Black Americans traveled—most for the first time—to the Motherland for the occasion.

He was instrumental in planning numerous peace missions and three World Friendship Tours by Minister Farrakhan. His work included organizing and leading fact-finding missions for the Black press in some of the world’s most troubled spots.

The uniqueness of Bro. Akbar, who lived in Ghana for 12 years, and what made him truly stand out among others, “was that his analysis of Africa and the world was never theoretical—it was lived,” said Bro. Earl Reddix, during an interview from his home in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

An international entrepreneur, global African diaspora advocate, and assistant to Bro. Akbar, he added, “He carried decades of personal experience that gave weight to everything he said. He shared firsthand accounts that left audiences in awe, including his early travels to Africa in 1976.

Where he accompanied the Honorable Minister Farrakhan to Uganda and was hosted by Idi Amin. It was through those early relationships that connections were built, which later extended to leaders like Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi.”

Bro. Akbar was responsible for people as famous as Dionne Warwick, Isaac Hayes, James Mtume, Jim Brown, Jermaine Jackson, Public Enemy, Bobbi Humphrey, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff to everyday folks connecting to the African continent.

In December 2021, Bro. Akbar was enstooled as a Developmental Chief in the Cape Coast region of Ghana. He is known in Ghana as Nana Akbar Muhammad.

Over the course of his life, he has helped thousands to understand that Africa is not something to be viewed from afar; it is something to be experienced, engaged, and respected. As he often conveyed through both his words and his life, “it is better to see Africa once than to hear about it a thousand times.”

Remembering a brother and friend

Reflections and condolences poured in from near and far in memory of Minister Abdul Akbar Muhammad.

Sister Aminah Bayyinah Muhammad is the Administrative Assistant to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and a member of the Nation of Islam Shura Executive Council.

“Minister Abdul Akbar Muhammad has been truly a longtime companion and aide to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, starting in the 1960s when Minister Farrakhan moved to New York City and became the minister at Temple No. 7 after the assassination of Malcolm X,” Sis. Aminah told The Final Call.

“Minister Farrakhan once told me that he would have thoughts and ideas, and Brother Akbar would go to work and bring those things into reality. He was a great historian, and he will be missed tremendously in the cause of Islam,” she added.

Student Minister Abdul Arif Muhammad, also a member of the N.O.I. Shura Executive Council and serves as N.O.I. General Counsel lauded Bro. Akbar as “legendary” and a true “pioneer, companion, recording angel and helper” to Minister Farrakhan in the rebuilding of the Nation of Islam.

“I accepted to be a follower of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan in early 1979. Not long after I met Student Minister Akbar,” recalled Student Min. Arif. “During those early years he was one from whom we, as Student Ministers, received a lot of our training and instructions, on behalf of the Minister,” he said.

“One early Saviours’ Day, he said to us, in the Student Ministers Class, ‘Many are born in this world, live their life and die without making an impact. You have a chance to make an impact in this world (being with Minister Farrakhan).

Will you accept that responsibility?’” Student Min. Abdul Arif recalled. “Well Brother Student Minister Akbar made a substantial impact in this Nation. He is legendary. May Allah grant him Paradise and comfort his family,” he said.

Student Min. Abdul Rasul Muhammad is the General Manager of The Final Call. He shared his sentiments and reflections on Min. Akbar. “I thank Allah for the life and legacy of Minister Abdul Akbar Muhammad, who was a staunch laborer in our great Nation of Islam, a sincere helper and a companion of our beloved, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, and a sincere and relentless soldier,” he said.

“I enjoyed my many years of service with him, and I never saw him in an unhappy mood or disposition. He was always positive and found a way to forge ahead, no matter what the assignment was,” he continued.

Student Min. Abdul Rasul reflected on his fondest memory, which was when they traveled to Accra, Ghana, for the Nation of Islam’s first international Saviours’ Day in 1994.

“It was my first international trip on behalf of The Final Call and Minister Abdul Akbar Muhammad was a great ambassador for us all and he enabled us to see the Motherland as respected family members who were visiting our home.

He also spent decades in the Saviours’ Day vending halls as a provider of African books and art. He will be truly missed and never forgotten. May Allah continue to bless his legacy and his entire family.”

The janazah (funeral) service for Minister Akbar will be held on Friday, March 27 at 2:00 p.m. Central Time at Mosque Maryam, 7351 South Stony Island Avenue, Chicago 60649. The service will be streamed live at webcast.noi.org.

Minister Abdul Akbar Muhammad was blessed with 12 children. He is survived by 10 children, 12 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. From his union with his first wife, the late Sis. Miriam Aziz, there were seven daughters, of whom Sis. Samaiyah Aziz and Sis. Madinah Grier preceded him in death.

He leaves to cherish his memory, his children: Sis. Samimah Aziz; Sis. Germaine Prescott-Harris; Sis. Saudah Aziz; Sis. Najah Aziz; Sis. Lateefah Aziz; Sis. Maryum Aziz; Bro. Jihad Muhammad, and Sis. Ruqqiyah Muhammad.

He also leaves to cherish his memory His wife, Sis. Nafeesatu Bukar Muhammad and her children, Bro. Koli Muhammad Bukar and Sis. Ayisah Bukar, who he raised as his own, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, Mother Khadijah Farrakhan, the Farrakhan family and a grateful Nation of Islam.

There will be additional coverage on the life, legacy and impact of Minister Abdul Akbar Muhammad in an upcoming edition of The Final Call.

(Final Call Contributing Writer Jehron Muhammad contributed to this report.)

The Final Call

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What began as a military strike has erupted into a regional confrontation with global consequences. Iranian retaliation targeting U.S. military bases in countries across the Gulf, rising oil prices and mounting pressure on key shipping routes are sending shockwaves through the world economy. Fears that the conflict could engulf the wider Middle East are growing. It is a time of great trouble and uncertainty.

“We’re living through a moment right now of grave peril,” said Tom Fletcher, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief. 

“Across the Middle East, we’re seeing these crises escalate rapidly and increasingly collide in dangerous ways. And we’re seeing the consequences spread faster than we can respond,” he stated in an X post on March 13.

Days into the war, the UN’s emergency relief chief condemned the “$1 billion-a-day” war cost roiling the Middle East, at a time of severe cuts to the global body’s humanitarian work in emergencies and “soaring” needs.

With escalated conflict came its impact on civilians and destruction of non-military infrastructure, residential units, commercial properties, schools, mosques, cultural institutions, and medical centers. Israel bombed Iranian historical monuments dating to the 14th century and multiple UNESCO World Heritage Sites, said Iranian officials.

By Final Call presstime, more than 1,800 people were killed and tens of thousands injured—mostly civilians in the deadly strikes on Iran. In another related warfront, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said 773 people perished in Israeli attacks, reported Al Jazeera. 

Environmental terrorism?

The UN says the fighting has already affected at least a dozen countries beyond Iran and Israel, where missiles, drones and falling debris have damaged homes, airports, businesses and energy infrastructure across the region.

In Lebanon, Hezbollah—an ally of Iran—has entered the conflict, prompting Israeli strikes, with the UN reporting heavy displacement across southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Meanwhile, Christian Lindmeier, spokesperson for the World Health Organization, said strikes on oil infrastructure in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia raise concerns of “wider regional pollution exposure,” with toxic pollutants that can harm respiratory health and contaminate water.

The warnings come as Tehran and other parts of Iran remain shrouded in thick black smoke from bombed oil depots, underscoring the far-reaching environmental impact of the strikes.

“The black rain and the acidic rain coming with it is indeed a danger for the population, respiratory mainly, and it could be acidic depending of course what context you have,” said Mr. Lindmeier.

Iran’s determination and regional tensions

Observers note that Iranian leaders are framing the confrontation as an existential “final battle,” arguing that either the decades-long resistance to America and Israel collapses or the conflict reshapes the regional balance of power.

An explainer issued by the National Iranian American Council said Iran appears determined to demonstrate that, despite losing senior leadership figures—including its Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—the state continues to function.

That message was underscored by the appointment of the late ayatollah’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the new supreme leader. In his first public statement, he reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to resistance.

It affirms that Iran intends to continue the war through regional pressure, maritime disruption, proxy coordination, and retaliatory strikes, while simultaneously mobilizing the Iranian public around a narrative of national resistance.

As the war rages, the UN Security Council voted on March 11 to denounce Tehran for “egregious attacks” on the soil of its regional neighbors, where the U.S. maintains military bases.

The 15-member council adopted the resolution 2817 (2026) by a vote of 13-0 in favor, with China and Russia abstaining. The Bahrain-led resolution against Iran included Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

Russia, China, and Iran scorned the Council’s vote for hypocritically rebuking Iran while not mentioning the unprovoked attack on Iran by the U.S. and Israel that started the war.

“Regretfully, the draft resolution does not fully reflect the root cause and the overall picture of the conflict in a balanced manner,” said Fu Cong, China’s UN Ambassador. “Therefore, China had no choice but to abstain from the vote,” he said.

“To our deep regret, the resolution that just passed is expressed […] in a biased and one-sided tone,” said Vasily Nebenzya, Moscow’s representative.

Reading the resolution without context would lead one to believe that Tehran, with no provocation and out of pure malice, decided to strike targets across the region for no reason, said Mr. Nebenzya.

He also noted the need to protect civilians presented in the resolution is  one-sided — as if Israel and the United States had not killed men, women and children in Iran and cynically murdered the country’s Supreme Leader. 

“The Council’s adoption [of this text] could be interpreted by bad-faith actors, and […] those who started this war, to continue their acts of aggression against Iran,” he warned.

The council vote and the war have exposed a deep fissure in the Muslim world. The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, the National Representative of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam, has over the years, shared warnings about the disunity within the Muslim world.

Minister Farrakhan condemned the divisions and the “poison mischief makers” like America and Israel, “creating the mischief that will cause Muslims to shed the blood of Muslims.”

In his Saviours’ Day message, “What Does Allah The Great Mahdi and The Great Messiah Have To Say About The War In The Middle East?’ delivered in February, 2024, addressing Israel’s U.S. backed genocidal war on Palestinians, Minister Farrakhan had implored:

“Muslim world leaders: Stand up for your Palestinian brothers and sisters!” “Why is that?  Are we Muslims?  Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, ‘You are not a Muslim if you don’t want for your brother what you want for yourself.’ 

Now, I know that the Muslim world feels the pain of the Palestinians, but they are afraid—afraid to stand,” he said.  “And from the rostrum, I am asking the Muslim world to stop fearing the consequence of standing,” continued Minister Farrakhan.

The Arab world is showing the same fear in responding to the U.S. -Israel aggression on Iran. They are top buyers of war-ware from the U.S. military industrial complex, and the Western powers see the power of wealth in the Muslim world.

Minister Farrakhan’s teacher, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam, warned that America is coming out of the Middle East. War will be in the Middle East and when America comes out, the question was asked, will there be bloodshed?

And the Honorable Elijah Muhammad responded with one word, “plenty.” Both Divine Warners cautioned about the consequences and losses due to America’s errant foreign policies.

A manifest loss

The war comes with high political costs, economic risks and no clear off‑ramp, analysts note.

Dr. Gerald Horne, the John J. and Rebecca Moores Chair of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston, said the Trump administration made a miscalculation. “I think obviously Mr. Trump miscalculated wildly,” said Dr. Horne.

The conflict could send oil prices soaring, he reasoned, potentially to $200 a barrel—pushing gasoline prices to $8, $9 or even $10 a gallon. Such a spike would deliver a major blow to consumers across America. Notwithstanding, Iran retains leverage in how the conflict unfolds, meaning Washington cannot simply declare victory without considering Tehran’s response.

“You can start a fight … try to walk away, but the person you punch is not necessarily going to say, ‘Okay, that’s it’ … that’s what Mr. Trump faces right now,” said Dr. Horne.

“As a matter of fact, the scuttlebutt out of Iran is this war may continue until the November midterm elections because they want to teach U.S. imperialism a lesson,” he added.

Amid their warmaking, Israel and America are spiraling downward politically at home. Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump have made claims that they are winning the conflict.

However, the rhetoric about winning the ongoing war contrasts sharply contrasts sharply with reports from non-Western media along with the mounting economic and geopolitical consequences of the conflict.

Economists, energy analysts, and global trade experts warn that the confrontation is already driving up energy prices, threatening global shipping routes, and raising fears of inflation and economic slowdown far beyond the battlefield.

Global markets were spun into chaos with Gulf States shuttering the movement of oil shipments in the wake of the war. Some global fears were eased after the 32-member International Energy Agency (IEA) unanimously agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil from its emergency reserves into the market—the largest in the agency’s history.

The urgent meeting on March 11 was convened to assess energy markets amid the conflict and to decide on a collective action to address supply disruptions.

“The oil market challenges we are facing are unprecedented in scale, therefore I am very glad that IEA Member countries have responded with an emergency collective action of unprecedented size,” said Fatih Birol, IEA executive director, in a statement. “Oil markets are global, so the response to major disruptions needs to be global too,” he said.

Experts speaking at a Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking webinar on the subject say the release may not be enough. “Strategic reserves could help offset part of the shock,” said the experts,  “but they are unlikely to fully replace the lost flows,” they said.

“While global stockpiles are large on paper, the ability to release oil quickly enough to match such a large disruption remains uncertain. Even under optimistic assumptions, releases might cover only part of the shortfall,” explained the group.

The decision followed oil prices briefly surging upward of $100–$119 per barrel, creating market volatility. But as uncertainty about the war persists, oil prices fluctuate, with some analysts predicting prices can still soar to $150 per barrel.

The Strait of Hormuz

As warfare intensified, the Strait of Hormuz, the largest choke point for oil tankers, was stopped to a near standstill. The disruption has triggered a domino effect of crises across multiple nations, including the U.S., with higher gas prices.

For example, China receives 40% of Iran’s oil through the Straits of Hormuz and is experiencing the pressure. Beijing has been calling for the warring parties to return to diplomacy.

Economists and trade analysts broadly agree that as war persists, there will be increased energy prices, global trade disruptions, and slowed economic growth. The severity depends on how long the war lasts and whether the Strait of Hormuz remains compromised.

One fifth of global seaborne crude oil and liquified natural gas, and a third of the most widely used fertilizer, is shipped through the strategic waterway. For Iran, the waterway becomes a strategic weapon against its opponents.

 “Iran’s strategy appears to bear some resemblance to Muhammad Ali’s ‘rope-a-dope’: absorb the blows, wait for fatigue, then counter,” said Mohsen Milani, public intellectual and professor of Comparative Politics at the University of South Florida, in a March 11 post on X.

“After striking Israel and U.S. assets, Tehran has closed the Strait of Hormuz. Will the Houthis escalate next in the Bab el-Mandeb?” he asked, referring to another critical Middle East waterway for oil exportation.

Americans’ low appetite for war

The war is deeply unpopular among Americans already suffering higher food and fuel prices. A Quinnipiac University poll released March 9 found 53 percent of voters oppose U.S. military action against Iran, while 40 percent support it—Democrats (89–7 percent) and independents (60–31 percent) oppose it, while Republicans (85–11 percent) support it.

Opposition rises to 74 percent against sending U.S. ground troops to Iran, including Democrats (95–3 percent), independents (75–19 percent) and Republicans (52–37 percent). A majority (55 percent) say Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the U.S. before the airstrikes, while 39 percent believe it did.

“Voters are unenthusiastic about the air attack on Iran and there is overwhelming opposition to putting American troops on Iranian soil to fight a ground war,” said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.

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