Issue 1
Trump’s “Negotiations” Collapse — Iran Says No One Called
The Iran war mega-thread on Zhihu hit 5.1 million views. Chinese users are deeply pro-Iran and contemptuous of Trump’s negotiation claims. A top comment calls Iran “one of the rare honest governments in this world.” Darkest fear: that the US might use a nuclear weapon, unaware that “China and Russia have missiles that can reach America.”
Universal cynicism. “How the hell did we get to the point where I believe Iran ahead of the US?” The street mocks Trump for allegedly “negotiating with Wendy’s.” On r/economics, users see the pause in strikes as pure market manipulation, not diplomacy: “Good news every Monday, surprise bad news every Friday afternoon — week 61 of the cycle.”
Skepticism from both Reddit and Telegram. Israeli Reddit coined “TACO” — Trump Always Chickens Out. On Telegram, AbuAliExpress (599K subscribers) posted Trump’s victory claims and received 1,910 clown emoji reactions — the Israeli audience isn’t buying it. Erdogan’s condemnation (“Netanyahu’s war for political survival”) got 5,380 clown emojis. Meanwhile, the NYT reports Saudi Crown Prince MBS is pressing Trump to continue strikes, calling it a “historic opportunity.”
“Trade deals with Trump are worth less than the paper they’re printed on.” French users shared a Jimmy Fallon clip mocking Trump’s vocabulary on Iran — “It would be funny if it wasn’t reality.”
Starmer’s refusal to join the war is now his most popular policy. “Anyone calling for British soldiers to die for American interests should be ashamed.” On Trump’s claims: “He’s chatting a heap of shit.”
Peskov (Kremlin spokesperson) notes “a whole set of contradictory statements regarding the situation around Iran, but how things actually stand is unknown.” On RIA Novosti, the report that Saudi Arabia and UAE are ready to enter the war against Iran drew 3,900 thumbs-down reactions from Russian audiences — strong disapproval of the Gulf states joining.
The Chinese Street
Iran is one of the rare honest governments in this world. They said “the people will suffer, we’ll spend the money on missiles and bear the blame” — and they really did spend it all on missiles. They said “we’ll be in Tehran, with the people” — and IRGC leaders really did live in ordinary neighborhoods, really did get bombed to death in Tehran. Governments like this are truly rare now.
Zhihu anonymous · 5,355 upvotes
The parliament speaker negotiation story is fake. From the US-Israel vibe, they truly don’t know who’s in charge inside Iran, or where junior Khamenei is. The US wants to find someone to talk to and can’t find anyone; Israel is trying every trick to lure junior Khamenei out and kill him.
Zhihu anonymous · 561 upvotes
A horror story is coming. They might actually drop a nuclear bomb. Because they don’t know that China and Russia have missiles that can reach America. At their cognitive level, they have absolutely no concept of the consequences of certain actions.
Zhihu anonymous · 1,559 upvotes
The American Street
De-escalation has been going great so far.
Reddit u/VectorObserver · r/worldnews · 9,390 upvotes
Trump called the wrong number and mistakenly negotiated a peace talk with Wendy’s.
Reddit u/OneRobato · r/worldnews · 4,898 upvotes
How the hell did we get to the point where I believe Iran ahead of the US???
Reddit u/Greenscreener · r/worldnews · 1,112 upvotes
It’s ok, they’re negotiating with a random guy that runs a food truck instead.
Reddit u/ObviouslyRealPerson · r/worldnews · 7,694 upvotes
Just a reminder that Iran wants 1) reparations for war damage 2) all US forces out of the gulf, including bases, and 3) oil going out via the strait to be settled in Chinese Yuan. I don’t think they’re going to budge from those any time soon.
Reddit u/SilentWay8474 · r/worldnews · 1,341 upvotes
The Israeli Street
President Trump on the operation against Iran: “We’re talking to the right people, and they want to make a deal so badly. We really changed the regime; this is regime change because the leaders are very different from the ones we started with. We won this war.”
Telegram AbuAliExpress · 106K views · 2,461 reactions (top: 🤡 clown × 1,910)
Turkish President Erdogan on the war in Iran: “Even though the war is Israel’s war, the whole world is paying the price. The war is Netanyahu’s war for political survival, but 8 billion people suffer the consequences. The slaughter network led by Netanyahu must be stopped immediately.”
Telegram AbuAliExpress · 111K views · 6,012 reactions (top: 🤡 clown × 5,380)
It means Trump Always Chickens Out.
Reddit u/WhatsThePlanPhil95 · r/Israel · 41 upvotes
If this war ends with the ayatollahs still in charge or at least not weak enough for the Iranian people to topple — it was a waste of time because we’ll go for another in a few years.
Reddit u/kulamsharloot · r/Israel · 23 upvotes
It’s the old “TACO” yet again. Crude prices, and zero help in Hormuz was too much for him. The midterm elections are just months away, and he needed a way out of this. Pity for the 30,000 who died trying to change things back in January. The Mullahs win yet again.
Reddit u/borderpac · r/Israel · 8 upvotes
The French Street
Trade deals with Trump are worth less than the paper they’re printed on, he goes back on them whenever his mood swings.
Reddit u/Phylanara · r/europe · 385 upvotes
It would be funny if it wasn’t reality.
Reddit u/Cent_patates · r/france · 138 upvotes · on Jimmy Fallon clip mocking Trump’s Iran vocabulary
The British Street
Good, I respect that Starmer has chosen to stand his ground on the behalf of the British people. Anyone calling for British soldiers to die for American interests should be ashamed.
Reddit u/Nanowith · r/ukpolitics · 218 upvotes
Trump: “We will soon end this war!” Starmer: “He’s chatting a heap of shit.”
Reddit u/Gentle_Snail · r/unitedkingdom · 344 upvotes
The best thing Starmer has done since this all started was stay out of this mess. The whole operation was done without thought, reason or a real achievable goal.
Reddit u/it_was_my_raccoon · r/unitedkingdom · 45 upvotes
The Russian Street
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are ready to enter the war against Iran, writes the Wall Street Journal citing sources. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is close to deciding to join the attacks. The kingdom’s entry into the war is only a matter of time.
Telegram RIA Novosti · 323K views · 4,053 reactions (3,900 👎 thumbs down — Russian audience strongly opposes Gulf states joining)
The Pundits
John Mearsheimer 🇺🇸 (Substack, March 22): “The Iran War: Manna from Heaven for China & Russia.” Argues Trump “made a colossal blunder allowing Israel to pressure him into war” and “has no good options, only bad and worse ones.” The US is redirecting military resources from East Asia, weakening China containment. “The U.S. has already lost the Iran war.”
Tucker Carlson 🇺🇸 (March 24): Hosted former Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg to critique Netanyahu’s strategy. Has repeatedly stated: “This is Israel’s war. This is not the United States’ war.” Called the campaign “absolutely disgusting and evil.” Trump responded: “Tucker has lost his way… he’s not MAGA.”
Ben Shapiro 🇺🇸 (Daily Wire, March 20): The war’s most enthusiastic cheerleader. Called Trump’s strikes “the single bravest foreign policy move of my lifetime” and potentially “the single most transformational foreign policy move since the fall of the Soviet Union.” On critics: “No one is feeling betrayed unless they fundamentally misunderstood President Trump’s foreign policy.”
Alan Dershowitz 🇺🇸 (Newsmax, March 22): “This is the most important war since 1939, since Nazi Germany. We’re preventing another Holocaust — a nuclear Holocaust.” Attacked war critics within the GOP as “fascist neo-Nazis.” Called Joe Kent, who resigned from counterterrorism over the war, a “Nazi lover.”
Thomas Friedman 🇺🇸 (NYT): “Trump Has No Idea How to End the War With Iran.” Described Iran’s “strategy of out-crazy” — willingness to escalate beyond rational expectations. Warned: “We must not let this war distract us from the threats to democracy posed by Trump in America and Netanyahu in Israel.”
Fareed Zakaria 🇺🇸 (CNN GPS, March 22): Hosted former Israeli military intelligence chief who warned this might be “the war that will push Iran beyond the threshold towards a nuclear bomb.” Called Iran “an imperial trap” — arguing the US is succumbing to the same temptations that destroyed the British Empire.
Noah Smith 🇺🇸 (Noahpinion, March 24): “Despite easy battlefield victories, the Iran War is quickly turning into a quagmire; the regime has not fallen, and threats against oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz are threatening to reignite inflation.” Also on X: “Leftists fantasized about the whole Middle East turning against Israel. Instead, the whole Middle East ended up turning against Iran.”
Matt Taibbi 🇺🇸 (Racket News): “We may be a country that can no longer go to war for any reason without risking internal collapse.” Draws explicit Iraq War parallels, warning that “mission accomplished” rhetoric mirrors the Bush era.
Peter Zeihan 🇺🇸 (March 23, Patreon): Published “How to Break Iran.” Warns that the IEA’s 400-million-barrel reserve release covers about one month — after that, “global rationing must follow, and production will take months — probably years — to spin back up.”
Amos Harel 🇮🇱 (Haaretz, March 24): “Trump Calls the Shots on Iran, Even as Netanyahu’s Interests Diverge.” Frames Trump’s ultimatum suspension as strategic: “Presenting an ultimatum sometimes is also a way of trying to climb down from a tree.” Notes “expectations in Israel for a negotiated end to the war are currently close to zero.”
Amit Segal 🇮🇱 (The Free Press, March 24): “Why Israel Doesn’t Believe That You Can Negotiate with Iran.” A senior Israeli official told Segal: “It’s highly doubtful that the Iranians’ minimum will meet Trump’s maximum.” Notes Trump himself has said Iran excels at the negotiating table — so why enter their domain of strength?
Barak Ravid 🇮🇱 (Axios, March 24): Reports mediating countries are trying to convene a meeting in Islamabad. An Israeli official: “We did not know things were moving that fast.” Israel “was surprised by Trump’s words that contacts were progressing.”
Caroline Glick 🇮🇱 (JNS/Times of Israel, March 20): “Reports of US-Israel discord do not reflect reality.” Claims Israel is “ahead of schedule for all objectives.” On regime change: “It is up to the Iranian people to achieve their freedom, but Israel is doing what it can to pave the way from the air.”
Bernard-Henri Lévy 🇫🇷 (CNews, March 19): “I am Atlanticist, pro-American, and European.” Expressed frustration at Trump’s ceasefire announcement, opposing any deal that leaves the regime intact.
Dominique Moïsi 🇫🇷 (Institut Montaigne, franceinfo, March 12): “The key man, Donald Trump, does not prioritize the future of democracy in Iran. He threatens democracy in the United States; he will not take the slightest risk to establish it in Iran.” Argues the war reveals the decline of the West’s ability to impose its world order vision.
Rory Stewart 🇬🇧 (The Rest Is Politics podcast, March 22): Trump’s Iran strategy is “very weird. I’m struggling to think of any historical example where simply by killing the leadership, you spontaneously create a revolution.” Called the war “catastrophic and without objectives.”
Chatham House 🇬🇧 (March 2026): “How Iran’s ‘forward defence’ became a strategic boomerang.” Also: “The Iran war is exacting a heavy toll on Gulf oil and gas exporters — and creating risk and opportunity in North Africa.”
CSIS 🇺🇸 (Jon Alterman, March 23): Iran is executing “a multidomain punishment campaign across energy, cyber, and maritime systems to coerce the United States and its partners.” Iran’s war strategy: “Don’t calibrate — escalate.”
Rybar 🇷🇺 (Mikhail Zvinchuk, March 23 video summary): “The military campaign against Iran is dragging on and clearly not going according to plan.” Covers Tehran threatening to mine Hormuz while allowing tankers from friendly countries to pass.
Fyodor Lukyanov 🇷🇺 (Russia in Global Affairs): “What is happening in Iran demonstrates that we cannot rely on any diplomatic agreement with the United States.” Notes “a lot of factors that look positive for Russian interests — the Americans are distracted, the Europeans are confused, and military supplies for Ukraine are diminished.”
Dmitri Trenin 🇷🇺 (former Carnegie Moscow): The US-Israeli war on Iran has “finished off the Cold War-era nuclear order” and “dealt a huge blow” to non-proliferation. Describes Trump as “unreliable” — “every word and every document he signs must be treated with caution, since his commitments guarantee nothing.”
Hu Xijin 🇨🇳 (Weibo/X): “The US has been led astray by Israel. While talks with a small country were still going on, it launched an unannounced war and even assassinated its leader. As a major power, the US has seriously broken the rules of war.” Also: “It is truly funny that some American elites are still talking about a confrontation with the PLA in the Taiwan Strait.”
The Official Lines
China: MFA focused on the Japan embassy intrusion (see Issue 4). No official commentary on the collapsed negotiations.
America: Trump claimed negotiations were underway. Iran flatly denied any communication. Trump paused strikes and walked back the Hormuz ultimatum — Bloomberg reported this was to calm markets. Trump: “We won this war. They gave us a big gift worth a huge sum of money; it arrived today. It had to do with oil and gas.”
Israel: Netanyahu reportedly frustrated that Mossad’s regime-change promise has not materialized. IDF continues striking Iranian military infrastructure (see Issue 2).
France: No official comment on the collapsed talks. French diplomatic energy focused on post-ceasefire Hormuz escort planning.
UK: Starmer told MPs the Iran war will not have a “quick and early end.” Maintained: “This is not our war, and we are not getting dragged into this war.”
Russia: Peskov: “Moscow is registering a whole set of contradictory statements regarding the situation around Iran, but how things actually stand is unknown.” Lavrov: “Only the unification of Middle Eastern countries serves the interests of the region, not force and diktat.”
Issue 2
Iran’s Military Campaign — “True Promise 4” Continues
Chinese military analysts on Zhihu are tracking US naval deployments in real time via commercial satellite imagery and US Naval Institute reports. Iran reportedly destroyed a US strategic radar in Saudi Arabia. Massive explosions filmed — “it looked like an atomic bomb.” On Weibo, one viral post: “Iran, please don’t stop until Israeli cities look like Gaza in the videos.”
The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (~2,200 Marines) is deploying to the region via Diego Garcia, expected around March 28. More F-35Cs being transferred to the Middle East. Reddit reaction: skepticism that more troops will change anything.
Israeli Telegram captures the war from the inside. AbuAliExpress reports Iran’s 6th missile attack of the day. IDF spokesperson confirms an Iranian ballistic missile fell in Beirut rather than Israel (the Jounieh incident). Meanwhile, Israeli Air Force destroyed a loaded ballistic launcher in western Iran — “Direct hit, Alpha” (IDF radio brevity code). Isfahan’s defense optics factory was destroyed. On Reddit, Israelis cope with dark humor: war deaths over 24 days are statistically lower than road fatalities.
Not a major topic in French discourse today. France remains focused on staying out of the war.
UK discourse centers on Starmer’s refusal to participate, not battlefield developments.
RIA Novosti (344K views): “Israel is repelling its sixth rocket attack since the start of the day. Something is burning in Tel Aviv after an explosion.” The post received 2,260 thumbs-up reactions — the Russian audience approves. Separately, US Marines are deploying more F-35Cs to the Middle East.
The Chinese Street
Yesterday Iran took out a US strategic radar in Saudi Arabia. And yesterday Israel unusually didn’t launch a single interceptor — no Iron Dome. Today the most terrifying thing was footage of a huge fire… it looked like an atomic bomb. That mushroom cloud.
Zhihu anonymous · 524 upvotes
The WSJ report about Marines arriving Friday has low credibility. Theoretically, if Iran organizes the 79th round of “True Promise 4” strikes now, the US ship formation is still at the dock.
Zhihu anonymous · 209 upvotes · citing US Naval Institute weekly and commercial satellite imagery of USS Tripoli at Diego Garcia
The Israeli Street
IDF Spokesperson on the shrapnel fall incident in Jounieh: “A missile fired from Iran by the Iranian terror regime fell in Beirut. After an investigation, concurrent with the launches carried out toward the State of Israel earlier today, a ballistic missile fired by the Iranian terror regime fell in Beirut.”
Telegram AbuAliExpress (relaying IDF statement) · 105K views
The impact in Jounieh — an area that is typically quiet even during wartime — provoked anger among local residents toward Shiite displaced persons who found refuge there after evacuating from Dahieh and southern Lebanon. The fury was directed at the Shiite displaced — the Lebanese army had to intervene to calm things down. The social fabric in Lebanon in areas absorbing the displaced is easily shaken.
Telegram AbuAliExpress · 107K views · (Jounieh = predominantly Christian coastal city; Dahieh = Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut)
“Direct hit, Alpha”: The Air Force destroyed and put out of commission a ballistic missile launcher that was loaded and ready to fire toward Israel. As part of a broad strike sortie in western Iran, the Air Force struck and precisely destroyed the launcher, thwarting a launch.
Telegram AbuAliExpress (relaying IAF report) · 101K views · (“miyad pgi’a, alfa” = IDF radio brevity code for confirmed strike)
Isfahan: The optics company of the Iranian Defense Ministry that manufactures optical equipment for the Iranian military industry was attacked today and its offices were destroyed.
Telegram AbuAliExpress · 105K views
The Iranian Intelligence Ministry released a particularly amusing propaganda video — intended to be threatening but the result makes a mockery of the original threat. The video in Hebrew states: “An attack on our residential areas is a legitimate license for your mass burial in the shelters, for which we possess the engineering map and the exact location. We recommend staying away from the shelters.”
Telegram AbuAliExpress · 102K views · 4,684 reactions (top: 🤡 clown × 3,590)
Since the war started, 24 people died in Israel due to the war over a 24-day period. That’s 1 person per day. Compare that with: there were 443 road deaths in Israel in 2025. That’s 1.2 deaths per day.
Reddit u/ShortHabit606 · r/Israel · 54 upvotes
For the most part you wouldn’t know there’s a war if you walked down Tel Aviv right now. Cafes are full, the sun’s out, people are cycling, surfing and taking jogs.
Reddit u/dyslechtchitect · r/Israel · 69 upvotes
The Russian Street
Israel is repelling its sixth rocket attack since the start of the day. Something is burning in Tel Aviv after an explosion.
Telegram RIA Novosti · 344K views · 2,351 reactions (2,260 👍 thumbs up — Russian audience approves)
US Marines are transferring even more F-35C fighters to the Middle East. This is the first time in history that F-35C aircraft are being deployed to a region of active military operations.
Telegram RIA Novosti · 268K views · via The War Zone
The Pundits
CSIS 🇺🇸 (Jon Alterman, March 23): Iran’s war strategy is “Don’t calibrate — escalate.” Tehran is executing a multidomain punishment campaign across energy, cyber, and maritime systems. Threatened by regime change, Iran is opting for unbridled escalation.
Walter Russell Mead 🇺🇸 (WSJ/Hudson, March 16): “Air superiority, even supremacy, hasn’t prevented Iran from putting massive political and economic pressure on Washington.” Warns there are no signs of popular rebellion and the US faces a choice between “ending the war well short of victory or committing large numbers of ground troops to another Middle East quagmire.”
Ron Ben-Yishai 🇮🇱 (Ynet): Skepticism about regime change through protests alone. Emphasizes the strength of IRGC/Basij security apparatus and the fragmented nature of Iranian opposition. Israeli intelligence is “monitoring closely, not seeing signs yet that regime is in danger.”
Ehud Yaari 🇮🇱 (Channel 12): Issued a notable on-air correction: “Apologies to the viewers. The protests in Iran are receding and the regime is still in control. The Israeli media exaggerated its expected collapse. The protests have moved from hundreds of protest hubs to tens.”
Nadav Eyal 🇮🇱 (Yedioth, March 18): Argues Larijani’s elimination was “more strategically significant than the killing of the Supreme Leader” because Larijani was the actual chief executive. Warns: “Israel cannot afford to lose the American public’s support under any circumstances.”
Rybar 🇷🇺 (Mikhail Zvinchuk, March 23): “The Americans have successfully changed the regime in Iran” — but the military campaign is “dragging on and clearly not going according to plan.” Daily video summaries track Tehran threatening to mine Hormuz while allowing tankers from friendly countries to pass.
AbuAliExpress 🇮🇱 (599K Telegram subscribers): Israel’s premier OSINT channel. Real-time battlefield intelligence — Golani operations, Iranian missile impacts, IAF strike confirmations, enemy media translations. Serves as Israel’s primary open-source intelligence feed.
The Official Lines
China: Official silence on Iranian military operations continues. Weibo influencers fill the gap.
America: Pentagon confirmed 31st MEU deployment and additional F-35C transfers. No comment on the destroyed Saudi radar.
Israel: IDF Spokesperson confirmed an Iranian ballistic missile fell in Beirut. IAF confirmed destruction of a loaded launcher in western Iran. Golani brigade eliminated 8 militants and destroyed a tunnel shaft in southern Lebanon — in an area Lebanon’s leaders had declared “clear of weapons.”
Russia: RIA Novosti reporting framed from Moscow’s perspective — Israel under fire, US escalating with more aircraft, Middle Eastern food crisis looming.
Issue 3
Oil Crisis, Market Manipulation & the Trader’s Despair
The government intervened with temporary oil price controls, absorbing roughly half the gasoline price increase. 92-octane still crossed the 9 yuan/liter threshold. Airlines hiked international fuel surcharges 50%+. The street is grateful: “The state steps in to stabilize things. I just want to say: our country is awesome!”
The story has mutated into a market manipulation scandal. Futures volume surges minutes before Trump’s market-moving posts. On r/wallstreetbets, a trader who shorted the market on fundamentals lost $100k when Trump’s false negotiation claims caused a rally: “Iran denied his claims, and I thought the market would reverse back down. I lost 100k. My life is literally over.” Another bet $108k calling BS on the Iran deal and also lost.
Bloomberg reports Iran has stopped flowing gas to Turkey after the Israeli attack on gas facilities in the South Pars field. Volkswagen is negotiating with Rafael to convert its factory in Osnabruck from manufacturing cars to manufacturing Iron Dome interceptor components. The economic and industrial reconfiguration is accelerating.
TotalEnergies received ~$1 billion from the Trump administration to abandon offshore wind projects and reinvest in US oil/gas. French Reddit: “Corruption.” One user notes it was 43°C in the United States on March 22 — the irony of abandoning renewables during a heat emergency.
Personal finance anxiety is real. Users on r/UKPersonalFinance are mapping the chain: oil → inflation → rate hikes → mortgage costs. The cost-of-living crisis deepens.
Valero’s oil refinery in Port Arthur, Texas is burning after an explosion (RIA Novosti, 378K views, 3,280 thumbs-up from the Russian audience). Food crisis warnings tied to the Middle East conflict.
The Chinese Street
Without the adjustment, gasoline would have risen about 1.72 per liter. Even people who have never been sensitive to oil prices would probably feel the pain. After adjustment, about half that — one tank can save you a working lunch.
Weibo @韩路 [V] · 3,711 likes
The state steps in to stabilize things. I just want to say: our country is awesome!
Weibo @高彦Will [V] · 3,286 likes
Simple math — you’ll spend about 2,250 yuan more per year on gas. Are you going to spend tens of thousands or even over 100k to switch to an EV just to save 2,000 a year in fuel? That doesn’t seem like a money-saving move.
Zhihu anonymous · 52 upvotes · on whether the oil crisis justifies buying an EV
The American Street
I shorted the market, because we are at war. Trump comes out LYING, and saves it. Iran denied his claims, and I thought, naturally, the market would reverse back down. I lost 100k. My life is literally over.
Reddit r/wallstreetbets · 9,225 upvotes
Unfortunately, you can be right but still lose.
Reddit u/quintanarooty · r/wallstreetbets · 977 upvotes
This has been the case for all of Trump’s tweets. Obvious insider trading. The problem is most everyone in Congress does this too. So don’t expect anything to be done about it.
Reddit u/TheAcephale · r/economics · 307 upvotes
Good news every Monday, surprise bad news every Friday afternoon. This is week 61 of the cycle, am I the only one seeing the pattern?
Reddit u/Egad86 · r/economics · 266 upvotes
This isn’t over. Iran has already said there is no communication between the two countries. He’s doing two things: 1.) Waiting for the additional units to arrive Friday. 2.) Market manipulation.
Reddit u/HotIce05 · r/economics · 849 upvotes
The Israeli Street
Bloomberg: Iran has stopped flowing gas to Turkey after the Israeli attack on gas facilities in the South Pars field.
Telegram AbuAliExpress · 104K views · 3,388 reactions · (South Pars = massive gas field in the Persian Gulf shared between Iran and Qatar)
Financial Times: Volkswagen is conducting negotiations with Rafael to convert its factory in Osnabruck from manufacturing cars to manufacturing components for Iron Dome. Interceptors instead of cars.
Telegram AbuAliExpress · 107K views · 3,320 reactions
The French Street
Corruption.
Reddit u/pierebean · r/france · 66 upvotes · on TotalEnergies receiving $1B to abandon wind projects
43 degrees in the United States on March 22nd.
Reddit u/Brave_Lettuce4005 · r/france · 140 upvotes
The British Street
Oil sets the price of most things… pushes up inflation… central banks raise rates… mortgage costs increase.
Reddit u/mattymattymatty96 · r/UKPersonalFinance · 98 upvotes
The Russian Street
Valero’s oil refinery is burning after an explosion in Port Arthur, Texas.
Telegram RIA Novosti · 378K views · 3,362 reactions (3,280 👍 thumbs up — Russian audience reads US energy infrastructure fires through the lens of geopolitical schadenfreude)
A large-scale food crisis. Who the conflict in the Middle East could leave without a harvest.
Telegram RIA Novosti · 329K views
The Pundits
Peter Zeihan 🇺🇸 (March 23): The IEA’s record 400-million-barrel reserve release covers about one month. After that, “global rationing must follow, and even if the war ends soon, production will take months — probably years — to spin back up.” Iran’s Hormuz disruption affects 20 million barrels/day of transit, far beyond Iran’s own 1 million barrels/day of exports.
Noah Smith 🇺🇸 (Noahpinion, March 24): The US is now a net oil exporter thanks to shale — “US oil companies actually benefit from higher prices.” But the inflation bump will still hit consumers, and oil-consuming industries (chemicals, transportation) will suffer. European refusal to help reopen Hormuz is a critical factor.
Amos Harel 🇮🇱 (Haaretz, March 20): “The Campaign Against Iran Is Becoming a Fight for Energy Resources — and That’s a Massive Gamble.” Notes Israel launched aggressive operations targeting Iranian energy infrastructure, then Trump distanced himself from those operations.
Chatham House 🇬🇧 (March 2026): “The Iran war is exacting a heavy toll on Gulf oil and gas exporters — and creating risk and opportunity in North Africa.” Separately: as oil prices fall back, inflation in Europe and Asia in 2026 would likely be only 0.5 percentage points higher than pre-conflict forecasts.
Fyodor Lukyanov 🇷🇺 (Russia in Global Affairs): Notes “a lot of factors that look positive for Russian interests — the Americans are distracted, the Europeans are confused.” But warns the war “will likely force a rethink of long-held Russian strategic concepts.”
The Official Lines
China: Government implemented temporary oil price controls. Airlines permitted to raise fuel surcharges. Beijing’s English-language messaging has not linked the Iran conflict to energy market disruption.
America: No official comment on the market manipulation allegations. Bloomberg reported Trump paused strikes specifically to calm markets.
Israel: South Pars gas field strike has cut Iran’s gas supply to Turkey. Israeli defense industry is scaling up — Volkswagen negotiating Iron Dome component production.
France: TotalEnergies CEO Pouyanné called the $1B deal to redirect from wind to oil/gas “win-win” and “pragmatic.”
UK: Cost-of-living pressure mounting. Starmer adviser previously urged a profits cap for energy firms.
Russia: RIA Novosti framing US energy infrastructure as vulnerable. Food crisis reporting positions Russia as a stable alternative supplier.
Issue 4
North Korea Designates South Korea “Number One Enemy”
Kim Jong Un formally designated South Korea as the “number one enemy state.” Chinese Zhihu users (1.1 million views) see Kim exploiting the global chaos: “America’s lid can’t cover both Iran and North Korea at once.” A contrarian reading: the “enemy” designation actually signals Kim has abandoned forced reunification — “When does China call Taiwan our ‘number one enemy’? That would be acknowledging it’s an independent country.”
RIA Novosti reported prominently (391K views, 2,620 thumbs up): “For any actions by South Korea that affect our republic, we will make it pay a merciless price without the slightest consideration.” The Russian audience reaction is approving.
The Chinese Street
The General’s ability to find opportunities is top-tier. 1) America’s lid can’t cover both Iran and North Korea at once. 2) Iran has demonstrated — America doesn’t deliver. 3) When North Korea was sanctioned, Iran sent them a ship of oil. They have revolutionary friendship.
Zhihu anonymous · 209 upvotes
Reiterating — “enemy” = hate you but can coexist. “Fellow countrymen to be liberated” = the country isn’t yet unified. When does China call Taiwan our “number one enemy”? That would be acknowledging it’s an independent country. The General’s tough-sounding statement is actually releasing goodwill — “I no longer plan to forcibly unify.”
Zhihu anonymous · 110 upvotes
A Note on Telegram Reactions
How to Read the Emoji Data
This edition introduces Telegram as a primary source for Israeli and Russian discourse. Unlike Reddit’s upvote/downvote system, Telegram channels use emoji reactions — and the patterns are analytically revealing:
Israeli audiences overwhelmingly use the 🤡 clown emoji to respond to statements by Trump, Erdogan, and Iranian propaganda — a form of collective mockery.
Russian audiences use 👍/👎 as straightforward approval/disapproval. Approving of Israeli cities being bombed (2,260 👍). Disapproving of Gulf states joining the war (3,900 👎). Disapproving of Zelensky’s three-year timeline (3,490 👎). These reactions map Russian public sentiment with unusual precision.
Methodology
How This Works
Chinese sources: Zhihu (知乎), Weibo (微博), Bilibili (哔哩哔哩) for grassroots voices. Official line: MFA, Global Times English, CGTN. Note: Bilibili results were off-topic today (video game content matched by keyword); Guancha was not scraped this cycle.
American sources: Reddit (r/worldnews, r/geopolitics, r/economics, r/wallstreetbets, r/CredibleDefense) for grassroots voices. Official line: White House, Pentagon, State Department.
Israeli sources: Telegram (AbuAliExpress 599K subscribers, NewsIL 133K, AmitSegal 373K, Kann News, N12 News, Calcalist — Hebrew, auto-translated) + Reddit (r/Israel, r/IsraelPalestine) for English-language diaspora. Official line: IDF Spokesperson (also via Telegram), PM’s Office, Israeli MFA.
French sources: Reddit (r/france, r/europe) for grassroots. Official line: Élysée, Quai d’Orsay, French MoD.
British sources: Reddit (r/unitedkingdom, r/ukpolitics, r/UKPersonalFinance) for grassroots. Official line: PM’s Office (No. 10), MoD, Foreign Secretary.
Russian sources: Telegram (RIA Novosti 9M+ subscribers, Rybar/RVvoenkor 1.5M, WarGonzo, Grey Zone, Margarita Simonyan, Russian MFA — Russian, auto-translated) + Reddit (r/AskARussian). Note: r/AskARussian yields no geopolitical content. All Russian war discourse is now on Telegram.
Translation: Hebrew and Russian Telegram posts are auto-translated via Claude with military/political glosses. All translations from Chinese, Hebrew, and Russian are automated and are likely missing significant nuance, idiomatic meaning, and cultural context.
Each issue presents the same story as seen through six different information environments. The comparison is structural, not evaluative — the point is to surface what each audience emphasizes, celebrates, fears, and mocks about the same events.