All About Iran.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

A smart individual chastised me for issuing my “conclusion” about Left-wing dissent’s “selectivity” as blurred by their gargantuan hate for Donald Trump. I based my insight/opinion on available fatalities data in Iran (before the U.S. hit days ago). He reckoned my data is not a “universally-accepted” fact or news report. Universally-accepted. Uh huh? Meaning, both Left and Right must accept the info to warrant veracity? In these divided times?

      Anyhow, here: Iranian government data: 3,117 deaths. Human Rights Activists News Agency: 7,007. Independent/Media Estimates: Exceeds 30,000–36,500, which the media, such as The Guardian, picked up. Certainly those numbers are higher than “2 dead in Minnesota.” 

       Yahoo: “Trump says 'the big wave' of military action in Iran is 'coming soon'.” A current events/POTUS fact: Donald Trump is hot and high on “big talk.” Still surprised, eh? But since his MOAB hits in Afghanistan and Syria in April 2017, his “big talk,” to me, is more a chess move tactic than a hint of Rambo mayhem. Examples. His erasures: 2019, ISIS’ Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi; 2020, IRGC/Quds’ Qasem Soleimani; 2026, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Add, power-removal of dictator Nicolas Maduro. Technically, those are not wars. War is the Ukraine War (since 2014 or 2022) or Iran vs Iraq of the 1980s. So easy with dramatics, people! 

       Yahoo: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth leaves door open for boots on the ground in Iran.” War engagements have immensely evolved since the 20-year Afghanistan War, at least for the U.S. Less “boots on the ground” or non-escalation of hostilities in favor of political/economic pressures ensue. Only the Arab League, not Israel, could heighten this shudder into a full-blown conflagration. And The League, starring Saudi Arabia, doesn’t favor a prolonged mess. So is China, the top buyer of Middle East oil (including Riyadh and Tehran’s shipments). Until his hands were forced, Mr Trump favored trade on the table, not wars on the front. 

       Yahoo: “Defense secretary says 'regime change' was not the goal of strikes, but urges Iranians to 'take advantage'.” / Reuters: “U.S. officials skeptical of Iran regime change after killing of supreme leader.” Regime change, of course, is powered or executed by the U.S. But the change in leadership, following an election, is the people’s decision. If you are an older Filipino (who was an adult in 1986) and has gotten old watching geopolitics unfold, you know what that is. Iran: The Supreme Leader is out so Iranians have got to recover from the rubble of civil unrest and economic murk. 🇺🇸☮️🇮🇷

AND More Rant. 

WHEN I read about Americans “comparing” actual dictatorship deaths or evil regime deaths elsewhere, I feel the horror of those carnage is diminished or “mellowed down.” Sometimes I feel offended. Are we downplaying actual deaths elsewhere by comparing all these with internal America? Like, 2 dead in Minnesota were mourned over the 6,216 dead in Iran in the same week or month. But let’s see. 

       The deadliest riot in the U.S. happened in 1863, the New York Draft Riots, 120 people killed. Others: Tulsa Race Massacre (1921): 50 to 300 deaths. East St. Louis Riot (1917): Estimates suggest 40 to 200 deaths. LA Riots (1992): 63 people were killed. Red Summer (1919): Racial tensions across 38-40 cities led to hundreds of deaths.

Yet I couldn’t compare those days alongside years of extra-judicial killings, in the Philippines, for example. Maybe America imprisoned many, silenced or killed, but still I couldn’t compare. I am sorry. In the case of current-day Iran, I don’t really give a hoot that the U.S. launched this attack as long as the “leader” who ordered the killing of thousands in a few days–is taken out. If the U.S. didn’t do anything, then I will complain. 

       As of 25 January 2026, the total death toll estimates ranged from 3,117 people (per the Iranian government) to upwards of 36,500 people. Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA): 7,007 verified deaths. Independent/Media Estimates (High-End): Reports citing medical sources, morgue staff, and leaked intelligence documents have suggested the death toll could be significantly higher, with some estimates exceeding 30,000–36,500 (which the media, such as The Guardian, picked up). 

       In 20 years of Marcos dictatorship (which ended in 1986). Estimates of EJK deaths: 1,500 to over 3,000 victims. By Historian Alfred McCoy: 3,257. I am talking about 20 years. 🇺🇸☮️🇮🇷