As long as there have been Islamic terrorist groups, they have all shown one thing in common: The cowardly propensity for siting weapons and headquarters in the middle of residential areas, even schools and hospitals. The Iranian regime right now, or what's left of it, is nothing more than a terrorist group writ large, and they have been following this practice. Now the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has issued a warning to civilians in Iran to shelter in place, because those targets are going to be hit, one way or another.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 8, 2026
The warning says in part:
The Iranian regime is using heavily populated civilian areas to conduct military operations, including launching one-way attack drones and ballistic missiles. This dangerous decision risks the lives of all civilians in Iran since locations used for military purposes lose protected status and could become legitimate military targets under international law.
Iranian forces are using crowded areas surrounded by civilians in cities such as Dezful, Esfahan and Shiraz to launch attack drones and ballistic missiles.
U.S. forces strongly urge civilians in Iran to stay at home. The Iranian regime is knowingly endangering innocent lives. Additionally, Iranian forces are jeopardizing the safety of innocent people throughout the Middle East by deliberately and indiscriminately targeting civilian airports, hotels, and residential neighborhoods.
What's not clear (and we shouldn't expect CENTCOM to release this information) is how this warning is being disseminated to the Iranian population. The internet has been shut down in most of the country since the first U.S. and Israeli missiles were launched. Does CENTCOM have the capacity to broadcast on local radio channels? To hack cellular phone services and do a kind of improvised reverse-911 warning? Even a leaflet drop wouldn't be the worst idea. That's an interesting notion; in the 1991 Gulf War, the Iraqi military produced some leaflets that made their way into Allied hands, and some of them were unintentionally comical; we could do a lot better.
What this warning also does is to provide a startling contrast between American and Iranian operations. As the warning points out, the USA takes every precaution we can possibly take to reduce or eliminate collateral damage. As we saw in their actions in Gaza, the Israeli military does likewise. Iran? They launch missiles from residential neighborhoods.
The U.S. military takes every feasible precaution to minimize harm to civilians but cannot guarantee civilian safety in or near facilities used by the Iranian regime for military purposes. Unlike the Iranian regime, U.S. forces do not target or intentionally risk the safety of civilians.
And the terrible part is this: American and Israeli forces can't afford to ignore launchers of either missiles or drones, no matter where they are located.
Read More: Trump, Witkoff, Hegseth Talk the Latest on Iran in Gaggle on Air Force One
Massive Flames Roar Above Tehran in Apocalyptic Scene After IDF Blasts Oil Facilities
War is an unpleasant business. Iran is following the horrible playbook that their proxies have always followed: Site rocket/missile/drone launchers in civilian neighborhoods, and when American or Israeli munitions hit those sites, scream about the humanitarian horror of it all. We saw it in Gaza, and now we see it in Iran. This is another reason this murderous, 7th-century regime of barbarians has to go.
In the meantime, let's hope this warning is being shared as widely as possible. How many leaflets can a B-52 carry?
Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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