Foreign Policy > Iran

After Trump's Action, Far Left Activists Saw Iran Only in Terms of CO2

Funny how it coincides with Iranian state propaganda blather.

Ned Barnett | April 23, 2026

The Guardian is a far-left newspaper in the U.K. It thrives on sensationalism and preaches to the far-left choir in terms of what the left already believes. 

It’s hardly a valid source … in most cases. However, if you actually want to know what the wider woke progressive crowd is pushing on an unsuspecting public, the Guardian is hard to beat.

I first read about progressive outrage over the current Iran military action in the Live Science newsletter, a source for reliable news about scientific breakthroughs, which I read to inspire my science fiction novels and short-story writing. 

However, for this article, I also tracked down the recent Guardian article that inspired Live Science’s coverage. Since, on all things political, both the Guardian and Live Science swim in the same progressive swamp, my source is also reliable as to what the far left is thinking and saying.

Here’s what they’re saying.  (headline) “…

… Iran war has already released a staggering amount of CO2 … Destruction of schools, homes and buildings is the biggest source …”Advertisement if (publir_show_ads) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.pubads().addEventListener("slotRenderEnded", function(event) { if (event.slot.getSlotElementId() == "div-hre-Americanthinker---New-3028") { googletag.display("div-hre-Americanthinker---New-3028"); } }); }); }

… Iran war has already released a staggering amount of CO2 …

Destruction of schools, homes and buildings is the biggest source …”

More on that lurid claim in a moment. 

That worldview is one progressive leftists want you to think, consider and believe. However, wait until you hear their sources. 

It’s clear they only had two sources. The Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran, for their bogus claims of the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and Patrick Bugger, the “research director” for the Climate and Community Institute.

On their website, CCI defines themselves as a “progressive climate and economy think tank … we work with movements and progressive policy makers” … to, among other things “shift narratives.” 

Clearly, not an unbiased organization.  However, when it comes to the destruction of civilian infrastructure, they are quick to cite their “unbiased” sources, specifically the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of........

© American Thinker