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For Immediate Release
August, 13 2021, 01:08pm EDT
Contact:
Email:,pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org
Greenpeace USA Responds to New NOAA Report on Global IUU Fishing
WASHINGTON
Yesterday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued its new report to Congress on international illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and bycatch. The report, which identifies 31 nations with vessels engaged in illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing activities on the high seas, is the next installment in a series of publications regarding international fisheries management improvement. It additionally references cases documented in Choppy Waters -- Greenpeace East Asia's landmark report on forced labor and illegal fishing in Taiwan's distant water fisheries.
In response, Greenpeace USA Senior Oceans Campaigner J. Park said:
"NOAA's report to Congress confirms that pirate fishing is a global problem that implicates the US seafood market. As investigations from Greenpeace and others have documented for years, the use of forced labor is closely linked to illegal fishing. In order to protect people and the planet from the commercial fishing industry, Congress needs to take action and pass the Illegal Fishing and Forced Labor Prevention Act. As long as the US market remains open to illegal, unreported, and unregulated seafood, widespread human rights and environmental violations will continue to occur at sea.
"While bycatch is certainly a serious concern in the 29 countries identified in NOAA's report, it should be noted that US fleets also have a lot of progress to make on this front. US fisheries must tackle the problem of reducing bycatch and habitat damage from bottom trawling and other destructive fishing methods."
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is a top contributor to the loss of marine biodiversity and the depletion of the world's fisheries, and is connected to human rights abuses of people around the globe. Greenpeace USA and its allies are calling on Congress to pass the Illegal Fishing and Forced Labor Prevention Act, an imperative step for the United States' leadership in tackling illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and human rights abuses in the commercial fishing sector.
Greenpeace is a global, independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future.
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Trump's Illegal Iran War to Push US Inflation Sharply Higher, OECD Projects
"Every single one of this administration's policies is doing what it can to raise prices," said one critic.
Mar 26, 2026
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on Thursday released a report projecting that President Donald Trump's unconstitutional war with Iran will sharply increase inflation in the US this year.
According to OECD, the disruption in energy markets caused by the war means that "inflation pressures will persist for longer," with inflation in G20 nations "now expected to be higher in 2026 than previously projected."
OECD projects that inflation in the US, which was previously seen coming in at 2.6% in 2026, will instead rise to 4.2% this year thanks in large part to the war, which has spiked prices for oil, gasoline, diesel fuel, and fertilizer.
The report also warns that these numbers could get even worse if the Iran conflict drags on and the Strait of Hormuz remains shut for a prolonged period.
"Further disruptions to trade in the Persian Gulf could also have negative effects on a broader range of products in global supply chains," OECD writes. "For example, ongoing constraints to fertilizer supply could increase global food prices, with potentially serious impacts on household finances and inflation expectations. Furthermore, reduced supply of sulphur, helium or aluminium could impede production in a range of industries."
More ominously, the report finds that "prolonged disruptions to energy supply and growth, or lower-than-expected returns from net AI investment, or rising losses in private capital markets, could all trigger more widespread risk repricing in financial markets," with the result being a higher risk of default across "multiple credit products" and an evaporation of economic liquidity.
Asa Johansson, director of policy studies at OECD, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that the organization's forecast is "highly uncertain" at this point because "we don’t know the breadth and the duration of this energy shock" caused by the war.
Tahra Hoops, director of economic analysis at Chamber of Progress, expressed astonishment at the Trump administration's economic mismanagement in launching the Iran war, which came at a time when polling has consistently shown that affordability is the top concern for US voters.
"Every single one of this administration's policies is doing what it can to raise prices," wrote Hoops, "for a political goal that they have yet to coherently articulate, let alone have any chance at achieving."
Phillips O'Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews, argued that the OECD's inflation forecast was yet another nail in the Republican Party's chances of retaining control of Congress this year.
"It’s going to be so much fun watching the GOP run on 'affordability' in 2026," O'Brien wrote.
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Fears of Imminent Ground Invasion Surge as Trump Weighs ‘Final Blow’ Options Against Iran
"Looking to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, a similar invasion of Iran, given its population size, would require as many as 1.6 million troops," warned one analyst.
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The Trump administration is reportedly considering several options for a massive escalation of its unlawful war on Iran, heightening fears that US troops—possibly as early as Friday or the weekend—could be hurled into a deadly quagmire with no clear objective, legal rationale, or exit strategy.
Axios reported that among the options the Pentagon is considering are "invading or blockading" Kharg Island—Iran's primary oil export hub—and sending American forces "deep inside the interior of Iran" in an effort to seize the country's enriched uranium. The reporting indicates that the administration views the options as a "final blow" against Iran, despite US President Donald Trump's public claim that the war has already been won decisively.
The new reporting marked just the latest signal that the Trump administration could be readying a ground invasion, which—like the ongoing bombing campaign across Iran—has not been approved by the US Congress and would be deeply unpopular with the American public. The US and Iran have both put forth demands for a diplomatic resolution, but Iranian officials have said there are no active negotiations with the Trump administration, contrary to the president's claim earlier this week.
Brandan Buck, a research fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute who has criticized the war from the start, warned in a recent blog post that "any serious American invasion of Iran would likely rival or exceed the scale of Vietnam or the 1991 Gulf War, making it the largest US military undertaking since the Second World War."
"Looking to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, a similar invasion of Iran, given its population size, would require as many as 1.6 million troops," Buck noted. "Trump’s ill-considered decision to launch the war, coupled with his vague-but-ambitious goals, has made this impossible scenario a military possibility. Given the horrific costs such an invasion would entail, however, Trump should choose a different path: declare 'victory' and de-escalate."
Fears of an imminent ground invasion have spread to Republicans who were otherwise supportive of the Trump administration's decision to attack Iran. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who earlier this month voted against a resolution that aimed to stop the war, wrote on social media Wednesday afternoon that she "will not support troops on the ground in Iran."
Mace's post came shortly after she left a closed-door House Armed Services Committee briefing on Iran. The Republican lawmaker said she was "even more" opposed to a ground invasion following Wednesday's briefing.
"The justifications presented to the American public for the war in Iran were not the same military objectives we were briefed on today in the House Armed Services Committee," Mace wrote in a separate post on Wednesday. "This gap is deeply troubling. The longer this war continues, the faster it will lose the support of Congress and the American people."
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), who celebrated the US-Israeli bombing of Iran when it kicked off last month, told reporters following Wednesday's briefing—nearly a month into the war—that "we want to know more about what’s going on, what the options are, and why they’re being considered."
"Trump has a well-documented pattern of escalating on Friday night, after the markets close."
House Democratic leaders, meanwhile, faced backlash for reportedly deciding to punt a vote on an Iran war powers resolution until at least mid-April, even amid mounting evidence that the Trump administration is barreling headlong toward an illegal and potentially catastrophic ground assault.
"Congress is in session until Friday, after which they will go on a two-week recess," noted Nathan Thompson, senior policy adviser at Just Foreign Policy. "Trump has a well-documented pattern of escalating on Friday night, after the markets close. If House Democrats and [the House Foreign Affairs Committee] wait until after the recess, the damage could be done."
The Pentagon earlier this week ordered roughly 2,000 soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division to head to the Middle East. According to the US Central Command, more than 50,000 American troops are currently involved in the war on Iran.
During a briefing on Wednesday, a reporter noted to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt that the 82nd Airborne Division is "typically deployed at the beginning of conflicts."
"Does the White House consider this conflict as wrapping up, or is it changing shape?" the reporter asked.
Leavitt responded that "the president likes to maintain options at his disposal."
Drop Site's Ryan Grim, citing an unnamed source, reported Thursday that "Naval Special Warfare teams were also given deployment orders yesterday, as well as a bunch of Tier 1 operators."
Taken together, Grim argued, recent developments suggest that "all the pieces are in place for a ground operation within a day."
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'Heretical and Batshit Crazy': Hegseth Rebuked for Bloodthirsty Prayer Asking God to Bless Iran War
Trump's Secretary of Defense called for US soldiers currently waging war against the people of Iran to be blessed with "overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy."
Mar 26, 2026
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivered a prayer in the name of Jesus Christ during an Evangelical Christian service at the Pentagon on Wednesday in which he called for American soldiers to be blessed with "overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy" and for "every round to find its mark" as the US-Israeli war on Iran continues despite widespread disapproval by a majority of US voters and global condemnation.
Hegseth, who has been under fire for the overtly sectarian monthly prayer services he's been hosting at the Pentagon, told those gathered that the prayer had been previously delivered as the "pre-mission reading" to soldiers before the January military against Venezuela, an attack on the sovereign nation which included the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady, Cilia Flores.
After quoting verses from the Bible's "Book of Psalms," Hegseth offered a prayer intended for US soldiers fighting against Iran in war ordered by President Donald Trump without congressional approval or popular support.
Pete Hegseth, at today's Christian Prayer & Worship Service at the Pentagon, prays for Almighty God to "pour out your wrath" and "break the teeth of the ungodly." He begs the Almighty to sanction "overwhelming violence" against "those who deserve no mercy" pic.twitter.com/eJyDeTANot
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) March 25, 2026
The full prayer, as read by Hegseth:
Almighty God, who trains our hands for war and our fingers for battle, you who stirred the nations from the north against Babylon of old, making her land a desolation where none dwell, behold now the wicked who rise against your justice and the peace of the righteous. Snap the rod of the oppressor, frustrate the wicked plans, and break the teeth of the ungodly. By the blast of your anger, let the evil perish. Let their bulls go down to slaughter for their day has come, the time of their punishment. Pour out your wrath upon those who plot vain things and blow them away like chaff before the wind.
Grant this task force clear and righteous targets for violence. Surround them as a shield, protect the innocent and blameless in their midst. Make their arrows like those of a skilled warrior who returned not empty-handed. Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation. Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy. Preserve their lives, sharpen their resolve, and let justice be executed swiftly and without remorse that evil may be driven back and wicked souls delivered to the eternal damnation prepared for them. For the wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. We ask these things with bold confidence in the mighty and powerful name of Jesus Christ, King over all kings and amen.
"May we pray such prayer for our men and women in harm's way right now," said Hegseth at the conclusion.
Critics of Hegseth, known for his far-right politics, denounced the prayer as just the latest example of his alarming blend of Christian Nationalist rhetoric with violent, pro-war policies at the Pentagon.
Journalist Scott Horton denounced Hegseth's performance as "heretical and batshit crazy Christianist gibberish."
"Looks like we are sliding back to the Old Testament," said Frank Giustra, an investor and philanthropist. "No more love, just the wrath of God. Nuts."
"These guys are a danger to the planet," said author Diana Butler Bass after reading a review of Hegseth's comments at the prayer service. "Jesus weeps."
Earlier this month, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem and a member of the Catholic Church, warned against the use of "psuedo-religious language" being deployed by people like Hegseth to justify their war making.
"The abuse and manipulation of God's name to justify this and any other war is the gravest sin we can commit at this time," Pizzablla said. "War is first and foremost political and has very material interests, like most wars."
Specifically responding to Hegseth's previous invocation of Psalm 144, a passage he repeated on Wednesday, the Cardinal said people of faith should reject any effort to frame the war against Iran in religious terms.
"There are no new crusades," he said. "If God is present in this war, He is among those who are dying, who are suffering, who are in pain, who are oppressed in various ways, throughout the Middle East," he added. "This conflict has religious connotations, but they are manipulations: those who wish to bring religion into it exploit the name of God."
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