This photo shows moments before a boat suspected of carrying narcotics is struck in the Eastern Pacific on March 8. Photo by U.S. Southern Command
March 31 (UPI) — Increased military pressure by the United States on drug trafficking routes in the Pacific Ocean has forced criminal groups to sharply raise payments to those willing to transport narcotics by sea, a police official said.
In Ecuador’s coastal provinces of Manabí and Santa Elena, recruitment costs for local fishermen tasked with moving cocaine to Central America on speedboats have surged to unprecedented levels.
According to Ecuadorian outlet Primicias, in 2023 and 2024 criminal organizations paid up to $20,000 per trip to boat operators and about $5,000 to their assistants.
However, a large-scale deployment of U.S. and Ecuadorian forces under Operation Southern Spear, launched in October, has increased the risks of these journeys and driven up payments offered by traffickers.
Col. William Calle, head of Ecuador’s National Police in Zone 4, said operators piloting speedboats or semi-submersibles can now earn around $40,000 per trip. Assistants receive about $20,000, while those handling mid-sea refueling earn roughly $15,000.
Local reports, including from El Diario de Manabí, indicate payments can reach as high as $90,000 for high-risk missions or large shipments.
Since 2024, U.S. and Ecuadorian maritime authorities have conducted patrol flights and interdiction operations to monitor and intercept drug trafficking vessels in Ecuadorian waters.
President Daniel Noboa ratified two military cooperation agreements in February. The risk for traffickers has shifted from capture to potential airstrikes in international waters if vessels fail to stop.
Despite arrests and international warnings, criminal groups continue to rely on fishing vessels to transport drugs.
According to El Diario, fishermen detained after operations in Manta and Salinas on Thursday told courts that successful trips carrying one to two tons of drugs can yield payments of up to $90,000. Military intelligence has described these sums as the “price of silence” and compensation for the risk of attack.
Ecuador’s Navy said traffickers increasingly use so-called “mother ships” to extend range and cargo capacity, while smaller fiberglass boats serve as logistical support or for transfers at sea. This tactic complicates interdiction efforts, though shared intelligence has enabled several recent seizures.
Ecuador has become a primary departure point for cocaine produced in the region, with about 80% of shipments moving through the Pacific corridor.
For artisanal fishermen facing economic hardship due to declining catches and piracy targeting boat engines, a $40,000 payment can equal up to a decade of legal earnings.
However, many fishermen say participation is not voluntary but enforced under threats. Organized crime groups such as Los Lobos and Los Choneros control ports, extorting and forcibly recruiting experienced navigators whose knowledge of ocean currents helps evade detection.
The escalation of U.S. military actions under Operation Southern Spear has included at least 47 airstrikes against suspected vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. These operations, described President Donald Trump‘s administration as part of a fight against “narco-terrorism,” have resulted in at least 150 deaths.
Authorities have also reported significant seizures, including more than 2.9 tons of drugs near the Galápagos Islands and an additional 2 tons intercepted at sea in March
This month, the U.S. government also launched military and intelligence operations in Ecuadorian territory with authorization from Noboa.
The White House said the operations are aimed at dismantling Los Lobos and Los Choneros, which the U.S. State Department designated as foreign terrorist organizations in late 2025.
According to U.S. Southern Command, these groups are no longer treated solely as criminal organizations, but as threats to hemispheric national security.
US President Donald Trump has released a series of posts attacking NATO countries including France, Spain and the UK over their role in securing the Strait of Hormuz. Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher explains what Trump’s latest criticism of US allies means.
WASHINGTON — President Trump said Thursday he would sign an order instructing the Homeland Security secretary to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration agents as Congress struggled to reach a deal to end a budget impasse that has jammed airports and left workers without paychecks.
Trump announced his decision in a social media post saying he wanted to quickly stop the “Chaos at the Airports.”
“It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it!” the president posted.
With pressure mounting, the White House had floated the extraordinary move of invoking a national emergency to pay TSA agents, while senators were reviewing a “last and final” offer from Republicans to Democrats to end the funding impasse at the Department of Homeland Security.
Details of the president’s plan were not immediately available, but a national emergency declaration would be politically fraught and almost certain to face legal challenges. Instead, the president may simply be shifting money from other sources.
Democrats have been refusing to fund Homeland Security as they seek changes to rein in Trump’s immigration enforcement operations. The Senate came to a standstill and senators, ready to leave town for their own spring break, had prepared to stay all night to reach a deal.
“The president is doing absolutely the right thing,” said Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), the GOP whip. “The TSA agents are going to be paid.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the chair of the Appropriations Committee, has said there is funding elsewhere that can be legally used to pay the TSA as well as the Coast Guard without declaring a national emergency.
The funding shutdown, now in its 41st day, has resulted in travel delays, missed paychecks and even warnings of airport closures. TSA workers are coming up on their second missed payday Friday, with thousands refusing to show up for work.
Multiple airports are experiencing greater than 40% callout rates of TSA workers and nearly 500 of its nearly 50,000 transportation security officers have now quit during the shutdown. Nationwide on Wednesday, more than 11% of the TSA employees on the schedule missed work, according to DHS. That is more than 3,120 callouts.
Trump, who has largely left the issue to Congress to resolve, had warned he was ready to take action, even threatening to send the National Guard to airports, in addition to his deployment of ICE agents who are now checking travelers’ IDs — a development drawing concerns. The White House has been considering a menu of options.
“They need to end this shutdown immediately or we’ll have to take drastic measures,” Trump said during a morning Cabinet meeting at the White House.
At George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Melissa Gates said she would not make her flight to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after waiting more than 2½ hours and still not reaching the security checkpoint. She said no other flights were available until Friday.
“I should have just driven, right?” Gates said. “Five hours would have been hilarious next to this.”
Thune did not disclose details of the new framework, but he said that it picked up on what had been the Republican offer over the weekend, before talks with the White House and Democrats had broken off.
“Enough is enough,” he said.
But as senators retreated to privately discuss the new plan, the action stalled out.
Democrats argue the GOP proposals have not gone far enough at putting guardrails on officers from ICE, Customs and Border Protection and other federal agencies that are engaged in the immigration sweeps, particularly after the deaths of two Americans protesting the actions in Minneapolis.
They want federal agents to wear identification, remove their face masks and refrain from conducting raids around schools, churches or other sensitive places. Democrats have also pushed for an end of administrative warrants, insisting that judges sign off before agents search people’s homes or private spaces.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said they needed to see real changes. “We’ve been talking about ICE reforms from day one,” he said.
Any deal will almost certainly need to involve a compromise as lawmakers on the left and right flanks revolt. Conservative Republicans have panned their own GOP proposals, demanding full funding for immigration operations and skeptical of the promise from leaders that they would address Trump’s proof-of-citizenship voting bill in a subsequent legislative package.
Republicans said after a private lunch meeting that there were other options to shift money than invoking the national emergency.
The GOP’s big tax cuts bill that Trump signed into law last year funneled billions to DHS, including $75 billion for ICE operations, ensuring the money is flowing for his immigration and deportation agenda even with the funding shutdown. ICE and other immigration officers are still being paid.
Republicans say the Trump administration has already made strides to meet Democrats’ demands, particularly after swearing in former Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin as the new homeland security secretary to replace Kristi Noem. He has given a nod to the need for the judicial warrants for searches.
Airport lines grow as TSA workers endure hardships
“This is a dire situation,” the acting TSA administrator, Ha Nguyen McNeill, testified at a House hearing Wednesday.
She described the multiple hardships facing unpaid TSA workers — piling-up bills and eviction notices, even plasma donations to make ends meet — and warned of potential airport closures if more employees refuse to come to work.
“At this point, we have to look at all options on the table,” she said.
McNeil also said TSA officers working at the nation’s airports had experienced a more than 500% increase in the frequency of assaults since the shutdown began.
WASHINGTON — Pressure is mounting on Congress to end the funding shutdown that has resulted in travel disruptions, missed paychecks and even warnings of airport closures, but lawmakers have yet to resolve the underlying issue of reining in President Trump’s immigration enforcement operations.
Senators intend to vote Thursday on a Republican proposal that would fund the Transportation Security Administration and much of the Department of Homeland Security, except the enforcement and removal operations conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That plan is expected to fail.
Democrats argue it does not go far enough at putting guardrails on officers from ICE, Customs and Border Protection and other federal agencies who are engaged in the immigration sweeps, particularly after the deaths of two Americans protesting the actions in Minneapolis.
Trump, who has largely left the issue to Congress to resolve, threatened to send the National Guard to airports, in addition his deployment of ICE agents who are now checking travelers IDs — a development drawing concerns.
“They need to end this shutdown immediately or we’ll have to take drastic measures,” Trump said Thursday during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
With Congress set to leave town by week’s end for its own spring break recess, calls are intensifying for an end to the 41-day stalemate that’s put the livelihoods of TSA officers at risk as they provide airport security without pay.
Multiple airports are experiencing greater than 40% callout rates of TSA workers and more than 480 of its nearly 50,000 transportation security officers have now quit during the shutdown. Nationwide, nearly 11% of TSA workers — more than 3,200 on a single day — missed work.
Trump stays out of the fray
The Republican president initially signed off on the plan the GOP senators brought to him late Monday. By Tuesday, he said he would not be happy with any deal.
Trump did not directly address the status of negotiations late Wednesday evening during an annual fundraising dinner for the House Republicans’ campaign committee as Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., works to keep majority control of the chamber in the November elections.
But Trump criticized Democrats for refusing to settle their demands on immigration changes. On Thursday, he revived his campaign for senators to end the filibuster as a way to overpower opposition to GOP policies, something most Republican senators do not want to do.
The GOP’s big tax cuts bill that Trump signed into law last year funneled billions to DHS, including $75 billion for ICE operations, ensuring the money is flowing for his immigration and deportation agenda even with the funding shutdown. ICE and other immigration officers are still being paid.
The situation is partly of Trump’s making, a strategy the president put in place last fall when he cut a deal with Democrats to end a previous federal shutdown. At that time, Trump agreed to fund the federal government, except for DHS, which was then put on temporary funding that has expired.
A stopgap measure
The Republican offer added one new restraint on immigration officers, funding the use of body cameras that had previously been agreed to. It excluded other policies that Democrats have demanded, such as that federal agents wear identification, remove their face masks and refrain from conducting raids around schools, churches or other sensitive places.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said they needed to see real changes. “We’ve been talking about ICE reforms from day one,” he said.
Democrats had been in several days of talks with the White House, including with border czar Tom Homan, that appeared to be making progress toward a deal. The White House presented its own offer with several items Democrats had been demanding, including officer IDs and training.
But those negotiations broke down over the weekend.
Republicans say Democrats are putting the country at risk. They say the Trump administration has already made strides to meet Democrats’ demands and has shown a new approach to its immigration operations, swearing in Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin as the new homeland security secretary to replace Kristi Noem.
But conservative Republicans also panned the proposal, demanding full funding for immigration operations and skeptical of the promise from GOP leaders that they would address Trump’s proof-of-citizenship voting bill in a subsequent legislative package.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said late Wednesday that if Democrats put a “more realistic offer on the table, we’ll be back in business.”
Asked if Congress would consider a stopgap measure to temporarily fund the department, Thune said: “We’ll see.”
Airport lines grow as TSA workers endure hardships
Passengers are facing more four-hour waits to clear security at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.
The airport’s website said Thursday morning that travelers should expect to wait two hours, 30 minutes in the security line at one of its open terminals and four hours at the other.
Lines and wait times are expected to grow Thursday and Friday because of “significantly higher passenger traffic,” according to an update on the airport’s website.
“This is a dire situation,” the acting TSA administrator, Ha Nguyen McNeill, testified at a House hearing Wednesday.
She described the multiple hardships facing unpaid TSA workers — piling up bills and eviction notices, even plasma donations to make ends meet — and warned of potential airport closures if more employees refuse to come to work.
“At this point, we have to look at all options on the table,” she said. “And that does require us to, at some point, make very difficult choices as to which airports we might try to keep open and which ones we might have to shut down as our callout rates increase.”
She cited the growing financial strain on the TSA workforce.
“Some are sleeping in their cars, selling their blood and plasma, and taking on second jobs to make ends meet,” she said.
McNeil also said TSA officers working at the nation’s airports have experienced a more than 500% increase in the frequency of assaults since the shutdown began.
“This is unacceptable, and it will not be tolerated,” McNeill said.
Mascaro and Freking write for the Associated Press. AP writers Rebecca Santana and Ben Finley in Washington; Wyatte Grantham-Philips in New York; Rio Yamat in Las Vegas; Russ Bynum in Savannah, Ga., and Gabriela Aoun Angueira in San Diego contributed to this report.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum praises services from Cuban doctors, who often work in underserved rural areas.
Published On 25 Mar 202625 Mar 2026
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has confirmed that her country will continue receiving Cuban medical workers, as part of a longstanding programme meant to build goodwill between the island and other Latin American countries.
Her remarks on Wednesday come as the United States pressures Latin American countries to sever their ties to Cuba’s medical programme.
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Sheinbaum, however, told reporters during a news conference that the agreement was a benefit to Mexico. Thousands of Cuban medical workers have deployed there since 2022 to work largely in poor, rural areas.
“We have a very good agreement that’s also been a great help to us. It’s a bilateral agreement that’s been very beneficial for Mexico,” said Sheinbaum.
“It’s hard to get Mexican doctors and specialists to go out to many rural areas where we need medical specialists, and the Cubans are willing to work there.”
In February, the US passed a law that opens the door to sanctions on countries that continue to participate in the programme.
It called for the US secretary of state to issue a report within 90 days about which countries continue to pay the government of Cuba for the “coerced and trafficked labour of Cuban medical professionals”.
The move comes amid a wider push to further isolate Cuba and topple the government in Havana, a longtime target of US ire. So far, countries including the Bahamas, Honduras, Guatemala, Jamaica and Guyana have ended their participation in the Cuban medical exchange programme.
Cuba has long depicted the decades-old programme as a means of signalling solidarity with other countries. It has also become an important source of foreign revenue for the island nation, which has been under a restrictive US economic embargo since 1960.
The administration of US President Donald Trump, however, has depicted the programme as akin to forced labour.
“Basically, it’s human trafficking,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in February.
“I mean, they’re barely even being paid. Their freedom of movement is tightly restricted. And we want these countries to understand that’s what they’re participating in.”
Experts at the United Nations have also raised similar concerns, including about the confiscation of passports, which the Cuban government justifies as a means of preventing trained doctors from fleeing the country after their state-sponsored studies.
The pressure on the Cuban medical missions is part of a broader push under Trump’s second term to seek regime change on the island.
By threatening tariffs on Cuba’s trading partners, Trump has largely cut the island off from accessing the foreign oil necessary to power its electrical grid.
Trump has also said that he hopes to “take” Cuba and install a new government that will be more pliant to US demands.
The Mexican government has tried to balance its friendly relations with Cuba with the US’s demands.
In the absence of energy shipments, Sheinbaum’s government has sent vessels with humanitarian aid to the island.
The first 45 minutes was the epitome of two teams cancelling each other out – but once the second half began the landscape was set for City’s win.
They were the more progressive, aggressive side. Their attacking intent started to overwhelm Arsenal, the pressure became impossible to resist. Smoother on the ball and more cohesive than an Arsenal side based on organisation, the traffic only flowed one way.
Arrizabalaga already had Arsenal’s nerves on edge with an injudicious dash from goal which resulted in a yellow card for a panicked foul on Jeremy Doku.
Much, much worse was to come for Arsenal and their goalkeeper.
It remains six years since Arteta won his one and only trophy as Arsenal manager, and the way in which his team went into their shell here will be a concern that he must hope is not repeated as the pressure mounts in the closing weeks of the season.
Former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart told BBC Sport: “Manchester City played to win. I think that’s what they’re bred to do over ten, 15 years. I think now they’re very much bred to win. I think they’ve been really disappointed with the FA Cup final at the end of last season [when they lost to Crystal Palace].
“A lot will be read into it putting a marker down or whatever, but I don’t think so. I think it was just about Manchester City winning trophies, which is what they’ve done so regularly recently – and this is another big one.
“It is also a huge day for Pep Guardiola, who’s won everything, but now stands alone in terms of managers winning the League Cup. He’s won it five times, going one clear of Sir Alex Ferguson. How much of a testament is that to his ability, his special touch and what he’s done over the years with Manchester City?”
Arteta is braced for the battle to recover from this setback and focus on three trophies, saying: “We had eight amazing months with this team. Today is a disappointment. We need to use that fire in the belly for the next two months to have an incredible season.”
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “It’s painful, especially for our players and supporters, because we really wanted to lift that trophy. It was two very different halves, especially the first half when I think we were better than them and had the best two chances of the game.
“We didn’t capitalise on that. Credit to them for what they have done. A really sad day.”
He must hope it is the last sad day of what has been an outstanding season so far – for Guardiola, he will hope City’s win, and the manner in which it was achieved, will play on Arsenal’s nerves.
With US-Ukraine talks set to resume in Florida, Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns that Russia is increasing its oil revenues through shadow fleets.
Published On 22 Mar 202622 Mar 2026
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged allies to keep up sanctions pressure on Russia’s economy ahead of a second day of talks between Ukraine and United States officials on ways to end the more-than-four-year Russia-Ukraine war.
Russia’s representatives were not present at the talks, which opened on Saturday in Florida. They were originally expected to attend the negotiations, which had been due to take place in the United Arab Emirates, before the US-Israeli war on Iran.
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The US delegation is being led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
In a post on X on Sunday, Zelenskyy called for tougher action against Moscow’s so-called shadow fleet of tankers and for it to be denied oil revenues.
“Over the past week, Russia launched nearly 1,550 attack drones against Ukraine, more than 1,260 guided aerial bombs, and two missiles. Over that same week, due to the easing of sanctions, Russia increased its crude oil sales to finance its war,” Zelenskyy wrote.
“Revenues give Russia a sense of impunity and the ability to continue the war. That is why pressure must continue, and sanctions must work. Russia’s shadow fleet must not feel safe in European waters or anywhere else,” he said.
The Ukrainian president added that tankers that “serve the war budget can and must be stopped and blocked, not just let go”.
The so-called shadow fleet is a network of vessels that continue to export oil and gas despite Western sanctions due to the ongoing war with Ukraine.
Last week, the French Navy seized an oil tanker in the Western Mediterranean, which France’s President Emmanuel Macron said was part of Russia’s shadow fleet, a network of vessels used to export oil despite Western sanctions.
The shadow fleet, which has grown following Western sanctions on Russia aimed at curbing Moscow’s oil revenues, has helped to keep Russian oil exports flowing.
Talks continue
The last time the Ukrainian and Russian delegations met was in February in the Swiss city of Geneva, but no progress was made, as key issues surrounding territory remain unresolved.
Moscow has repeatedly said it will not agree to a peace deal that gives up the Ukrainian territory it has captured during the war. In contrast, Kyiv has said it will not agree to a deal that does not lead to the return of its territory.
Elements of the peace plan being promoted by the US include a presidential election in Ukraine, alongside territorial concessions.
Zelenskyy, whose term has already expired, is under renewed pressure from Trump to hold a vote as Washington pushes Kyiv towards a peace deal.
Ukrainian law bars wartime elections, but Zelenskyy has said Ukraine would be ready to hold democratic elections if the US secured a two-month ceasefire to allow time to prepare infrastructure and put security guarantees in place.
Coast Guard officials inspect the area in the aftermath of a fire at the POSCO steel factory in the city of Pohang, South Korea. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
March 20 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s steel industry faces mounting pressure as Britain moves to tighten import restrictions, adding to growing trade barriers in the United States and Europe. Britain said it plans to cut steel import quotas by 60% and raise the tariff on volumes above the quota to 50% from 25%, with the new measures set to take effect July 1.
The tougher British measures have raised concerns about weaker exports and shrinking profitability for South Korean steelmakers. South Korea exported 640,000 metric tons of steel to Britain last year, accounting for 2.3% of its total steel exports, according to the industry ministry.
South Korean companies including POSCO and Hyundai Steel have shipped products such as heavy steel plate to Britain. POSCO said it is reviewing the situation and plans to respond after Britain releases more details on the affected products and volumes. The industry ministry said the move could violate World Trade Organization rules and the Korea-Britain free trade agreement, which provides for tariff-free steel trade, and pledged to work with London to limit damage to Korean companies.
The British action comes as other major markets also harden their trade defenses. The United States raised tariffs on imported steel and aluminum to 50% in June 2025. The European Union is also pursuing a tougher steel regime that would cut tariff-free import volumes by 47% and double out-of-quota duties to 50%.
The broader protectionist shift has already hurt Korean producers. Industry officials say companies are increasingly reliant on government trade talks as barriers rise across major export markets.
PARIS — We’ve long had your back, now it’s our turn. That is how the famously transactional President Trump is framing his demands that allies help him with the Iran war. He wants to call in IOUs for decades of U.S. security guarantees.
The string of refusals indicates his stock of European goodwill is low. He has put allies through the wringer since returning to the White House, bullying them over tariffs, Greenland and other issues, and disparaging the sacrifices their soldiers made alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Now he’s demanding — not just requesting — that they send warships to help the U.S. unblock the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes — essentially mop up behind the conflagration that he and Israel ignited in the Middle East.
The reply has been a “global raspberry.”
That’s how a veteran French defense analyst, François Heisbourg, described allied responses.
No close ally has come forward with immediate help. Britain is flat-out refusing to be drawn into the war. France says the fighting would have to die down first. Others are non-committal. China, which is not an ally but was also asked to help, is ignoring Trump’s call.
“This is not Europe’s war. We didn’t start the war. We were not consulted,” European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Tuesday.
Trump’s frustration with the ‘Rolls-Royce of allies’
Trump has singled out the refusal from the United Kingdom. Prime Minister Keir Starmer cultivated ties with Trump and reached an early trade deal with the administration, but is now among allies who refuse to join a regional war with no clear endgame.
The U.K. “was sort of considered the Rolls-Royce of allies,” Trump said Monday, adding that he’d asked for British minesweeping ships.
“I was not happy with the U.K,” Trump said. “They should be involved enthusiastically. We’ve been protecting these countries for years.”
Starmer said Britain “will not be drawn into the wider war” and that British troops require the backing of international law and “a proper thought-through plan” — suggesting those were not in place.
He initially refused to let U.S. bombers attack Iran from British bases before accepting their use for strikes on Iran’s ballistic missile program.
Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, former commanding general of the U.S. Army in Europe, said allies are “looking at the United States in a way that they never have before. And this is bad for the United States.”
Having previously appeased Trump, some European leaders are “starting to realize that there’s no benefit or value in using flattery,” he said.
European leaders say it’s not their war
Going to war without consulting allies was in keeping with Trump’s America-first outlook.
“My attitude is: We don’t need anybody. We’re the strongest nation in the world,” he said Monday.
But failing to get an international mandate, as the U.S. did before intervening in the 1990 Gulf War, is boomeranging.
“It is not our war; we did not start it,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said. “We want diplomatic solutions and a swift end to the conflict. Sending more warships to the region will certainly not contribute to that.”
French President Emmanuel Macron envisions possible naval escorts in the Strait of Hormuz — but only once fighting has died down.
“France didn’t choose this war. We’re not taking part,” he said.
After bruising tariff battles with Trump last year, the first months of 2026 have further strained alliances. Trump’s renewed pressure for U.S. control of Greenland, including a tariff threat against eight European nations, and his false assertion that allied troops avoided front-line fighting in the Afghanistan War, upset partners in the NATO military alliance.
“Allies, or at least the Europeans, aren’t willing to be at the beck and call of a demand from Donald Trump,” said Sylvie Bermann, a French former ambassador to China, the U.K. and Russia.
“And even in asking for a helping hand, he is doing so in a brutal manner, saying: ‘You’re useless, we’re the strongest, we don’t need you, but come,’” she said.
A dangerous mission
Retired naval officers say that unblocking the Strait of Hormuz with military escorts while the war rages and without Iran’s consent would be dangerous.
France, which has rushed its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean, is working with other countries to prepare such a mission once the air war has subsided. French military spokesman Col. Guillaume Vernet said any escorting would be conditional on talks with Iran, and Macron has publicized two calls in eight days with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
That has won points with Trump.
“On a scale of zero to 10, I’d say he’s been an eight,” Trump said Monday. “Not perfect, but it’s France. We don’t expect perfect.”
But he’s fuming at other allies.
“We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” Trump said Tuesday.
Trump has leverage, including in Ukraine
Allies in Europe and Asia need oil, gas and other products from the Middle East to flow again. That gives Trump some leverage.
Allies also know from experience that resisting Trump carries risks of retaliation.
“It really could be anything. Are the Europeans prepared for that?” asked Ed Arnold, a former British army officer and now a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute, a London think tank.
European allies need Trump’s continued blessing for U.S. weaponry, intelligence, and other support for Ukraine, as well as financial pressure on Russia. The U.S. has started to chip away at some sanctions on Moscow by temporarily allowing shipments of Russian oil to ease shortages stemming from the Iran war. Allies also want him to reengage in talks to end the war.
“That was what kept European leaders quiet for a lot of last year in the face of the rhetoric and actions,” said Amanda Sloat, a former U.S. national security adviser who now teaches at Spain’s IE University.
“It is also the thing that is making them a little bit nervous now.”
Leicester and Burrows write for the Associated Press. Burrows reported from London. AP journalists Jill Lawless in London, Lorne Cook in Brussels, Suman Naishadham in Madrid, Geir Moulson and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, Simina Mistreanu in Taipei, Taiwan, and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.
Washington continues to block fuel to island nation, as Trump floats ‘doing something with Cuba very soon’.
Published On 17 Mar 202617 Mar 2026
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Cuba “has to get new people in charge,” and the administration of US President Donald Trump continues to heap pressure on the island nation.
Rubio made the comment on Tuesday during an Oval Office event, saying Cuba “has an economy that doesn’t work in a political and governmental system”.
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He spoke as the US has continued to impose a de facto fuel embargo on Cuba since the abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. The threat of sanctions against any country that delivers fuel to the island has worsened a years-long economic crisis and stoked humanitarian fallout.
Rubio said that Cuba’s decision announced this week to let citizens living in exile invest and own businesses in the country did not go far enough.
“What they announced yesterday is not dramatic enough. It’s not going to fix it. So they’ve got some big decisions to make,” he said.
Rubio further said Cuba has survived “on subsidies” since the Cuban revolution in the 1950s, adding “the people in charge, they don’t know how to fix it”.
“So they have to get new people in charge,” he said.
Trump floats imminent action
For his part, Trump, who on Monday said he could “take” Cuba, and has previously floated a “friendly takeover” of the country, said on Tuesday that a new action was imminent.
“We’ll be doing something with Cuba very soon,” he said.
Last week, the US and Cuba announced they had entered into talks to end the pressure campaign.
Several US media outlets have since reported that the Trump administration is calling for President Miguel Diaz-Canel to step down, although no details have emerged about his possible replacement.
The US has maintained a decades-long trade embargo against Cuba and its communist government.
On Monday, a national power outage further underscored the dire situation on the island, where periodic blackouts have long been common.
By early Tuesday, power had been restored to two-thirds of the country, including to 45 percent of the capital Havana, which is home to 1.7 million people.
Federico Valverde scores his fifth goal in three games as Real Madrid beat Elche to move one point behind Barcelona.
Published On 14 Mar 202614 Mar 2026
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Federico Valverde hit the back of the net, and the headlines, once again for Real Madrid as they beat Elche 4-1 in La Liga, but it was Arda Guler’s last-gasp strike from inside his own half that captured imaginations.
Midfielder Valvrder netted his fifth goal in three games for Los Blancos, having scored a hat-trick in midweek against Manchester City, with a curling effort from the edge of the box just before half-time on Saturday.
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It doubled his side’s lead after Antonio Rudiger volleyed home the opener in the 39th minute, following a scramble in the box from a Real corner.
Dean Huijsen was the unlikely player furthest forward to head home Real’s third in the 66th minute, but the defender was left unmarked in the box, where he remained after another corner that Elche had effectively failed to clear.
Even a late own goal by Manuel Angel could not dampen Los Blancos’ spirits, especially when Arda Guler went on to net what will surely be the goal of the season from inside his own half.
The 21-year-old Turkey midfielder spotted Elche goalkeeper Matías Dituro off his line and didn’t hesitate to launch a long lob with his left foot that sailed over the hapless ’keeper and bounced once before settling into the net.
The Santiago Bernabeu stadium erupted in applause for the memorable goal that came with the victory beyond doubt in the 89th minute.
Güler joined Madrid from Fenerbache in 2023. He has scored four goals this season, when he has gained more playing time after the exit of veteran Luka Modric.
The win moves Real to within a point of leaders Barcelona, who can restore their four-point advantage when they play Sevilla on Sunday.
The game had been a nervy affair at Bernabeu Stadium until Rudiger’s opener settled the Madrid crowd.
The victory marks a third straight win for Real, who had lost two on the bounce in the league prior to the current run, and parted company with their coach Xabi Alonso in January.
Interim coach Alvaro Arbeloa, also a former Real player, could not have asked for a better week, with one of the best performances of the season produced in Wednesday’s win against City in the UEFA Champions League.
Arbeloa’s side take a 3-0 advantage to Manchester for the return leg on Tuesday, and with the La Liga race tightening, what was looking like a nightmare season could still end with the two most coveted titles for Madrid.
Elche, who were promoted to La Liga last season, remain mired in a relegation scrap, just a point above third-bottom Mallorca, who entertain Espanyol on Sunday.
WASHINGTON — Cuba’s top diplomat in Washington says Havana is prepared to enter diplomatic talks with the United States, reiterating the country’s willingness to engage even as tensions escalate with President Trump asserting that the island nation’s government could soon collapse.
“We are ready to engage with the U.S. on the issues that are important for the bilateral relation, and to talk about those in which we have differences,” Ambassador Lianys Torres Rivera, who leads Cuba’s mission in Washington, told The Times on Wednesday.
Any dialogue would need to respect Cuba’s sovereignty and its “right to self-determination,” the ambassador said.
“We are sure that it is possible to find a solution,” she said.
Her comments in a wide-ranging interview come at a particularly volatile moment for Cuba, which is under mounting economic pressure after the Trump administration imposed an oil blockade that has choked off the island’s energy supplies.
The measures have deepened a humanitarian crisis and prompted Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel to call for an “urgent” overhaul to the country’s economic model.
The situation in Cuba worsened after U.S. forces removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, allowing Washington to later cut off oil shipments from Venezuela to its longtime ally. The Trump administration later pressured other suppliers, including Mexico, to reduce deliveries.
“We are doing our best, and we are being very creative, but it has a serious impact,” Torres Rivera said of the blockade. “It is a collective punishment against the Cuban people.”
The White House this week framed Cuba’s worsening economic and humanitarian conditions as a potential opening to pressure Havana into negotiations.
“The country is obviously in a very weak place, economically speaking, the people are crying out for help, and the president believes and knows the Cuban regime wants a deal,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a news briefing Tuesday.
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Florida) told the Miami Herald on Wednesday that the Trump administration had been having secret, high-level conversations with several people in former President Raul Castro’s inner circle, a similar approach that was taken in Venezuela before Maduro’s capture. (The operation to seize Maduro killed 32 Cuban officers stationed in the country.)
Cuban President Miguel Díaz -Canel, fourth from right, holds up a Cuban flag during a rally in Havana on Jan. 16, 2026, to protest the killing of Cuban officers during the U.S. operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
(Ramon Espinosa / Associated Press)
Another report by the USA Today this week said the Trump administration was close to announcing an economic deal with Cuba that would ease travel restrictions, among other things. A representative with the Cuban government declined to comment on the report.
The White House has not specified what a deal may look like. But Trump has said the United States is interested in a “friendly takeover” and has suggested that the move would allow Cubans to visit the island, a place that many Cuban exiles have worried about returning to while the current regime is in place.
“It is just a question of time before a lot of unbelievable people are going back to Cuba,” Trump said at an event last week.
Several news outlets have reported that the Justice Department is examining possible federal charges against officials within Cuba’s government, a move that could prompt a change in the island’s government.
Torres Rivera said she is aware of the reports but said the “judicial accusations” are an “instrument of political coercion without any legitimacy.”
“It is not something we are losing sleep over,” she said.
As for the potential negotiations, Torres Rivera did not provide specifics but talked about restoring diplomatic ties somewhat to how they existed during the Obama administration.
“We are neighbors,” she said. “We have common challenges, common threats, and we can speak about all that, and we can speak on the basis of respect for each other’s sovereignty and each other’s right of self-determination. We are ready for that.”
President Trump has approached diplomacy with Cuba with a harsher tone.
“As we achieve a historic transformation in Venezuela, we’re also looking forward to the great change that will soon be coming to Cuba,” Trump said Saturday, one week after U.S. and Israeli forces attacked Iran and killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
He added: “Cuba’s at the end of the line. They’re very much at the end of the line. They have no money. They have no oil. They have a bad philosophy. They have a bad regime that has been bad for a very long time.”
Trump said that he has put Secretary of State Marco Rubio in charge of leading the talks with Cuba and that he believes a “deal would be made very easily with Cuba.”
Torres Rivera did not offer an opinion on Rubio being tapped to lead the negotiations. Rubio is the son of Cuban immigrants who came to Florida three years before Castro’s brother, revolutionary Fidel Castro, rose to power in 1959. She reiterated that Cuba is “ready to engage” in talks regardless of who is leading them.
“We are not talking about persons, we are talking about the government and we are ready to engage with the U.S. to talk about the very important issues that we have in bilateral relations,” she said.
The armed wing of Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades, released a video message on Wednesday afternoon showing an Israeli captive currently held in Gaza, the Palestinian Information Centre has reported. The footage shows Omri Miran lighting a candle on what he described as his “second birthday” in captivity.
“This is my second birthday here. I can’t say I’m celebrating; it’s just another day in captivity,” said Miran. “I made this cake for the occasion, but there is no joy. It’s been a year and a half. I miss my daughters and my wife terribly.”
He addressed the Israeli public directly, including his family and friends. “Conditions here are extremely tough. Thank you to everyone demonstrating to bring us home safely.”
The captive also urged Israelis to stage a mass protest outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence. “Bring my daughters so I can see them on TV. Do everything you can now to get us home. Netanyahu’s supporters don’t care about us, they’d rather see us dead.”
Screengrab from footage shows Israeli captive Omri Miran
He asked captives released in previous prisoner exchange deals to protest and speak to the media. “Let the people know how bad it is for us. We live in constant fear of bombings. A deal must be reached soon before we return home in coffins.
Miran urged demonstrators to appeal to US President Donald Trump to put pressure on Netanyahu: “Do not believe Netanyahu. Military pressure is only killing us. A deal — only a deal — will bring us home. Turn to Trump. He seems to be the only powerful person in the world who could push Netanyahu to agree to a deal.”
He also mentioned the worsening humanitarian situation: “The captors told me the crossings are closed; no food or supplies are coming in. As a result, we’re receiving even less food than before.”
In conclusion, the captive sent a pointed message to the Israeli leadership: “Netanyahu, Dermer, Smotrich, Ben Gvir — you are the reason for 7 October. Because of you, I am here. Because of you, we’re all here. You’re bringing the state to collapse.”
“I respect there’s lots of discussion around our tactical plans – when you look at the end point, look at the result and you the number of tries scored, that’s completely understandable,” said Borthwick
“I think it’s more about improving that incisiveness with our attack and getting over the try line rather than necessarily any major overhaul.
“You have an overview, a structure of ‘this is how we want to approach the different aspects of the game’, and then talk about the players bringing their points of difference.”
Borthwick says that he speaks with Sweeney “at least once or twice a week” and Conor O’Shea, the RFU’s director of performance rugby, “pretty much on a daily basis”.
“Ever since I started this role back in late 2022, we have always worked very, very closely together,” Borthwick added.
“I think that I’ve always been very clear on the vision of the team, initially going very quickly into that 2023 Rugby World Cup which was just around the corner, and ever since then building through each of these competition windows since.
“We are all disappointed and frustrated.
“We came to this tournament with really high aspirations, as did the players, and we’ve been unable to meet those targets we set for ourselves.”
Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the main opposition People Power Party, speaks to reporters at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, 12 February 2026. File. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
March 6 (Asia Today) — A South Korean court has suspended a disciplinary penalty against lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin, intensifying internal criticism of People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk and prompting calls for accountability within the main opposition party.
The court granted Bae’s request for an injunction blocking the party’s decision to suspend her membership rights for one year. The ruling effectively halted the punishment while the broader legal dispute proceeds.
The decision has fueled criticism of Jang’s leadership and sparked demands for the resignation of Yoon Min-woo, head of the party’s ethics committee that imposed the discipline.
Speaking on SBS radio Thursday, Bae sharply criticized the party leadership.
“Even if he had ten mouths, he would have nothing to say,” she said of Jang, accusing him of using the ethics committee to purge members who do not align with his political stance.
She also called on the party leader to apologize to members and the public.
Former party leader Han Dong-hoon also criticized the leadership in a Facebook post, saying the court ruling suggested the disciplinary move had raised constitutional concerns.
Han accused the leadership faction supporting former President Yoon Suk Yeol of remaining silent after the court decision and criticized what he described as attempts to shift responsibility to the ethics committee leadership.
Rep. Park Jeong-hoon, another party lawmaker, also condemned the move in a social media post, arguing that using the ethics committee to target political rivals had pushed the party toward what he called a constitutional crisis.
Rep. Cho Eun-hee, a member of a younger lawmakers’ group within the party called Alternative and Future, urged ethics committee chair Yoon to step down, saying the case showed the committee had operated in an arbitrary and biased manner.
Jang has not publicly commented on the court decision.
Party chief spokesperson Park Sung-hoon told reporters that Jang is currently focused on economic issues and preparations for upcoming local elections and has no plans to address the matter.
He also said the party is not considering additional legal action related to the court ruling.
India have a treble of firsts before them in T20 World Cup final vs New Zealand, and the expectations of 1.4 billion fans behind them.
Published On 7 Mar 20267 Mar 2026
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The best way to deal with pressure is to embrace it, India captain Suryakumar Yadav reminded his teammates ahead of Sunday’s final of the Twenty20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
India are bidding to become the first team to retain the T20 World Cup title, to win it on home soil and to win the trophy for a record third time.
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To achieve all that, they will have to deal with not just a strong New Zealand XI but also the weight of expectation from a cricket-mad nation of 1.4 billion people.
Leading the team in the final of a home World Cup was a “special feeling”, and Suryakumar said they were looking forward to the challenge.
“There are nerves, butterflies in the stomach, but as I always say – if there’s no pressure, there’s no fun,” Suryakumar told reporters on Saturday.
“I’m very excited. All the boys and support staff, and I’m sure all of India is excited [for the game].”
More than 100,000 predominantly home fans are expected to fill the world’s largest cricket stadium, where Australia famously beat India in the final of the 50-overs World Cup three years ago.
Expectations are mounting again as India also try to become the first host to win a T20 World Cup.
Suryakumar said they try not to talk about cricket, and the presence of “characters” like Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel keeps the dressing room atmosphere light.
“It’s very important to have such characters around, because when the situation is tight, you need someone to joke around in the bus and in the dressing room, to calm the dressing room,” said Suryakumar.
“We do not talk about cricket-intense situations because players, like Axar, Arshdeep, [Jasprit] Bumrah – all these people, they know what to do.
“We want to be very relaxed, be in the present, not think about what will happen in the final.”
Suryakumar said as captain, he had also resisted the temptation to be the “big brother” in the dressing room and encouraged individuality.
“I feel a good team culture is very important. A happy team atmosphere is the key,” he added.
“Give them freedom, listen to their ideas as well about what they feel.
“I think it is very important to understand what everyone wants in the team.”
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
Iran appears to be increasingly focusing its retaliatory attacks against energy production infrastructure in Gulf Arab States. The U.S.-Israeli operation against Iran is also continuing at a significant tempo, including a major new wave of Israeli strikes going after leadership targets in Tehran.
Readers can catch up on previous developments in the ongoing conflict in our previous rolling coverage here.
Increased targeting of Gulf Arab States’ oil and natural gas production is part of a clear Iranian strategy to put pressure on those countries to, in turn, create complications for the United States. As the economic pressure builds, the idea is that these countries will seek to end the conflict, and/or that relations with the U.S. will sour. The prospect of major, long-term disruptions in energy exports from the region has global ramifications, as well, which could bring immense external pressure to end the conflict. There is also the aspect of drawing Arab countries into the conflict, which would complicate it politically and militarily. In addition, some energy targets are not as well defended as U.S. bases in the region, for instance, and scoring hits with the now finite weapons Iran has on hand becomes easier.
Iranian attack drones struck oil storage infrastructure in Fujairah, UAE, this morning, causing a large fire.
Notably, Fujairah is the only major oil export terminal in the UAE that avoids the now-closed Strait of Hormuz. pic.twitter.com/DdAbVOyRoc
So, it’s not surprising that Iran has morphed its tactics in this manner. How this will all play out is unknown. But if the war continues on for a prolonged period, and interceptors run low while Iran’s stocks of drones and missiles don’t dry up, this entire issue could become greatly magnified.
So far, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the United States, have pushed back on reports that interceptor stocks are dwindling and the U.S. is resisting replenishing them due to its own stockpile concerns. It isn’t clear if this is a case of strategic counter-messaging or if indeed stockpiles remain in the green, although from everything we understand about the stockpile issue overall, the former seems far more likely.
Gulf states are in a race against time: will their air-defense interceptors, with their impressive success rates so far, have to be rationed before Iranian drones and missiles run out? The calculation also depends on how fast the U.S. and Israel keep destroying Iranian launchers.…
Impacted energy-related targets are relatively wide-ranging and the scope of attacks appears to be becoming larger with time.
A large fire broke out today in the Oil Industry Zone in Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), reportedly caused by falling debris from the interception of an Iranian drone. The port of Fujairah sits on the Gulf of Oman, on the other side of the highly strategic Strait of Hormuz.
UAE intercepted a drone over Fujairah today, a hub just outside the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC is trying to cause a real energy crisis by shutting all routes. Debris caused a fire in the Oil Industry Zone, which was ultimately put out.pic.twitter.com/5GlbGuyzOm
According to state-run Oman News Agency, two Iranian drones were shot down today above the Dhofar governorate in southern Oman, while a third came down close to the port of Salalah. No casualties or damage were reported.
The Port of Duqm in Oman was also targeted by several drones, according to the country’s state news agency. One of these is said to have struck a fuel tank.
Several ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz have also come under attack, as you can read about here. Yesterday, U.S. Central Command denied Iranian claims that the Strait was closed. Online ship tracking data shows a major slowdown in traffic overall, but there is still some movement through this highly strategic waterway. Imagery is also emerging showing a backlog of ships waiting to pass through.
Minimal vessel traffic seen in Strait of Hormuz amid reported closure
The latest #MarineTraffic playback shows visibly reduced transit density, alongside holding patterns, slower speeds, and vessels remaining outside the strait as operators reassess risk. pic.twitter.com/pfqk5rcbg8
Oil production at Iraq’s largest oil field, in Shafaq, has reportedly been halted, as has the flow of oil through a pipeline that links its northern Kurdish autonomous region with Turkey. There are reports that Iraqi oil exports, overall, have slowed dramatically due to the ongoing conflict.
BREAKING: Production suspended at Iraq’s largest oil field – Shafaq
IMPORTANT: Basrah crude exports are running on thin ice.@Kpler data shows ~8.7Mb of effective headroom — just ~3 days of cover if tanker constraints persist. No inbound crude tankers into the Gulf on March 2 raises the risk of ballast shortages and potential Iraqi production…
This all follows Iranian attacks yesterday that caused a halt to some operations at the Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia and a shutdown in liquid natural gas production by state-owned QatarEnergy in that country.
QatarEnergy to stop downstream production
Further to the decision by QatarEnergy to stop production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and associated products, QatarEnergy is stopping the production of some downstream products in the State of Qatar, including urea, polymers,…
Further rolling coverage can be found below, with the newest updates at the top.
We have concluded our rolling coverage in this piece. We will be back soon to continue our reporting.
UPDATE: 7:46 PM EST –
CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper provided a video update on Epic Fury. Here are some of the highlights:
50,000 troops, 200 fighters, two aircraft carriers and bombers from the United States are participating in this operation, and more capabilities on the way.
100 hours into this operation, and we’ve already struck nearly 2,000 targets with more than 2,000 munitions.
..we’ve destroyed 17 Iranian ships, including the most operational Iranian submarine that now has a hole in that side. Today, there’s not a single Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman.
In retaliation, the Iranian regime has launched over 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones. To be clear, Iran is indiscriminately targeting civilians as they launch these missiles and drones. You’ve seen it on TV. The evidence is crystal clear and overwhelming.
Also for the first time, U.S. Central Command’s drone task force, called Task Force Scorpion Strike, launched countless one-way attack drones achieving massive effects. I’d like to point out these drones were originally an Iranian design. We took them back to America, made them better, and fired them right back at Iran.
UPDATE: 7:03 PM EST –
“The scene here in [Tehran] was dominated by the sound of airplanes and massive explosions across the city, and the smell of smoke drifting in the air,” Al Jazeera reported. “This is very massive, and this is heavier bombardment compared to the first days of the initiation of these strikes.”
You can get a sense of what these attacks have been like in the following video.
A screencap from a video released by CENTCOM shows the loadout on a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle. TWZ Editor-in-Chief Tyler Rogoway breaks it down.
USAF F-15E in full counter drone loadout for Epic Fury. 4 X AIM-120, 4X AIM-9, 28 FALCO APKWS laser-guided rockets + the 20mm. Jet is clean aside from that, so likely has nearby tanker support and can get to where it needs to go fast.
As Epic Fury rages on, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy is calling for Senate debate on an authorization for the use of military force against Iran.
“This is as serious as it gets,” he told reporters after a closed-door briefing. “This is war and peace. They told us in that room that there are gonna be more Americans that are gonna die, that they’re not gonna be able to stop these drones…We have to have a debate in the US Senate on an authorization of military force.”
Chris Murphy: “This is as serious as it gets. This is war and peace. They told us in that room that there are gonna be more Americans that are gonna die, that they’re not gonna be able to stop these drones. We have to have a debate in the US Senate on an authorization of military… pic.twitter.com/VvcQTsBMmV
The Pentagon announced the names of four of the six troops killed in an Iranian drone attack on a U.S. facility in Kuwait. The four were Army Reserve soldiers.
“Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Fla.; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Neb.; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minn.; and Sgt. DeclanJ. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, died on March 1, 2026, in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, during an unmanned aircraft system attack. All Soldiers were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, Des Moines, Iowa. The incident is under investigation.”
Video emerged of Israeli AH-64 Apache attack helicopters using their M230 chain guns to shoot down several Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drones.
Footage of Israeli AH-64 Apache attack helicopters shooting down Iranian Shahed attack drones using their M230 chain guns. pic.twitter.com/kjH7AZv9Q3
B-2 Spirit stealth bombers “have been targeting command and control nodes of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as weapon depots and an assembly facility for Iran’s rocket program,” CBS News reported on X.
Two U.S. officials say B-2 stealth bombers have been targeting command and control nodes of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as weapon depots and an assembly facility for Iran’s rocket program.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that attacks against Iran will intensify.
“We’re going to unleash Chang on these people in the next few hours and days,” Rubio said. “You’re going to really begin to perceive a change in the scope and intensity of these attacks as, frankly, the two most powerful air forces in the world take apart this terroristic regime.”
The term “unleash Chang” reportedly dates back to “Unleash Chiang,” an inscription on a sword former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush gave Rubio two decades ago.
The term was “the rallying cry of John Birchers in the 1950s, who urged the United States to arm Chiang Kai-shek, the Chinese Nationalist leader of Taiwan, so he could retake Red China from Mao,” Politico reported in 2015.
.@SecRubio: “We’re going to unleash Chang on these people in the next few hours and days. You’re going to really begin to perceive a change in the scope and intensity of these attacks as, frankly, the two most powerful air forces in the world take apart this terroristic regime.” https://t.co/j7DxkxPiFqpic.twitter.com/2AhXGnj1UI
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 3, 2026
UPDATE: 6:04 PM EST –
After a closed-door briefing about Epic Fury, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal told reporters that “I am more fearful than ever after this briefing, that we may be putting boots on the ground, and that troops from the United States might be necessary to accomplish objectives that the administration seems to have.
UPDATE: 5:53 PM EST –
After Spain refused to let the U.S. military use its bases for missions linked to attacks on Iran, Trump threatened to impose a full U.S. trade embargo.
“Spain has been terrible,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He also told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all dealings” with Spain.
“That’s all right,” Trump exclaimed. “We can use their bases. If we want, we can just fly in and use it.”
As we have reported in the past, the U.S. has used the Rota and Moron bases as transit points for fighter aircraft, electronic attack jets and aerial refueling tankers.
.@POTUS: “Some of the European nations have been helpful, and some haven’t—and I’m very surprised. Germany’s been great… Spain has been terrible. In fact, I told Scott to cut off all dealings with Spain.”
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 3, 2026
UPDATE: 5:38 PM EST –
The IDF said Tuesday it struck a secret underground nuclear complex in Tehran, describing it as a key site where Iran was developing components for a nuclear weapon. Fighter aircraft targeted the covert “Minzadehei” compound, an underground facility where Iran’s nuclear weapons group operated under the country’s Defense Ministry.
UPDATE: 5:32 PM EST –
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters today that new attacks against Iran are imminent and that there is a growing coalition of allies willing to take part in the fight against Iran.
🚨 BREAKING: Lindsey Graham confirms MASSIVE new attacks on Iran are IMMINENT
“The amount of firepower coming in the next day or two from us is gonna be OVERWHELMING”
“I’ve never felt better about how this ends. It’s not IF they fall, it’s WHEN they fall.” pic.twitter.com/CAkJWTqv5o
The IDF released details of its Operation Roaring Lion attack on Iran. It claims that more than 200 fighters flew more than 700 sorties. There were 47 senior leaders killed, while 600 “terror sites” were “dismantled.” The War Zone cannot independently verify these claims.
UPDATE: 5:06 PM EST –
Hundreds of Iranian university professors and tech experts have reportedly signed a statement declaring the Constitution of the Islamic Republic illegitimate. The statement also calls for the immediate transfer of power to the people, while endorsing Prince Reza Pahlavi’s democratic transition plan.
In the past few hours, hundreds of Iranian university professors and tech experts have signed a statement declaring the Constitution of the Islamic Republic illegitimate and calling for the immediate transfer of power to the people, while endorsing Prince Reza Pahlavi’s… pic.twitter.com/oihXPHvBy5
French President Emmanuel Macron has ordered the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the eastern Mediterranean amid the ongoing war.
Macron is also working to build a coalition that would help secure maritime traffic imperiled by the escalating crisis in the Middle East.
In a televised address to the nation, Macron said that action needed to be taken with the Straits of Hormuz closed and the Suez Canal and Red Sea shipping routes threatened by the widening conflict.
French President Macron:
We have defense agreements with Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. We must stand by their side. I have decided to send a warship to Cyprus for protection. I have given the order to send the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its… pic.twitter.com/Tox01M1TFi
A suspected Iranian drone attack hit the CIA’s station in Saudi Arabia “in what would amount to a significant symbolic victory for the Islamic Republic,” The Washington Post reported.
“An internal State Department alert obtained by The Washington Post said the attack ‘collapsed’ part of the embassy’s roof and ‘contaminated’ the inside with smoke,” the publication stated. “The notice said the embassy sustained ‘structural damage’ and personnel ‘continue to shelter in place.’”
The extent of the damage was not immediately clear, the Post added. There was no indication that any CIA personnel were wounded.
SCOOP: A suspected Iranian drone attack hit the CIA’s station in Saudi Arabia in what would amount to a significant symbolic victory for the Islamic Republic as it lashes out at U.S. targets and personnel across the Middle East, sources tell @nakashimae and me
Officials in Dubai say the fire near the US Consulate in Dubai has been fully extinguished with no injuries recorded. The area had been hit by an Iranian drone.
بالصور: إخماد الحريق بالكامل في محيط القنصلية الأمريكية بدبي دون تسجيل أي إصابات؛ والجهات المختصة في دبي تؤكد حرصها على ضمان أمن وسلامة الجميع. pic.twitter.com/3fqjHkEHMl
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) March 3, 2026
UPDATE:2:46 PM EST-
The IDF says it has now destroyed 300 Iranian missile launchers since the start of the conflict. Israeli authorities also say the country’s fighters have flown more than 1,600 sorties and dropped more than 4,000 munitions.
The IDF says Israeli airstrikes have taken out 300 Iranian missile launchers since the start of the current conflict.
“As part of the offensive effort, the air force continues to launch continuous waves of strikes against the Iranian regime’s ballistic missile arrays and [air]… pic.twitter.com/62xy3luzuE
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 3, 2026
The Israeli Air Force has dropped over 4,000 bombs in strikes on Iran since the start of the campaign which began four days ago, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin says in a press conference.
“Today we crossed the amount of munitions that the IDF dropped during the entire…
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 3, 2026
The IDF says it has targeted an Iranian facility on the outskirts of Tehran where scientists “worked secretly to develop capabilities required for nuclear weapons.”
The Israeli Air Force struck a secretive Iranian nuclear site on the outskirts of Tehran earlier today, the military says.
In a press conference, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin says at the partially-underground facility, a group of nuclear scientists “worked secretly to… pic.twitter.com/ollEsROFT9
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 3, 2026
The IDF is also still assessing the results of its strike targeting Iran’s Assembly of Experts in Qom. There are reports that none of the 88 clerics who make up this group were in the building when it was hit. Iranian quasi-state media claims a vote for the next Supreme Leader of the country was held remotely for security reasons.
IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin in a press conference says the results of the Israeli strike on the Iranian Assembly of Experts building in Qom are still under review.
According to reports, none of the 88 clerics were at the building at the time of the strike, rather only… https://t.co/8qweTwYKCj
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 3, 2026
NEW: Iran’s Assembly of Experts is holding final voting to choose a new Supreme Leader.
Although the Assembly’s building in Qom was reportedly hit, no session was held there.
Voting is being conducted remotely for security reasons.
The satellite imagery below shows damage to Iranian leadership targets in Tehran from Israeli strikes earlier today.
Thread: New high-resolution satellite images released by @vantortech show the aftermath of US/Israeli strikes on several major political and military sites in Tehran.
Iran presidential complex, Assembly of Experts and the Expediency Council
U.S. Central Command has also released new footage showing strikes targeting Iranian kamikaze drone capabilities.
The Iranian regime’s killer drones have been a menace in the Middle East for years. These drones are no longer a tolerable risk. pic.twitter.com/76yhDKI6OW
Imagery has emerged that is said to show a fire at a U.S. diplomatic facility in Dubai following an Iranian drone attack.
There are reports that President Donald Trump’s administration is considering using military assets to escort oil and natural gas tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. Any warships supporting these operations would also have to operate in the Strait, with all the potential risks entailed. The report says that the U.S. government could also seek to back maritime insurance, where some rates have been hiked and some policies outright cancelled as a result of the current conflict.
(Reuters) – The Trump administration is considering providing military protection to oil and gas tankers traversing the Strait of Hormuz, Politico reported on Tuesday.
BIG: The Trump administration is considering using U.S. military forces to protect oil and gas tankers traveling through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran threatened ships in the area.
Officials are discussing naval escorts for tankers and possibly having the U.S. government back… pic.twitter.com/kthwYVQYiO
Iraqi authorities say that all refineries “are operating continuously and at their full design capacity to produce various petroleum derivatives,” according to the country’s Rudaw news outlet.
President Donald Trump has said that “it would seem to me that somebody from within [Iran] maybe would be more appropriate” when asked if Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, is someone the U.S. might look to as part of a new Iranian government.
Reporter: Reza Pahlavi, is he an option at all in your mind?
Trump: It would seem to me that somebody from within maybe would be more appropriate. I’ve said that he looks like a very nice person, but it would seem to me that somebody that’s there, that’s currently popular if… pic.twitter.com/vRYgQXuDU7
“Yes, the State Department is actively securing military aircraft and charter flights for American citizens who wish to leave the Middle East,” Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson has written in a post on X in response to questions about what steps are being taken to help American citizens depart the Middle East. However, at the time of writing, the phone number he has given out starts with a recorded message advising callers not to rely on the U.S. government.
UPDATE:1:29 PM EST-
The Israel Defense Forces have confirmed strikes in Isfahan and elsewhere in Iran. In Isfahan, the targets are said to have been related to the Iranian ballistic missile arsenal rather than the nuclear facility there.
⭕️ OPERATIONAL UPDATE: Targets belonging to the Iranian terror regime in Tehran and Isfahan were struck.
📍Throughout Iran, industrial sites used by the Iranian regime to produce weapons, particularly ballistic missiles, were targeted.
Israel has now also issued an explicit threat to strike Iranian officials in Lebanon if they do not leave within 24 hours. The IDF said earlier that it killed Daoud Alizadeh, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force’s acting commander in charge of operations in Lebanon, in strikes on targets in Tehran. The IDF has also continued to target Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
The Israeli military issues an unusual threat against Iranian regime officials in Lebanon, warning that they will be targeted if they do not leave the country within 24 hours.
“The IDF warns representatives of the Iranian terror regime who are still in Lebanon to leave…
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 3, 2026
Alizadeh had taken responsibility for the IRGC Quds Force’s Lebanon Corps from Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who was killed in an Israeli strike on Damascus in April 2024, making him “the highest-ranking Iranian commander responsible for Lebanon,” according to the military.
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 3, 2026
The IDF issues new evacuation warnings ahead of airstrikes on Hezbollah sites in coastal Lebanese city of Tyre. pic.twitter.com/xf03b1qUox
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 3, 2026
The IDF issues an evacuation warning for a building in Sidon, ahead of an airstrike against Hezbollah infrastructure. pic.twitter.com/sFgggvkYGv
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 3, 2026
A British F-35B Joint Strike Fighter has shot down an Iranian drone while flying over Jordan. This is the first time one of the United Kingdom’s F-35Bs has shot down an aerial target in combat, at least that we know of. The U.K. Ministry of Defense now also says it is sending Wildcat helicopters to Cyprus, primarily to support counter-drone operations. The Wildcat has a demonstrated ability to knock down drones using the Martlet missile.
The UK’s F-35 fleet has scored its first kill, shooting down an Iranian attack drone over Jordan.
British fighters are now conducting combat air patrols over Jordan, Qatar, and the Eastern Mediterranean. pic.twitter.com/EDxQbONjTZ
The UAE Ministry of Defense showcased debris and remnants of Iranian missiles and drones recently intercepted during attacks on the country.
The display included Shahed 136 and Shahed 107 drones, as well as Qaim short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) and Paveh long-range cruise… pic.twitter.com/5CzZ5Fq13P
The UAE says now that it has successfully intercepted 172 ballistic missiles, 8 cruise missiles and 812 kamikaze drones launched by Iran, in total. One ballistic missile and 57 drones have “impacted within state territory.” Another 13 ballistic missiles have come down in the sea around the country.
Axios has reported that the UAE is now considering taking “active defense measures against Iran” in the face of continued attacks.
“The UAE is considering taking active defensive measures against Iran,” a source familiar w/Emirati policy discussions said. “The UAE view is that no country in the world would fail to evaluate its defensive posture under such circumstances.” @BarakRavidhttps://t.co/x91PFdYBqX
“To the very large numbers of people who have been in touch from all 4 corners of the globe: Oman appreciates the support you have shown for our efforts to stop the war,” Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who had been helping mediate U.S.-Iran talks before the conflict erupted, has written in a post on X. “Strengthened by your solidarity, Oman reaffirms its call for an immediate ceasefire and a return to responsible regional diplomacy. There are off ramps available. Let’s use them.”
OMAN FOREIGN MINISTER: THERE ARE OFF RAMPS AVAILABLE, LET’S USE THEM
U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers have joined the air campaign against Iran, according to a new fact sheet from U.S. Central Command seen below. American forces have now struck more than 1,700 targets in total.
CENTCOM
U.S. President Donald Trump has said Iran “is running out of [missile] launchers” and “running out of areas to shoot them, because they’re being decimated,” according to Politico‘s Sophia Cai.
Trump also told Cai that it is “not too late” to work in some fashion with a new Iranian government. He pushed back again on concerns about low stocks of anti-air interceptors, as well.
🚨NEW: Trump tells me in an interview that Iran “is running out of launchers” and that U.S. defense companies are “under emergency orders” to build weapons.
Q: Is it too late for you to want to work with someone in the new government?
During a press conference alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House today, Trump pushed back on reports that the Israeli government had pressured him into attacking Iran. He also reiterated previous comments that “most of the people we had in mind” as potential partners in a new Iranian government “are dead.”
“We will see what happens, but first we have to finish off the military,” he added.
Reporter: Did Israel and Netanyahu force your hand to attack Iran?
Trump: No. I might’ve forced their hand. It was my opinion that these lunatics were going to attack first. pic.twitter.com/VMuyPEknlp
President Trump has also said that he has ordered an end to “all dealings” with Spain. Spanish authorities have blocked access to military bases in the country to U.S. forces supporting Operation Epic Fury.
President Donald Trump has also now said that the reason why various U.S. embassies in the region were not evacuated ahead of the start of U.S.-Israeli strikes this past weekend was that the situation moved too fast to allow for it. The U.S. State Department has now issued evacuation orders for embassies in several Middle Eastern countries.
Reporter: Thousands of Americans are stranded. Why wasn’t there an evacuation plan?
Trump: Well, because it happened all very quickly. We thought — and I thought maybe more so than most. I could ask Marco — but I thought we were going to have a situation where we were going to… pic.twitter.com/wlRmjBgWSc
Imagery has emerged showing what looks to show the aftermath of strikes on facilities belonging to the naval army of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the port of Jask. U.S. authorities have said the destruction of Iran’s naval capabilities is a top objective of Operation Epic Fury.
“We don’t see a structured program to manufacture nuclear weapons,” International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi has reiterated today. “Countries have either other information or political considerations, which are not for me to validate, as I said, or invalidate.”
IAEA Chief Grossi on Iran:
We don’t see a structured program to manufacture nuclear weapons.
Countries have either other information or political considerations, which are not for me to validate or invalidate. pic.twitter.com/zKaRe1zEp1
The IAEA has also now confirmed new damage to Iran’s Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) based on satellite imagery, which has also been circulating online. “No radiological consequence expected and no additional impact detected at FEP itself, which was severely damaged in the June conflict,” the IAEA added in a statement.
Based on the latest available satellite imagery, IAEA can now confirm some recent damage to entrance buildings of Iran’s underground Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP). No radiological consequence expected and no additional impact detected at FEP itself, which was severely… pic.twitter.com/7CS7BRZo1s
— IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency ⚛️ (@iaeaorg) March 3, 2026
We have prepared an overview slide summarizing the visible damage at the Natanz uranium enrichment site from the recent attack, pulling together multiple images showing before and after satellite images of the two personnel entrances and the sole vehicle entrance with comparable… pic.twitter.com/mMGvOyHgkQ
Alexey Likhachev, head of Russia’s state-run nuclear company Rosatom, has said he has lost all contact with his counterparts in Iran and that operations at the country’s Bushehr nuclear power plant had been halted. Russian personnel assist with operations at Bushehr.
⚡️Russia lost ‘all contact’ with the leadership of Iran’s nuclear industry, Rosatom chief Likhachev confirms
Operations at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant have been halted
639 Russian staff remain on site, with hourly check-ins as the only line still open pic.twitter.com/VKQPackUip
U.S. Central Command and the Israel Defense Forces have shared more video clips showing strikes on Iranian missile launchers.
The Iranian regime is using mobile launchers to indiscriminately fire missiles in an attempt to inflict maximum harm across the region. U.S. forces are hunting these threats down and without apology or hesitation, we are taking them out. pic.twitter.com/gv1SfKCrk4
✈️🎯60+ strike flights: The IAF completed additional waves of strikes in western Iran targeting the Iranian regime’s missile launchers, defense systems, and live-fire arrays. pic.twitter.com/I1rRLBJlUR
The Ministry of Defense in the United Arab Emirates has released footage, which looks to have been shot via targeting pods on aircraft, of intercepts of incoming Iranian missiles and drones.
The video below is said to show munitions impacting a target in the Iranian city of Urmia as part of ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes.
Imagery is emerging showing new strikes on Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran.
Reported strikes within the last few minutes against military infrastructure located at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran. pic.twitter.com/m7QjmIoyBA
— Status-6 (War & Military News) (@Archer83Able) March 3, 2026
The national flag of Iran flies in the wind as debris lies scattered in the aftermath of an Israeli and U.S. strike on a police station, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 3, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS pic.twitter.com/sULKiGc6Vg
The video below shows a commercial airliner taking off from Beirut International Airport in Lebanon amid Israeli strikes.
A commercial plane takes off from the Beirut International Airport in Lebanon as smoke from Israeli airstrikes can be seen rising over the city on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/tgaRHJzxMb
— Status-6 (War & Military News) (@Archer83Able) March 3, 2026
Qatari authorities are pushing back on reports that they have conducted strikes on targets in Iran.
Breaking news:
Western sources — Qatar carried out an attack in Iran in the past 24 hours.
An Iranian drone strike overnight on the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, reportedly caused part of the roof to collapse. Saudi authorities had initially said the resulting damage to the building was minimal. The Saudi government has also condemned that attack.
The damage inflicted in the attack is more significant than initial assessment conveyed by Saudi’s ministry of defense yesterday https://t.co/9blsrO8TF2
#Statement | The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its rejection and condemnation in the strongest terms of the flagrant Iranian attack that targeted the U.S. Embassy building in Riyadh. pic.twitter.com/pzSSEUEiyO
Despite pushback elsewhere, Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz has warned that demand for air defense capabilities in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East could upend deliveries of U.S.-made systems globally, including to Ukraine. The Chosun Ilbo newspaper in South Korea has also published a story raising questions about whether U.S. air defense assets in that country could be redeployed to the Middle East, but it does not say such movements are imminent.
WARSAW, March 3 (Reuters) – A prolonged conflict in the Middle East could disrupt deliveries of U.S.-made air defence systems and other arms supplies to European countries including Ukraine, Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Monday.
Iranian authorities say the current death toll from U.S.-Israeli strikes is now 787, but how many of those individuals are members of the country’s military or security forces is unclear. Lebanese authorities also say that 40 people have been killed and 246 more wounded in Israeli strikes on that country over the past two days.
Iran death toll from US-Israel strikes rises to 787, state media reports.
DUBAI, March 3 (Reuters) – At least 40 people have been killed and 246 wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon on Monday and Tuesday, a spokesperson for Lebanon’s health ministry said.
U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran continue. The Israel Defense Forces say a wave of 100 jets dropped 250 munitions on leadership targets in Tehran earlier this morning. A building in the city of Qom, where Iran’s Assembly of Experts was reportedly meeting as part of the process of choosing a new Supreme Leader, was also struck.
Overnight, the Israeli Air Force struck Iran’s “leadership complex” in Tehran, the military says.
The IDF says around 100 fighter jets dropped over 250 bombs on the complex.
The buildings targeted at the complex included Iran’s presidential bureau, the headquarters of Iran’s… pic.twitter.com/CQYMx0gww0
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 3, 2026
The Israeli Air Force has attacked the “Assembly of Experts” meeting in Qom, Iran as they were gathering to choose the new Supreme Leader. The council is comprised of 88 religious leaders from around Iran who choose the Ayatollah. pic.twitter.com/kZ68nJE9tb
The Israelis just struck the meeting of the Iranian Supreme Council where officials were gathering to choose a new Supreme Leader, a senior Israeli official told Fox News.
“Israel struck while they were counting the votes for the appointment of the supreme leader.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued a statement regarding the delegation of authorities to regional officials to enable “quick decision making” amid ongoing strikes targeting the country’s leadership.
Message from the President of Iran delegating powers to the country’s Governors for “quick decision making.” https://t.co/gvyDIhvBdH
French fighters are now flying over the United Arab Emirates to help bolster that country’s defenses. France is also reportedly sending anti-air and anti-drone capabilities to help protect Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean.
France will send anti-missile and anti-drone systems to Cyprus, as the U.S.-Israel-Iran war heightens tensions in the Middle East, two senior Cypriot government officials have told POLITICO.https://t.co/OCVkZDVS02
U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has also announced the deployment of the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon to bolster the defense of Cyprus.
Iranian media reports say the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has targeted dissident groups in northern Iraq. Axios has also reported that President Donald Trump spoke with Iraqi Kurdish leaders this past week about “what might come next.” There have been reports raising the possibility of armed Iranian Kurdish groups in Iraq launching a ground incursion even before the current conflict began.
IRAN’S REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS SAYS IT TARGETED DISSIDENT GROUPS PLANNING TO ATTACK IRAN FROM IRAQI KURDISTAN REGION – IRANIAN MEDIA
Zoom in: Trump spoke to leaders from the two main Kurdish factions in Iraq – Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani – a day after the war started, two of the sources said. A source with knowledge of the calls said they were “sensitive” and declined to give details on their content https://t.co/1UN9dPkm5l
U.S. President Donald Trump has now said that it is “too late” to negotiate with Iran’s new leadership, according to Fox News. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who took part in negotiations in the lead-up to the current conflict, claims that Iranian officials say they “have enough enriched uranium for 11 nuclear bombs.”
Witkoff says the Iranian negotiators walked into the room and said, “We have enough enriched uranium for 11 nuclear bombs.”
