Fed’s Logan says Iran war creates economic uncertainty, policy ready to adjust - Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Lorie Logan said Thursday the economic outlook faces considerable uncertainty due to the Middle East war, and the central bank stands ready to adjust policy based on incoming economic data. "I really like thinking about things in scenarios right now," Logan said at an event held at her bank. "I think policy is positioned to adjust to the data as it's coming in, and we're prepared to make adjustments to the policy path as appropriate." Speaking more broadly about the U.S. economy, Logan said that she supported the Fed's decision to hold rates steady at the recent Federal Open Market Committee meeting. She noted that payroll gains have been weak, which makes her feel "uncomfortable," though she added that the labor market stabilized in the second half of 2025 into this year. Logan said immigration has changed the job market breakeven to close to zero. The Dallas Fed president said she wasn't convinced inflation was easing enough even before the war started, adding that it is incredibly important to get inflation back to 2%. She noted that business investment remains strong and consumers have been resilient. Logan said the Iran war has increased the level of uncertainty and raised risks on both sides of the Fed's mandate. She described the most recent round of Fed forecasts as quite challenging to complete. If the war resolves quickly, the economic impact might be moderate, Logan said. She noted the U.S. has some buffers to impacts from the war. A key question is whether war disruptions will induce investment in U.S. energy production, though energy producers appear to need extended higher prices to boost production. Logan said she is not hearing about a dramatic U.S. energy production increase so far.
Energy-price surge will work through economy slowly, Fed's Williams tells Fox Business (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams said monetary policy is “well positioned," as he expects surging energy prices will take some time to affect the economy. The Middle East war means “the uncertainty and the risks have increased, but they've kind of increased in both directions: both higher risks of higher inflation but also greater risks of economic slowdown,” Williams said in an interview with Fox Business Network’s "The Claman Countdown." “We want to balance those risks,” he said. “I think monetary policy, with the actions we took last year and where we are today, is actually well positioned to keep those risks in balance.” His comments largely mirror remarks made on Monday in an appearance in Staten Island, New York. The most tangible effect on the U.S. from the war is surging energy prices, which could push up inflation and depress spending, though that effect has not yet shown up in economic data. He noted the pass-through of energy prices “typically takes months or maybe a year” to affect other prices. As for the job market, Williams said the low-hire, low-fire hiring sector with low and stable unemployment looks poised to stay in place for now. Williams also pushed back against the idea that troubles in private credit could cause deep woes for the financial system. While developments there are being watched, “I don't see it as a systemic risk to our system right now,” he said.
Judge won’t reconsider decision blocking grand jury subpoenas of Fed, Jerome Powell - A federal judge on Friday said he won’t reconsider his decision blocking Justice Department subpoenas of the Federal Reserve and its chair, Jerome Powell. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, the chief judge of Washington’s federal trial court, said the government “did not come close” to persuading him to reconsider his ruling that quashed two subpoenas served on the Fed’s board of governors seeking records from a $2.5 billion renovation project on which Powell testified before Congress. Last month, the judge pinned his decision on “abundant evidence” that the subpoenas were part of a pressure campaign against Powell, who has frequently been the target of President Trump’s ire. “The subpoena power ‘is not unlimited’ and may not be abused,” Boasberg wrote in a six-page ruling. The Justice Department began investigating the Federal Reserve’s renovation of its headquarters earlier this year, following Powell’s testimony before the Senate Banking Committee in June about a critical need for updates to the central bank’s Marriner S. Eccles and Federal Reserve Board East buildings. The project was initially estimated to cost $1.9 billion but grew to $2.5 billion after changes to design, higher costs and other “unforeseen conditions.”
Markets Have Returned To Taking Headlines As Gospel - US Treasury yields have been falling for the past two days. On Monday, we saw US rates grind lower after Powell gave a speech at Harvard University where he seemed to hint that hikes were not part of the Fed’s plan for the immediate future, noting that “tariffs have a one-time impact on inflation” and that “there are risks to both sides of the mandate.” In times like these where inflation fears have been the headline, Powell’s refusal to doomspeak on the inflationary impacts of the war and elevated energy prices said enough on its own. Powell also took time to talk about the continued issue of Fed independence, or lack thereof, highlighting how “there’s broad consensus” that the Fed requires independence on monetary policy. However, as we have noted previously, history suggests otherwise. The Fed was not independent from the Treasury until 1951 when the Treasury-Fed Accord was signed, and the Bank of England wasn’t formally independent until 1997. But Powell has taken the issue of independence to heart, having announced that if he feels that Fed independence is at stake, and so long as the DoJ investigation continues, he will remain on the Board of Governors even after his term as Fed Chair ends, preventing Trump from appointing a third Governor to the Board this term.However, the move lower yesterday was sparked after a Wall Street Journal article reported that “President Trump told aides he’s willing to end the US military campaign against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed.” Should this statement hold water, this would bring a whole new meaning to the TACO trade. But, it appears more likely that it doesn’t, especially when this announcement was sprinkled between threats from the Administration to decimate Iranian desalination and energy infrastructure.Yet, markets have returned to taking headlines as gospel and 2 year yields closed down more than 3bp yesterday. Meanwhile, whereas last Friday the OIS curve indicated investors were positioned for around 6bp worth of hikes from the Fed by 2026 year-end, yesterday they were positioned for 8bp worth of cuts. USD came under pressure due to the broad move in yields as the DXY Index closed down 0.65%, back below the 100-handle for the first time since Friday. USD weakness was especially visible against the euro, with EUR/USD closing the day up 0.80%, back to 1.15. We will also note that yesterday was the end of March and the end of Q1, so some of yesterday’s price action may also be a result of rebalancing flows. What markets cared significantly less about was a new five point peace plan proposed by China and Pakistan. The plan includes talk of an immediate ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. This is likely to go the same way as Iran’s proposed five point plan and the US’ fifteen point plan—nowhere at all. Markets were rocked, however, after a report circulated that Iranian President Pezeshkian stated that Iran was prepared to end the war if they “receive guarantees.” These guarantees, of course, are the same as the five point plan already proposed, and there was no confirmation that this announcement was a tangible indicator that the war will come to a close anytime soon, as FX and rates markets quickly retraced in response. The S&P 500, however, took that move and ran with it, jumping 1.16% to $6,515, and grinding above that level the rest of the US afternoon.
Trump Set To Unveil His $1.5 Trillion Military Budget Request Amid Raging Iran War - President Trump is expected to unveil his request for a $1.5 trillion military budget for the 2027 fiscal year on Friday, Reuters has reported, marking a 50% increase from this year’s already massive budget.The 2026 military budget marked the first to officially exceed $1 trillion, which was achieved by Congress passing a 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) worth about $900 billion and combining it with $150 billion in supplemental military spending that was included in the so-called Big Beautiful Bill, a reconciliation bill that became law last year.The White House is expected to go with a similar strategy to reach $1.5 trillion. It may request an NDAA worth about $1 trillion or less and seek a supplemental spending bill for $400 to $600 billion. Republican leadership in Congress has already begun working on the potential supplemental. The Trump administration is also expected to soon ask Congress for $200 billion in “emergency” spending for the Iran war, mainly to replenish the air defense munitions and missiles used so far in the conflict, which has been raging for more than one month. It’s unclear if the $200 billion for the Iran war would be in addition to the supplemental for the 2027 budget. The Reuters report said that the massive $1.5 trillion request will include the $185 billion “Golden Dome” project, Trump’s plan for a major new missile defense system for all the territory of the United States, which will be a major boondoggle for the US weapons makers and may spark a new arms race. The report said the administration also plans to use the money to fund more weapons production with the goal of “deterring” China and to replenish weapons used in the Middle East wars and in Ukraine. Bloomberg reported that the White House’s budget plan will frame the Republicans’ midterm election message around a massive military buildup, partially paid for by cuts to domestic agencies. The request will come as the US appears to be on the cusp of launching ground operations against Iranian islands and ports, which could lead to significant US casualties. While 2026 marked the first time the US had an official military budget over $1 trillion, the true cost of annual US military and national security spending has exceeded $1 trillion for many years, when taking into account factors such as the budgets for the Departments of Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs, and the national security share of the interest accrued on the US debt.
Sen. Susan Collins knocks cuts in Trump's fiscal 2027 budget - Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Friday knocked proposed eliminations and reductions to domestic program spending in the White House’s fiscal 2027 budget, a sign she may not be eager to sign off on President Trump’s request. “While the Administration proposes a budget, Congress holds the power of the purse,” Collins wrote in a post on the social platform X. The White House proposal calls for $1.5 trillion in defense spending, a roughly 42 percent boost to the Pentagon’s annual budget, and a $73 billion cut to non-defense spending. Housing, community, environmental, health care and other programs the Trump administration has deemed “woke” are among those on the chopping block, according to the blueprint unveiled on Friday. Collins, who is in a tough reelection fight for her Senate seat, described in a post on the social platform X what she viewed as “several shortcomings” in the request. She pointed to “unwarranted” cuts in biomedical research and the termination of programs such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps low-income household pay for heating and cooling, Job Corps, and a program supporting low-income, first-generation students. “These are proven programs that I strongly support,” Collins wrote. She also criticized proposed discretionary spending cuts to the Essential Air Service, a program that subsidizes commercial flights to small and rural communities that lost service when airlines deregulated in 1978.
Report: Pentagon Prepares for 'Weeks' of Ground Operations in Iran - The Pentagon is preparing for “weeks” of ground operations in Iran, The Washington Post has reported, citing unnamed US officials, as thousands more US troops have arrived in the Middle East in recent days. Any potential US ground operations would mean a major escalation of the war and would likely result in significant US casualties as American forces would face significant Iranian missile and drone fire, and Iranian media is reporting that Iran is mobilizing one million soldiers to face any ground invasion. The Post report said that any US ground operations would stop short of a full-scale invasion, which would require hundreds of thousands of troops, but could involve raids that involve a mix of special operations forces and conventional ground troops that would target Iranian islands or strategic areas along the coast.Sources told the Post that the options on the table include seizing Kharg Island, a major export hub for Iran’s oil that’s located deep inside the Persian Gulf, or raids in other coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz to destroy weapons that can target shipping. Other reports have said the US is considering a special operations raid to capture Iran’s stockpile of uranium that’s enriched to 60%, though it’s believed to be buried under rubble following the June 2025 US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. One official speaking to the Post said the objectives could take “weeks, not months,” to achieve, while another source put the potential timeline at a “couple of months.” But all signs indicate that if the US escalates the war to include ground operations, the conflict could become open-ended and last many months or even years. Polling has shown that the idea of sending US troops into Iran is extremely unpopular among Americans, though the Trump administration continues to plan for the possibility. US Central Command said on Saturday that an additional 3,500 US troops, including 2,500 Marines, have arrived on US warships in the region.A second Marine Expeditionary Unit is also on its way to the region, and at least 1,000 US Army Airborne troops are also expected to be deployed. The White House said in response to the Post report that the preparations for potential ground operations does not mean President Trump “has made a decision.”
Trump prioritizes US market stability over security of Persian Gulf allies: Analyst - A Qatar-based political analyst has castigated the Trump administration for prioritizing its own market stability over the security of Persian Gulf allies like Qatar. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Nayef Nahar, a political analyst based in Doha, said Washington has left its regional allies to "face their fate alone" as Iran retaliates against American-Israeli aggression with strikes targeting US bases and assets in the region. He said US President Donald Trump's decision to postpone strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure was driven solely by fear of market volatility rather than concern for Persian Gulf countries, who have been dragged into this war by the US. "Today, Trump postponed striking Iran's energy infrastructure out of fear of fluctuations in US market prices," Nahar said. "Yet for over twenty days, he has watched (Persian) Gulf societies come under Iranian missile strikes, as (Persian) Gulf economies incur tens of billions of dollars in damages, without this prompting any change in his decisions." Nahar revealed that Persian Gulf warnings went unheeded before Washington decided to strike Iranian gas fields last week, which prompted strong Iranian retaliation. "When the Qatari Minister of Energy warned his American counterpart that striking Iran's gas fields would inevitably trigger retaliatory strikes against gas fields in the (Persian) Gulf, he was disregarded," Nahar said. "They attacked Iran anyway, leaving the (Persian) Gulf states to face their fate alone against Iranian missiles." According to the analyst, the strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure failed to deliver any strategic gains while inflicting massive losses on the Persian Gulf's energy sector, a development he said ultimately benefits American gas companies. "Striking Iran's gas fields did not create any strategic advantage, but rather inflicted massive losses upon the (Persian) Gulf's energy sector, which ultimately benefits American gas companies," Nahar said. He added that Trump's focus remains narrowly fixed on energy markets rather than the welfare of regional partners. "Trump only speaks about the Strait of Hormuz or the price of oil," Nahar said. "In his eyes, the (Persian) Gulf societies are barely worth a single barrel of crude."
Trump Says He Wants To Invade Iran's Kharg Island To 'Take the Oil' -- President Trump told the Financial Times on Sunday that he wants to “take” Iran’s oil in an operation that could involve the US seizing and occupying Kharg Island, a major Iranian oil export hub deep inside the Persian Gulf.The US president said that his “preference would be to take the oil” and compared the possibility to Venezuela, where the US has controlled the country’s oil exports following the attack to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.“To be honest with you, my favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran, but some stupid people back in the US say: ‘Why are you doing that?’ But they’re stupid people,” Trump told the paper.He also acknowledged that seizing and controlling Kharg Island would require a long occupation. “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options. It would also mean we had to be there [in Kharg Island] for a while,” Trump said.The comments come as the Pentagon is deploying Marines and US Army Airborne troops to the region to prepare for potential ground operations, which would likely result in significant US casualties. Trump insisted it would be easy for the US to take control of Kharg Island, but US forces would face significant Iranian missile and drone fire. “I don’t think they have any defense. We could take it very easily,” he said.The president also claimed that Iran had given the US a “present” by allowing some ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, but Iran is benefiting from the arrangement, as it’s reportedly charging transit fees and is earning much more on oil sales than it was before the war.Trump also repeated his claim that “regime change” has already happened in Iran since Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials have been killed, but the assassinations have not slowed Iran’s military response, and there’s no sign the Islamic government will collapse. Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has taken over as the supreme leader, though Trump is claiming that he’s either “dead or in extremely bad shape” since he hasn’t made a public appearance.
‘Do the math’: Trump hits critical timeline marker as Iran war wages on-The U.S.-Israeli war in Iran hit one month Monday, marking a critical mile marker for the Trump administration amid pressure to wrap the operation. President Trump and his deputies initially suggested the conflict would last four to six weeks following the initial strikes on the country late last month. However, despite saying the U.S. has met its objectives in the war, the administration has provided vague answers when asked about the war’s timeline as it hit the 30-day mark. “The president, commander in chief, and the Pentagon has always stated four to six weeks estimated timeline for Operation Epic Fury,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at Monday’s White House press briefing when asked about the war’s timeline. “We’re on Day 30 today. So, you do the math on how much longer the Pentagon needs to fully achieve the objectives,” she said. Leavitt’s comments come as the administration offers varying degrees of suggestions for when the war might wind down and what goals need to be reached in order for Trump to declare victory. Axios reported over the weekend that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told his Group of Seven counterparts that the U.S. operation in the country could go on for another two to four weeks during the group’s meeting in France. “As the Department of War has consistently outlined, we are on or ahead of schedule in that operation and expect to conclude it at the appropriate time here, in a matter of weeks, not months, and the progress is going very well,” Rubio said. “Obviously, we have some work to do. We have to finish the job, and we are finishing that job.” But Trump continues to suggest attacks that could severely escalate the war, threatening in a Truth Social post Monday to destroy Iran’s electric generating plants, oil wells, and Kharg Island “if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached.” The Iranians, for their part, are insisting that no negotiations are taking place. “We have had no negotiations with America in these thirty-one days. What has occurred is the submission of a negotiation request, accompanied by a set of proposals from #America, which has reached us through certain intermediaries, including Pakistan,” Esmaeil Baqaei, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Monday on social platform X.
Iran war latest: Trump threatens to bomb civilian infrastructure -- President Donald Trump on Monday said the United States is engaged in “serious discussions” with Iranian officials on a deal to end the war, but threatened to bombard Iran's power, oil and water infrastructure if negotiations fail. “Great progress has been made,” Trump said on Truth Social, adding that if a deal is not reached shortly and the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, the United States will “conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!)”Experts say intentionally targeting civilian infrastructure, such as water desalination plants, may constitute a violation of international humanitarian law. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump and the military would “act within the confines of the law.”Trump's latest threats come as Iran launched more strikes across the region, hitting Israel's largest oil refinery and a desalination plant in Kuwait. Thousands of additional U.S. troops arrived in the Middle East over the weekend. Washington and Tehran have also continued to send conflicting messages about the state of the negotiations to end the war. Thousands have been killed across Iran and Lebanon, where Israel is expanding its ongoing ground invasion. Dozens have been killed in other Middle Eastern countries, including Israel. Among the dead are 13 U.S. service members.
Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ desalination plants in Iran if no deal reached - Al Jazeera - Donald Trump has renewed his threat to “blow up” a range of civilian infrastructure in Iran, including all of the country’s desalination plants, in a move that would threaten the water source for millions of people and that experts say would be illegal.The United States president has been regularly warning Iran about possible US strikes against energy and electricity facilities, but on Monday, he added water stations to the list of targets. “The United States of America is in serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “But, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet ‘touched’,” the US president said.International law explicitly bans making civilian sites the “object of attack or of reprisals”. Yusra Suedi, assistant professor in international law at the University of Manchester, said Trump’s threat “reinforces the climate of impunity around collective punishment in warfare”.“This is clearly an act of collective punishment, which is prohibited under international humanitarian law. You can’t deliberately harm an entire civilian population to pressure its government,” Suedi told Al Jazeera. The Fourth Geneva Convention says: “Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.” Raed Jarrar, advocacy director at the rights group DAWN, said Trump’s threats represent “clear, public evidence of criminal intent”.“Threatening to obliterate a nation’s power grid, oil infrastructure and water supply to coerce its government is not a negotiating tactic; it is textbook collective punishment and a war crime,” Jarrar told Al Jazeera.The White House said later on Monday that Trump has made it clear to Iranians that the US has “capabilities beyond their wildest imagination”. Asked about the illegality of targeting civilian sites, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters: “This administration and the United States Armed Forces will always act within the confines of the law.”Annie Shiel, US Director at Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), described Trump’s threats as “appalling”. “President Trump is threatening to destroy infrastructure — like electrical and water facilities — that is essential for civilian survival,” Shiel told Al Jazeera.“The impacts of such attacks would be devastating and widespread: think hospitals without power for life-saving care, illnesses from a lack of clean water, and people completely cut off from communications, unable to reach loved ones or access emergency information.”Trump first issued a threat to target Iran’s electrical grid and energy infrastructure on March 21 while also giving Tehran a 48-hour deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The US president later pushed the deadline back by five days before extending it again until April 6.
Trump threat to destroy Iran’s water desalination plants would be war crime, legal experts say – On Monday, President Donald Trump threatened to destroy all desalination plants in Iran. Strikes on water infrastructure relied on by civilians would violate international law, legal experts say. Unless a plant supplies water only to a military base, said Marko Milanovic, a professor of public international law at the University of Reading, ordering such a strike would be “manifestly unlawful.” “Desalination plants are generally civilian objects, and as such protected from attack,” he said. “They also enjoy special protection as objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population.”Destroying infrastructure needed by civilians violates Article 54 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, which lists “drinking water installations and supplies” as examples of targets that are off-limits. But enforcing international laws of warfare against a U.S. president would be nearly impossible, legal scholars said. And such prohibitions probably aren’t one of Trump’s considerations, said Robert Goldman, a law professor at American University who directs the school’s War Crimes Research Office and co-chairs the Academy of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. “This is not an administration that in any way feels restrained by international law,” he said, noting the difficulty to enforce arrest warrants against leaders of major nuclear powers like Russia. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, asked about the president’s threat to hit desalination plants, said the U.S. will act in “the confines of the law.” “But with respect to achieving the full objectives of Operation Epic Fury, President Trump is going to move forward unabated, and he expects the Iranian regime to make a deal with the administration,” she told reporters. Rule 154 of customary international humanitarian law states explicitly that military personnel have a duty to refuse a military order if it is unlawful. The U.S. is not involved in all treaties regarding international laws, although it does reflect some laws in its own legal language, according to the Congressional Research Service. “In U.S. domestic law, you have the same rule by implication, in that the obligations to obey orders only apply to lawful orders,” said Ioannis Kalpouzos, a visiting professor of law at Harvard Law School. Goldman predicted that anyone in a U.S. uniform who refuses an order to target an Iranian desalination plant would have no trouble finding a lawyer. “He would have pro bono counsel from former judge advocate generals under Republicans and Democrats alike,” he said. “They would rush to his defense.” That is just the sort of scenario Sen. Mark Kelly and five other Democrats in Congress, all veterans of the military or CIA, warned about when they posted a video Nov. 18 urging military personnel to refuse illegal orders. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Trump described the comments as treasonous. Hegseth ordered Kelly – a former Navy combat pilot and astronaut who retired at the rank of captain – demoted with a pension reduction as punishment. None of the other lawmakers had served long enough to retire, so that form of punishment was not available to Hegseth. Kelly sued and a judge blocked the demotion temporarily. The case is set for arguments in May in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. A federal grand jury refused to indict Kelly for sedition in February, a blow to Trump’s effort to punish him and an unusual rejection of prosecutors.“It is clear both as a matter of international law and as a matter of U.S. domestic law that a soldier has a duty to refuse to obey an unlawful order,” Milanovic said.Millions of Gulf state residents rely on drinking water from desalination plants, though only about 3% of Iran’s potable water is desalinated, according to Roohollah Noori, a researcher at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health.Residents along Iran’s coast rely most heavily on desalinated water.“These rural communities and villagers … have struggled with having access to clean water during peacetime,” said institute director Kaveh Madani. “During war times, things would be much more catastrophic and problematic.”Iran has already accused the U.S. of attacking a desalination plant March 7 on Qeshm Island, strategically located in the Strait of Hormuz. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the plant provides water to 30 villages, and called the attack “a blatant and desperate crime.”“Attacking Iran’s infrastructure is a dangerous move with grave consequences,” Araghchi said on social media. “The U.S. set this precedent, not Iran.”The next day, Bahrain – where two-thirds of drinking water is produced through desalination – accused Iran of attacking one of its desalination plants. Another U.S. ally, Kuwait, said Monday that an Iranian attack on a power and desalination plant killed a worker and left “significant material damage.” On March 21, Trump threatened to attack Iranian power plants if it didn’t open the Strait of Hormuz within two days. Madani said that would have a much wider civilian impact.Iran threatened to retaliate with attacks on energy infrastructure and desalination plants belonging to U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf. Trump has not ordered such an attack so far.
At least 15 US Troops Wounded by Iranian Attack on Base in Saudi Arabia - At least 15 US troops were wounded by an Iranian attack on the Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia on Friday, The Associated Press has reported.Sources told the AP that the attack involved Iran firing six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at the base, which is about 60 miles southeast of Riyadh. Five of the US troops who were wounded are in serious condition.Several US military refueling aircraft were also damaged in the attack, and a photo from the base verified by the BBC shows that an E-3 Sentry aircraft was split in half. So far, US Central Command hasn’t issued any statements about the attack. The AP report said that the number of US troops injured in the war since it was launched by the US and Israel on February 28 is now over 300. At least 13 US troops have been confirmed killed by the Pentagon, including one who was killed by an earlier attack on the Prince Sultan base.Despite the weeks of heavy US-Israeli strikes on Iran, Iranian attacks continue to make it past US and Israeli air defenses. According to a report from The New York Times, the majority of US bases in the Middle East are now basically uninhabitable due to the Iranian strikes.
Iran destroys $300M US E-3 Sentry satellite aircraft on Saudi base - An Iranian missile attack on a Saudi Arabia base last week destroyed a U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry, a valuable early warning and control aircraft, multiple outlets have reported.The destruction of the Boeing-made E-3 Sentry, which costs roughly $300 million, marks the first time such an aircraft has been destroyed in combat. Images of the plane quickly spread over social media, showing its tail broken off and its signature radar dome on the ground.Several other military planes also were damaged and at least 10 service members were injured in the March 27 strike at the Prince Sultan Air Base in Al-Kharj.U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to questions from The Hill about the destruction of the aircraft.Without the E-3, it could be more difficult for U.S. forces to spot incoming Iranian threats. The loss of the plane’s dome, part of the airborne warning and control system (AWACS), is “a serious blow to [U.S.] surveillance capabilities,” retired Air Force Col. Cedric Leighton told CNN.There are only 16 E-3s left in the U.S. fleet but not all are ready to be flown. The aging aircraft are used to spot incoming missiles and help coordinate airstrikes, with Washington sending six to the Middle East ahead of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, TWZ reported.The U.S. war in Iran is taking a mounting toll on America’s troops and military equipment since it began just over a month ago.At least 13 U.S. service members have been killed – six in an office space in Kuwait and six in a refueling plane crash – while more than 300 have been injured, including at least 10 critically. In addition, at least 17 aircraft have been shot down, crashed, or been bombed, including 10 Reaper drones, three F-15s and a KC-135 tanker, Bloomberg reported. Five other KC-135s were reportedly damaged by an Iranian missile strike on an airfield in Saudi Arabia.
Trump Posts Footage of Major US Strikes in Isfahan, Iran - President Trump on Monday night shared footage of a major explosion in Isfahan, Iran, the result of what US officials said was an attack on an ammunition depot that involved dropping massive 2,000-pound bunker buster bombs.The video the president posted last night of Isfahan, an ammo depot struck by US bombers,” US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said at a press briefing on Tuesday morning. pic.twitter.com/dImSHvaSEo — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 31, 2026 Hegseth, Trump, and other top US officials have focused their comments about the war on the number of strikes and the number of targets the US has struck inside Iran while downplaying the fact that Iran continues to launch drone and missile attacks across the region and is controlling the Strait of Hormuz.“Just last night, we had 200 dynamic strikes alone. Dynamic strike is a strike where a pilot leaves, and during their flight, they get a new target set based on real-time intel given to them,” Hegseth said.Trump’s post comes as he is threatening to destroy Iran’s civilian infrastructure if a diplomatic deal isn’t reached and Iranian officials continue to deny that negotiations are taking place. On Monday, Trump added Iran’s desalination plants to the list of infrastructure he would “blow up,” threatening what would be a clear war crime under the Geneva Convention.US-Israeli strikes have continued to pound residential areas and hit other civilian targets. More than 1,500 Iranian civilians have been reported killed in the bombing campaign.
US-Israeli Strikes in Iran Hit Orphanage, Cancer Drug Facility, Religious Site, and More Residential Buildings - US-Israeli strikes continue to pound civilian targets in Iran, hitting an orphanage, a cancer drug facility, a religious site, and more residential buildings in recent days.CNN reported, citing Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency, that a US or Israeli strike on Monday hit a newly built orphan charity complex in the city of Fardis, about 25 miles west of Tehran, killing at least two people and wounding five others.The attack on the orphanage was also recorded by the Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA), a US-based and US-funded NGO that’s very critical of the Iranian government.According to Al Jazeera, the Iranian government said that a US-Israeli strike on Tuesday hit one of Iran’s largest pharmaceutical companies in Tehran that makes anesthetics and cancer drugs. “During the US and Zionist regime attacks on civilian centers, on the morning of Tuesday, one of the largest companies producing anti-cancer, anesthetic, and specialized medicines was damaged, and the drug production line was damaged,” the government said.The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) reported that one of its workers was killed by a US-Israeli strike that hit the Grand Husseiniyah of Zanjan, a gathering hall for Shia Muslims that’s next to a mosque, and shared photos and videos of rescue efforts at the site of the strike and said that at least two people were pulled out of the rubble.The IRCS also posted videos of its rescuers working in the rubble of the site of a US-Israeli strike on a residential building in Tehran. “This morning, following airstrikes by the Zionist regime and America on a residential area in western Tehran, Red Crescent and fire department rescuers managed to save two injured fellow countrymen alive from under the rubble,” the IRCS said.The IRCS said that more than 100,000 “civilian units” have been damaged or destroyed across Iran by the US-Israeli bombing campaign. According to the HRANA’s numbers, at least 1,574 civilians, including 236 children, have been killed in the bombardment since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28.
US Used a New Missile in a Strike in Iran That Hit a Sports Hall and an Elementary School -- The US used a new missile in a strike on the first day of the US-Israeli war against Iran that hit a sports hall and an adjacent elementary school in the Iranian city of Lamerd, killing at least 21 people in the area, The New York Times has reported. The report, which cited weapons experts and analysis of footage of the strikes, said the sports hall, school, and nearby areas were likely hit by a short-range ballistic missile called the Precision Strike Missile, or PrSM (pronounced “prism”), which had not been tested in combat before the February 28 strikes.The PrSM missiles are designed to detonate just above their target and blast small pellets outward, which is consistent with the footage and pictures reviewed by the Times. The missiles completed prototype testing last year, and Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, has said that the PrSM was used for the first time in combat in US strikes on Iran. Drop Site News published a report on the strike on the sports hall on March 1. The report said that dozens of teenage girls were attending regular training sessions in volleyball, basketball, and gymnastics at the time of the strike.“Within seconds of the missile strike, the windows shattered into thousands of fragments. Sports equipment, balls, tables, barriers flew through the air. Black smoke filled the space. The smell of gunpowder made breathing almost impossible. The screaming began immediately, layered with the sound of debris collapsing and concrete falling from the ceiling,” Mohammed Saed Khorshedy, a worker at the sports hall who witnessed the attack, told Drop Site.According to Iranian media, at least 21 civilians were killed by strikes on the sports hall, the school, and nearby residential areas. The sports hall and the school are next to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) compound, but according to an analysis from the BBC, the IRGC base appeared to be undamaged after the strikes.Negin Bagheri, a journalist based in Iran, said that two young girls, Helma Ahmadizadeh, a fourth-grader, and Elham Zaeri, a fifth-grader, were killed in the US attack, which struck as they were practicing volleyball. A boy in sixth grade who was playing soccer outside was also killed, along with his coach.The massacre of civilians in Lamerd was overshadowed by the US Tomahawk missile strikes on an elementary school in Minab, southern Iran, which occurred earlier in the day, killing more than 100 school girls and boys.
‘Despicable’ war crime: Iran slams US attack on crowded sports hall with new ballistic missile - Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman says the United States committed a “despicable” war crime by conducting a strike on a crowded sports stadium using a short-range ballistic missile called the Precision Strike Missile, or PrSM, on the very first day that the US and Israel started an unprovoked war against the Islamic Republic. In a post on his X account on Friday, Emaeil Baghaei said 21 young boys and girls were killed when the American new PrSM missile, which made its combat debut on February 28, struck the sports hall filled with innocent teenagers in the city of Lamerd in the southern province of Fars. “The missile explodes above its target, dispersing thousands of lethal fragments (tungsten pellets) to maximize human casualties. This is a despicable war crime,” he added. In his post, the Iranian spokesperson cited the Syrian poet Ghada al-Samman who once wrote, “They keep talking and never fall silent for even a moment—perhaps this endless chatter comes from their fear of hearing the voice of their own conscience.” Baghaei’s post was a in response to an analysis published by The New York Times on Sunday which said the attack that struck the sports hall in Lamerd was carried out using a weapon bearing the hallmarks of a newly developed US-made ballistic missile on the first day of the war with Iran, which killed at least 21 people. The attack occurred the same day as a US Tomahawk cruise missile struck a school in the city of Minab, several hundred miles away, killing 175 people. In the case of Lamerd, though, it involved a weapon that had been untested in combat. According to NY Times reporters and munitions experts, the weapon features, explosions and damage are consistent with the Precision Strike Missile, or PrSM (pronounced like “prism”), which is designed to detonate just above its target and blast small tungsten pellets outward. The NY Times verified videos of two strikes in Lamerd, as well as aftermath footage from the attacks. Videos that capture one strike in a residential area about 900 feet from the sports hall and school showed the weapon in flight, with a distinctive silhouette that matches the PrSM. The missile erupts in a large fireball midair. Another video, filmed from a security camera directly across from the sports hall, shows the strike on the hall and Minab elementary school. While the video does not capture an incoming missile, it clearly shows an explosion just above the structure. Photos of the aftermath show both sites were pockmarked with holes, apparently from the tungsten pellets.
Rubio: Iran officials’ remarks don’t ‘necessarily reflect’ conversations -Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday signaled progress in talks with Iran, saying Iranian officials are saying the right things in private despite their defiant public stance. “You have people over there that are saying some of the right things privately,” said Rubio, who also serves as acting national security adviser, in an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “Obviously, they’re not going to put it out in press releases, and what they say to you or put out there for the world doesn’t necessarily reflect what they’re saying in our conversations.” Rubio also raised doubt that Iranian officials who have survived U.S. and Israeli strikes and are in talks with the U.S. have full control over the country and its military, echoing concerns from the White House and regional leaders. “We have to see if these people end up being the ones in charge, seeing if they’re the ones that have the power to deliver,” Rubio said while not disclosing with whom the U.S. is negotiating. A regional diplomatic source said last week that Iranian leadership remains fluid, and that Tehran allowing more than a dozen ships through the Strait of Hormuz shows at least someone on the Iranian side holds control in an area that is the most significant part of negotiations. Pakistan announced on Sunday that it would soon host talks between the U.S. and Iran, although its foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, did not indicate if a date has been set for the negotiations. The U.S. had delivered to Iran 15 points for concessions as part of negotiations and the regional source said last week that while Tehran was engaging on the document, it also sent its own five- to six-point proposal. But in public, Iran is projecting defiance. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday criticized the U.S. proposals and said the Islamic Republic is only focused on defense. “Our position is clear. We are under military aggression. Therefore, all our efforts and strength are focused on defending ourselves,” Baghaei said, according to Reuters. President Trump on Sunday said the U.S. is doing “extremely well” in negotiations with Iran, but “you never know with Iran, because we negotiate with them and then we always have to blow them up.”
The war in Iran: Key takeaways from Al Jazeera’s interview with Marco Rubio | US-Israel war on Iran News | Al Jazeera - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that talks with Iran are under way through intermediaries and that Washington will continue its military campaign until Tehran abandons its nuclear and missile programmes. He warned on Monday that the Strait of Hormuz will be kept open “one way or another” and that US war objectives could be achieved “in weeks, not months”. He also said the United States would welcome political change in Iran if the opportunity arose, but said it was not an official objective. Rubio criticised some NATO allies for refusing US access to bases during the war, and said Washington is closely watching developments in Cuba and Venezuela. Much of the communication between Tehran and Washington is indirect and through intermediaries, but Rubio insisted that it is ongoing. He said there are “messages and some direct talks going on between some inside of Iran and the United States, primarily through intermediaries”, adding that the US president “always prefers diplomacy, always prefers an outcome”. His comments come as US President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric on social media, threatening to “obliterate” Iran’s energy infrastructure if a ceasefire is not reached soon, Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett reported from Washington. “Taken together, Rubio’s statements and Trump’s posts suggest the US is pursuing a dual-track approach: keeping diplomatic channels open through intermediaries while simultaneously increasing military and economic pressure on Iran,” she said. Rubio said Iran must abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions and stop producing missiles and drones that can threaten countries across the Gulf region, and insisted “The Iranian regime can never have nuclear weapons.” He said Iran’s missile programme poses a direct threat to countries across the Gulf, and claimed “These short-range missiles that they’re launching, they only have one purpose, and that is to attack Saudi Arabia and the UAE and Qatar and Kuwait and Bahrain.” Rubio said Iran could pursue civilian nuclear energy, but not in a way that would allow it to quickly develop a nuclear weapon. “What they cannot have is a system that allows them to quickly weaponise it,” he said. “They have to abandon all these weapon programmes and all their nuclear ambitions.” However, Hassan Ahmadian, an assistant professor at the University of Tehran, questioned the narrative that Iran poses an offensive threat in the region. “When was the last time Iran attacked its neighbours over three centuries?” Ahmadian asked, arguing that Iran’s military strategy is shaped by deterrence in an asymmetric conflict. “Why is it doing this now? Because it’s the underdog in an asymmetric war that it wants to shield itself by expanding.” Ahmadian added that Iran has been a central focus of US policy for years. “With the break of two wars in less than a year, we have experienced, Iran has been on the table in different US administrations – all options are on the table,” he said. Rubio said the US would not accept Iran claiming sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and warned that the waterway would remain open regardless of Iran’s actions. “Not only is the sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz not acceptable to us, it won’t be acceptable to the world.” “It sets an incredible precedent … nations can now take over international waterways and claim them as their own.” “The Strait of Hormuz will be open … It will be open one way or another,” he said, adding that otherwise, Iran would “face real consequences” from the US and other countries. Iranian analysts suggested the closure of the strait is a temporary wartime measure and could be reversed once the conflict ends. “It’s opened partially,” Ahmadian said, adding “I think there is no Iranian interest to not open it beyond the war.” “It’s an asymmetric way of putting pressure on Americans, just as they are bombing Iran, and so after the war there would be no need,” Ahmadian explained. “There will be an arrangement, according to the Iranians, with the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries to reopen it and see how things are managed.” Rubio said the US military campaign is progressing quickly and outlined the military objectives Washington is trying to achieve. “Those objectives are the destruction of their air force, which has been achieved, the destruction of their navy, which has largely been achieved.” “A significant reduction in the number of missile launchers… and we are going to destroy the factories that make those missiles and those drones.” “We are well on our way or ahead of schedule.” “We will achieve them in weeks, not months.” “That’s a matter of weeks. I’m not going to tell you exactly how many weeks, but a matter of weeks, not months.” ‘We have to destroy Iran’s ability to launch missiles’, Rubio tells Al Jazeera Rubio says status of Iran’s new supreme leader is uncertain Asked by Al Jazeera about his thoughts on Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, Rubio said his status remains unclear. “We don’t even know he’s in power. I know they say he’s in power. No one has seen him. No one has heard from him,” Rubio said. “It’s very opaque right now. It’s not quite clear how decisions are being made inside of Iran.” Iran’s leadership change is not an objective of the military operation The US secretary of state suggested the US would welcome political change in Iran, though he said it was not the official objective of the military operation. “We would always welcome a scenario in which Iran was led by people that had a different view of the future,” Rubio said. “If that opportunity presents itself, we’re going to take it.” He said the Iranian people “deserve better leadership” and indicated Washington would not oppose a change in government if it occurred. “Do we think the people of Iran deserve better leadership than what they’ve gotten from the clerical regime? One hundred percent,” Rubio said. “Would we be heartbroken if there was a change in leadership? Absolutely not.” He also suggested the US would be willing to play a role if political change became possible. “If there’s something we could do to facilitate that, would we be interested in participating? Of course.” However, analysts said Washington’s position on regime change appears to have shifted over time. “Originally bringing down the government was the goal; there has been a constant drawdown from that,” Paul Musgrave, a professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar, told Al Jazeera. “And now we have President Donald Trump on Truth Social saying he is negotiating with elements of what could become a new regime, so there is a lot of confusion here, but it is no longer the number one goal. It’s not something they are laying out,” he noted. Rubio said some NATO countries denied the US use of airspace and bases during the conflict and suggested Washington may need to reassess the alliance after the war.“We have countries like Spain, a NATO member that we are pledged to defend, denying us the use of their airspace and bragging about it, denying us the use of their bases.”“And so you ask yourself, well, what is in it for the United States?”“If NATO is just about us defending Europe from attack, but them denying us basing rights when we need them, that’s not a very good arrangement.”
Iran Says 'Prepared To End War' If Security Guarantees Offered, But Still No Direct Negotiations - Just 'Messages' - Iran's Foreign Minister Aragchi has clarified some things to AI Jazeera regarding diplomatic engagement with the US on potentially ending the war. The main takeaway is his explanation that what is happening now does not constitute negotiations in Tehran's view, but an exchange of messages directly or through our friends in the region (namely Pakistan).He said that all communication concerning diplomacy and the war is routed through the Foreign Ministry and overseen by the National Security Council. They have neither responded to reported US proposals nor submitted their own, stressing that no decision on talks has been made. Instead of a ceasefire, Iran is calling for a full regional end to the war, along with guarantees against future attacks and compensation for damages.Aragchi emphasize that Iran is acting defensively, not initiating conflict, and is targeting only US assets - not regional allies per se. The Strait of Hormuz remains open to friendly shipping but could be restricted for adversaries, he continued. While warning they are prepared for escalation, Iran also acknowledges tensions with neighboring countries may rise, though they believe trust can eventually be restored. A big developing headline has sent oil plunging... Iranian President Pezeshkian says Iran seeks no war but is prepared to end it with guarantees against further attacks, per state PressTV:
• The US-Israeli military aggression against Iran is an unprecedented crime and a flagrant violation of international law.
• Iran engaged in good-faith talks with the US, only to be illegally attacked mid-negotiation—proving the US rejects diplomacy.
• Neighboring countries hosting US bases failed to prevent their territories from being used to attack Iran.
• The solution is an end to aggression; Iran seeks no war but is prepared to end it with guarantees against further attacks.
• Europe should drop its destructive approach and engage with Iran professionally and in line with international law.
Iran’s daily oil revenue doubles amid US-Israeli aggression: Report -- Iran has reportedly doubled its daily oil revenue since late February, leveraging the ongoing US-Israeli pressure aggression into a strategic financial advantage. According to a recent analysis by The Economist, as the aggression enters its fifth week, the geopolitical landscape has shifted dramatically in the energy sector. The effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz—a chokepoint through which approximately 15% of the world’s oil supply typically flows—has led to a collapse in revenues for Persian Gulf monarchies while simultaneously swelling Tehran’s coffers. Data cited by The Economist indicates that Iran is currently exporting between 2.4 and 2.8 million barrels per day (bpd), comprising 1.5 to 1.8 million bpd of crude oil and the remainder of condensates. With global supplies tightening due to the instability, oil prices have surged, and Iran has capitalized on the shift. Analysts note that Tehran’s oil machine has demonstrated significant resilience, adapting to ongoing hostilities and sanctions to maintain operations. China remains the primary destination, absorbing over 90% of Iran’s exports. Small, independent “teapot” refineries are reportedly purchasing Iranian crude at prices nearing Brent crude benchmarks. In a notable shift from previous years when Iranian oil traded at steep discounts due to sanctions, the commodity is now being sold at premium rates. Economists suggest this dynamic has provided Tehran with unprecedented financial strength during a period of intense military and economic pressure from the United States and Israel.
Trump warns US could 'take the oil in Iran' as Mideast war escalates - U.S. President Donald Trump said he could “take the oil in Iran” and seize Iran’s export hub of Kharg Island, as hostilities in the Middle East continue for a fifth week. Trump told the Financial Times on Sunday that his “preference would be to take the oil,” comparing it with the U.S. military operation in Venezuela earlier this year where the U.S. effectively gained control of the Latin American country’s oil industry, following the capture of its leader Nicolás Maduro. The Trump administration has weighed sending ground forces to Kharg Island, according to Reuters, with one of its sources warning that such an operation would be “very risky.” Tehran has the ability to reach the island with missiles and drones. In the FT interview, Trump said that “my favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran but some stupid people back in the U.S. say: ‘why are you doing that?’ But they’re stupid people.” “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” Trump said. “It would also mean we had to be there [in Kharg Island] for a while.” The White House and the U.S. State Department didn’t immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment. The president then added to the commentary Monday morning, warning that the U.S. would “completely” obliterate Iran’s electric generating plants, oil wells and Kharg Island if the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz is not “immediately” reopened and a peace deal is not reached “shortly.” Iran has not yet commented on Trump’s latest remarks. The conflict between the U.S.-Israel and Iran has expanded across the region, raising risks to energy and infrastructure, and sending crude oil prices surging. On Monday morning, Spain announced it had closed its airspace to U.S. planes involved in attacks against Iran, doubling down on its anti-war stanceand marking the latest clash with the Trump administration. “We don’t authorize either the use of military bases or the use of airspace for actions related to the war in Iran,” Spain’s defense minister, Margarita Robles, told reporters in Madrid. May futures for Brent crude rose over 3.2% to $116.12 per barrel during early Asia hours, with the international benchmark heading for a record monthly jump. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures gained 3.4% to $102.96 per barrel. The Washington Post reported Saturday night that the Pentagon was preparing for weeks of potential ground conflict in Iran with around 3,500 troops arriving in the region on Friday. Thousands of soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division have also been ordered to support the war effort. Trump said last week that Iranian negotiators were “begging” the U.S. to make a deal to end the war, though Iran has denied any direct interaction with the U.S. Trump in his interview to the FT said that indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran via Pakistani “emissaries” were progressing well.
Middle East crisis live: Trump says no reason for US to secure strait of Homuz and war will end in ‘two or three weeks’ | US-Israel war on Iran --Donald Trump has reiterated that securing the Strait of Hormuz is “not for us”, as he took further questions from journalists. Trump said the US “will not have anything to do with” what happens in the strait, instead telling reporters that the responsibility for keeping the vital waterway open will rest with countries that rely on it. The president said there’s “no reason for us to do this.” That’s not for us. That’ll be for France. That’ll be for whoever’s using the strait.” Earlier today the president lashed out at US allies for not doing more to support American efforts in the Iran war. Asked by a reporter how he was going to bring oil prices back down, Trump answered: All I have to do is leave Iran – and we’ll be doing that very soon. Then prices will “come tumbling down”, he said. After his usual claims about “regime change” and how much of Iran’s capabilities the US has “knocked out”, Trump said the US could exit within “two or three weeks”. Now we’re finishing the job. I think in two weeks or maybe a few days longer, we’ll do the job. We want to knock out everything they’ve got. Donald Trump has told NBC News that he believes the war on Iran is “coming to an end”. “We’re doing great,” he told the outlet in a phone interview earlier. “And it’s coming to an end.” He repeated his usual claims about how the US has “decimated” Iran’s military, adding: The people we’re dealing with [in Iran] are much more reasonable and not as radicalised. We will not have an Iran with nuclear weapons … I have to go, I have a war to prosecute. Trump has repeatedly claimed he has “won” the war. At a press briefing yesterday, his press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the US president still stood by his timeline of four to six weeks, adding: “We’re on day 30, so you do the math.” The Trump administration has also repeatedly claimed to be speaking with new Iranian leadership (and been consistently dismissive of the new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei). As we reported earlier, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, meanwhile, maintains that no direct talks have taken place, with all messages exchanged with Washington going through his ministry and intermediaries in the region.
Iran's Foreign Minister Again Denies That Negotiations With the US Are Taking Place - - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday said that the US and Iran have exchanged indirect messages through mediators, but that there have been no formal negotiations, adding that Tehran does “not have any faith” that diplomacy with the US would lead to results. The Iranian diplomat said that messages had been “received” from US envoy Steve Witkoff, but gave no indication that Tehran had replied to his outreach. “I receive messages from Witkoff directly, as before, and this does not mean that we are in negotiations,” he said. “There is no truth to the claim of negotiations with any party in Iran. All messages are conveyed through the Foreign Ministry or received by it, and there are communications between security agencies.” Araghchi added that Iran had never had a “good experience” negotiating with the US, citing the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal three years after it was signed. Iran was also bombed twice over the past year while engaged in negotiations with the US. “We do not have any faith that negotiations with the US will yield any results. The trust level is at zero. We don’t see honesty,” Araghchi said.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also said on Tuesday that the US was not serious about negotiations. He told the European Council President Antonio Costa that the fact that Iran was attacked during talks “proves that this country has no belief in diplomacy and is merely seeking to dictate its own ambitions.”Pezeshkian said that Iran was willing to end the war only if it received guarantees that it wouldn’t be attacked again. “We have never sought tension or war at any stage, and we have the necessary resolve to end this war if the required conditions are met, especially the necessary guarantees to prevent a recurrence of aggression,” he said.
"Finish This Thing, Finish It Right": JPM CEO Jamie Dimon Weighs In On Iran War -JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon appeared on Fox & Friends on Tuesday, covering everything from artificial intelligence to the economy to the continuing exodus from radical-left blue states. More notably, he offered his views on the U.S.-Iran war, which this week entered its fifth week and has remained at the center of the news cycle.Dimon was first asked about the energy shock from the US-Iran conflict and whether surging fuel prices would impact the American economy."Look the markets are unpredictable and it's hard to for me to tell you exactly what," Dimon said of a potential impact."But I think they're just looking at, is there a chance something can go wrong now? We should all hope nothing goes wrong. We should all hope that … we win this thing and clean up the straits and that Iran is no longer a threat to everybody. The markets will be concerned until it's over."Dimon added, "It's much more important that this be successfully completed than what the market does."He noted, "Yes, I hear people say they were not an imminent threat. But these people have been engaged in violent acts for 47 years, killing people, killing Americans, and funding Hamas. Several Americans were killed on October 7. They have fought proxy wars and threatened people. A ballistic missile can travel 3,000 miles. These are bad people who needed to be stopped. I do not know what the military and the president know, but we have to finish this thing and finish it right."
Trump Asked Military to Develop Risky Plans for Ground Operation to Seize Iran’s Enriched Uranium - President Donald Trump ordered the Department of War to prepare for a potential ground operation to seize Iran’s stockpile of 60% enriched uranium. According to two sources speaking with The Washington Post, the Pentagon developed a plan to land troops in Iran, build a runway, and leave the country with Tehran’s 1000 pounds of highly enriched uranium. The President requested the Department of War draft the battle plans, and he was briefed on them in the past week. In recent weeks, Trump has ordered additional troops to the Middle East that could be used to conduct ground operations in Iran. Axios reported last week that the Pentagon developed several options for Trump to choose from that are intended to deliver a “final blow” to Iran. The operations include seizing Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, or attempting to capture Iran’s 60% enriched uranium. Seizing the nuclear material will be a difficult operation. The exact location of the uranium is unclear. It is believed that it moved to the Isfahan nuclear facility after the US and Israel attacked Iran in June. It calls for deploying hundreds of thousands of troops to Iran, which could be on the ground for weeks under fire. The uranium is believed to be under caved-in tunnels, meaning US forces would have to clear debris under fire to reach the target. The soldiers would then need to construct a runway to fly the nuclear material out of Iran. Before the US and Israel’s attack on Iran that started the war, Tehran offered to dilute its stockpile of enriched uranium to a level where it could be used as nuclear fuel. Trump rejected the Iranian officer and started an aggressive war.
US attacks Iranian nuclear site, Tehran hits oil tanker off Dubai -- A likely strike by the United States hit the central Iranian city of Isfahan early Tuesday, sending a massive fireball into the sky, and Tehran struck a fully loaded Kuwaiti oil tanker in the Persian Gulf. The attacks were testament to the intensity of the month-long war the US and Israel launched against Iran, which has maintained its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, closing off the vital waterway for global energy shipments, sending oil prices skyrocketing and roiling world markets. US President Donald Trump, who has been insisting there is progress in diplomatic talks toward a ceasefire, shared video of the attack on Isfahan, with fiery explosions lighting up the night sky. Isfahan is home to one of three sites earlier attacked by the US military in June and some of Iran’s highly enriched uranium is likely stored or buried or there. Meanwhile, Israel said another four soldiers had been killed in its invasion of Lebanon, as were two more United Nations peacekeepers, prompting the UN Security Council to schedule an emergency session for later Tuesday. Spot prices of Brent crude, the international standard, hovered around $107 a barrel in early trading, up more than 45% since the war started February 28 when the US and Israel attacked Iran. Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway leading our of Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s oil is transported during peacetime, has driven up global oil prices, as have its attacks on Gulf regional energy infrastructure. In response to growing Gulf Arab anger, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted Tuesday that Tehran is only targeting US forces. Several states have been encouraging Washington to continue the war until Iran's military capabilities are destroyed. “Our operations are aimed at enemy aggressors who have no respect for Arabs or Iranians, nor can provide any security," Araghchi wrote on X. "High time to eject U.S. forces.” Despite these words, attacks on civilian targets continued as an Iranian drone hit a Kuwaiti oil tanker in Dubai waters, sparking a blaze that was later put out, the Dubai Media Office said. Four people in Dubai were also wounded when debris from an intercepted drone fell into a residential area. Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain, while Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry said it had intercepted three ballistic missiles launched toward Riyadh, and falling debris from a drone intercepted southeast of the capital caused minor damage to six homes. Sirens were also heard in Jerusalem and loud explosions were heard not long after Israel's military warned of an incoming missile barrage from Iran. Israel and the US launched a new wave of strikes on Iran, hitting Tehran in the early morning hours. The video shared by Trump appeared to show a massive attack on Isfahan, where NASA fire-tracking satellites suggest the explosions happened near Mount Soffeh, an area believed to have military positions. Iran has not yet confirmed the attack. A satellite image taken just before the 12-day in June between Iran and Israel suggests Tehran transferred a truckload of highly enriched uranium to its nuclear facility at Isfahan. The image from an Airbus Defense and Space Pléiades Neo satellite shows a truck loaded with 18 blue containers going into a tunnel at the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center about two weeks before the US bombed the site. Analysts determined that the truck likely carried most or all of Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60% purity. That’s a short, technical step to weapons-grade levels of 90%. Trump has said this week that “great progress is being made” in talks with Iran to end military operations. But he said if a deal is not reached “shortly,” and if the Strait of Hormuz is not immediately reopened, the US would broaden its offensive by “completely obliterating” power plants, oil wells, Kharg Island and possibly even desalination plants. The US has also sent a contingent of 2500 Marines to the region, and another is on its way, while ordering 1000 paratroopers to the theatre as well. Trump has openly talked about the possibility of trying to seize Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export hub, and Iran has accused the US of using diplomacy to stall until more troops could be brought in. The US already has targeted military positions on Kharg. Iran has threatened to launch its own ground invasion of Gulf Arab countries and to mine the Persian Gulf if US troops set foot on its territory.
US Deploying Another Aircraft Carrier to the Middle East for Iran War - The US is deploying a third aircraft carrier to the Middle East for operations against Iran, US officials told media outlets on Tuesday, a sign that the war will continue to escalate despite President Trump’s claims that he is looking to end the conflict. The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush and other warships that are part of its strike group departed Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on Tuesday and are expected to arrive in the Middle East in a few weeks. The US Navy said the strike group’s departure is part of a regularly scheduled deployment. According to The Wall Street Journal, once the Bush arrives in the region, the US could have three carriers deployed for the Iran war for the foreseeable future, though Al Arabiya reported that the warship could replace one of the two carriers that have been involved in the conflict: the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been operating in the Arabian Sea, or the USS Gerald Ford, which is currently in Croatia after being in Crete for reparis.The Ford, which was operating in the Eastern Mediterranean near Israel, went to port after a major fire on the ship destroyed the beds of 100 crewmembers. The US military has insisted that the blaze was caused by a fire in the ship’s laundry room, though there are suspicions that an attack or sabotage was the real cause. The Ford has also been on an extended deployment and is set to break the record for the longest deployment since the Vietnam War.In addition to sending a third aircraft carrier to the Middle East, the US has deployed thousands of Marines and US Army Airborne troops to the region as the Pentagon prepares for potential ground operations. Trump is insisting the war could be over in a few weeks, but escalating to a ground war would likely lead to a much longer conflict.
Trump says he's considering pulling U.S. out of 'paper tiger' NATO - U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly considering pulling the U.S. out of NATO, in the latest threat to America’s allies after their reluctance to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In an interview with The Telegraph newspaper, the president described the 77-year-old defensive alliance as a “paper tiger” and, when asked if he would reconsider the U.S.′ membership of the bloc after the Iran conflict ends, Trump told the paper: “Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration.” “I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way,” he said, in comments published Wednesday. Trump has been angered by European allies’ refusal to send warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil and gas maritime passage controlled by Iran, and at their refusal to let the U.S. use military bases to launch attacks against the Islamic Republic. European leaders see any attempts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as highly dangerous, as Iran continues to attack tankers in the strait that aren’t deemed to be from “friendly” nations. Officials are also of the view that Trump’s war on Iran is one of choice, and one they were not consulted on before it began in late February. There is also a reluctance to get involved in what could become another “forever war” in the Middle East, like those in Iraq or Afghanistan. Trump has made clear he sees this reluctance as NATO’s betrayal of the U.S. after it has helped Ukraine in its four-year conflict with Russia. Opponents of that view argue that NATO is predicated on an idea of collective defense, rather than offense. The President told the Telegraph that he had expected allies to acquiesce to the U.S.′ request for assistance in Iran. “Beyond not being there, it was actually hard to believe. And I didn’t do a big sale. I just said, ‘Hey’, you know, I didn’t insist too much. I just think it should be automatic,” he said, in comments published Wednesday, adding: “We’ve been there automatically, including Ukraine. Ukraine wasn’t our problem. It was a test, and we were there for them, and we would always have been there for them. They weren’t there for us.” Trump’s comments come after he warned the U.K. and France on Tuesday that the U.S. “won’t be there to help you anymore.”
Trump Says He ‘Strongly’ Considering Withdrawing From NATO - --President Donald Trump said that NATO is a “paper tiger” and he was considering pulling the US out of the Cold War-era alliance. This week, multiple NATO states declared that the US could not use their airspace for attacks on Iran. “I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way,” the President said in an interview with The Telegraph on Wednesday. He added that he was seriously considering leaving NATO. NATO was created after WWII to prevent the USSR from further expanding into Europe. After the fall of the USSR, NATO expanded eastward into several former members of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. After the bloc attempted to add Ukraine as a member, Russia invaded and demanded that Kiev agree to neutrality. The bloc has used Ukraine as a proxy force to weaken Russia. While Trump has floated the idea of exiting NATO throughout his political career, he has been irked by the bloc’s response to the war against Iran. Several NATO countries have refused to assist the US and Israel in the conflict, and others have barred US warplanes from their airspace. “Beyond not being there, it was actually hard to believe. And I didn’t do a big sale. I just said, ‘Hey’, you know, I didn’t insist too much. I just think it should be automatic.” The President continued in his remarks to The Telegraph. “We’ve been there automatically, including Ukraine. Ukraine wasn’t our problem. It was a test, and we were there for them, and we would always have been there for them. They weren’t there for us.”On Monday, the Spanish Defense Minister blasted the US and Israeli war against Iran as “profoundly” illegal and unjust, adding that American warplanes conducting operations in the Middle East would be barred from Spanish airspace. “We don’t authorize either the use of military bases or the use of airspace for actions related to the war in Iran,” Defense Minister Margarita Robles explained. In his interview with the British outlet, Trump singled out the UK for criticism. “[The UK] doesn’t even have a navy. You’re too old and had aircraft carriers that didn’t work,” he said, “I’m not going to tell [UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer] what to do. He can do whatever he wants. It doesn’t matter. All Starmer wants is costly windmills that are driving your energy prices through the roof.”
Poland Rejects 'Unofficial' US Request To Redeploy Patriot Batteries To Mideast - Poland has rejected an "unofficial" US request to deploy one of its Patriot air defense systems to West Asia, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced on Tuesday, following reports by Polish daily Rzeczpospolita that Washington had informally approached Warsaw amid rising regional tensions. "Our Patriot batteries and their armaments are used to protect Polish airspace and NATO's eastern flank. Nothing is changing in this regard and we are not planning to move them anywhere!" Kosiniak-Kamysz stated. Still frame via the Ministry of Defense of Poland He added, "Our allies are well aware of and understand how important our tasks are here. Poland's security is an absolute priority." Rzeczpospolita reported that the US approach was informal and did not involve a formal request, adding that Washington sought to temporarily borrow one of Poland's two Patriot batteries as part of efforts to defend US-linked assets across West Asia from Iranian strikes. Polish officials have repeatedly argued that such a move would significantly weaken national defenses, effectively slashing their air defense capabilities in half. "Polish patriots defend the Polish sky," officials have previously said, underscoring longstanding resistance to redeployment. A senior NATO defense official, speaking anonymously, said Poland was not singled out. "This was a question that was sent to all allies," they said, adding there was "no special pressure on Poland." The US is reportedly seeking additional air defense systems both for Ukraine and West Asia as Iran’s missile attacks on US-like positions leave their defenses stretched thin. Patriot systems are already deployed across Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, and other areas, while the US and its allies have expended large numbers of interceptors during the conflict. One report noted that over 1,200 Patriot missiles were used in just over two weeks of fighting. Even Poland’s opposition has pushed back, with former defense minister Mariusz Błaszczak stating that Warsaw "should not grant approval for such matters," reflecting a rare political consensus.
Trump Threatens to Cut Arms Sales to Ukraine If NATO Does Not Aid War Against Iran - - President Donald Trump has threatened to cut off arms sales to Ukraine if NATO members do not join his coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. While Trump halted military aid to Ukraine, he has continued to sell weapons to NATO members, who transfer the arms to Kiev. According to sources speaking with The Financial Times, Washington was unhappy with members of NATO after President Donald Trump called on European states to join his “coalition of the willing” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and no states signed on. Tehran closed the Strait to most shipping after the US and Israel conducted a surprise attack on Iran. The White House responded by threatening to halt weapon sales to Ukraine. After President Trump halted military aid to Ukraine, NATO established the PURL fund to buy American weapons for Ukraine. Ukraine has relied on Western military aid for its war with Russia. As a result of Washington’s threats, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte persuaded several European leaders to sign a letter stating their intent to assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. However, the statement was symbolic as none of the signatories agreed to provide military assistance for the operation. “It was Rutte who insisted on the joint statement because Trump had threatened to withdraw from Purl and from Ukraine in general,” an official told The Financial Times. “The statement was then quickly put together, and other countries joined in afterwards because there was not enough time to invite everyone to sign up straight away.”In a call with European leaders, Rutte described Trump’s temperament as “rather hysterical.” It appears the letter was enough to appease Trump in the short-term, as Washington has not announced the end of arms sales to PURL.
Trump May Pull Out Of 'Paper Tiger' NATO After Starmer Stiffs Strait Support In a blistering exclusive interview with The Telegraph, President Trump has declared he is "strongly considering" pulling the United States out of NATO, branding the 77-year-old alliance a "paper tiger" after European allies - including the UK under Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer - refused to join America’s military campaign against Iran or help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump told the newspaper the decision was now “beyond reconsideration,” adding: “I was never swayed by Nato. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way.” He singled out Britain, mocking its naval capabilities and Starmer’s green-energy focus: “You don’t even have a navy. You’re too old and had aircraft carriers that didn’t work… All Starmer wants is costly windmills that are driving your energy prices through the roof.” The row erupted after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz - through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil flows - in response to US-Israeli strikes launched on February 28. Allies have been reluctant to deploy warships, prompting Trump to accuse NATO of operating a “one-way street.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed the president on Fox News, warning that America would have to “re-examine” its NATO membership once the Iran conflict ends. “If Nato is just about us defending Europe if they’re attacked, but them denying us basing rights when we need them, that’s not a very good arrangement,” Rubio said. Trump later told The Telegraph he was “glad” Rubio had spoken out. Starmer Fires Back: “This Is Not Our War” Starmer moved quickly to reaffirm Britain’s commitment to NATO while drawing a firm line on the Iran conflict. “This is not our war, and we’re not going to get dragged into it,” he told The Telegraph, describing the alliance as “the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen.” He signalled a pivot toward closer European cooperation “whatever the noise” from Washington.
Trump Tells Other Countries Reliant on the Strait of Hormuz To Go and 'Take It' - - President Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday that other countries that are reliant on energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz should get involved militarily and “take it” from Iran, as the Iranian military continues to control the strategic waterway.“All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the US, we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT,” the president wrote on Truth Social.“You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the USA. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil! President DJT,” he added.Secretary of War Pete Hegseth backed up President Trump’s comments during a press briefing at the Pentagon, suggesting other countries should “stand up” to help open the strait.“I think the president was clear this morning in his truth that there are countries around the world who ought to be prepared to step up on this critical waterway as well. It’s not just the United States Navy. Last time I checked, there was supposed to be a big, bad Royal Navy that could be prepared to do things like that as well,” Hegseth said.“So he’s pointing out this is an international waterway that we use less than most. In fact, dramatically less than most. So, the world ought to pay attention and be prepared to stand up,” the US war chief added.The comments from Trump and Hegseth came after The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump told his aides he’s willing to end the war, even if it means leaving the Strait of Hormuz closed, though there’s still no sign that real diplomacy between Washington and Tehran is underway.In the meantime, US-Israeli strikes continue to pound Iran, and Iranian missile and drone attacks continue across the region. The US is also deploying more troops to the region amid reports that the Pentagon is preparing for potential ground operations, which Hegseth made clear is a possibility. “Our adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots on the ground. And guess what? There are. So if we needed to, we could execute those options on behalf of the president of the United States and this department,” Hegseth told reporters.
Trumps Iran statements and policies completely incoherent Ian Bremmer - Ian Bremmer of Eurasia Group sees a high likelihood of U.S. ground operations in Iran. He also discusses Iran’s goals, and what it would take for them to halt disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump Says ‘New’ Iranian President Requested Ceasefire, Tehran Denies Claim - -President Donald Trump said that the “new” President of Iran had accepted a ceasefire with the US. Tehran quickly denied Trump’s statement. “Iran’s New Regime President, much less Radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors, has just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE!” the President posted on his Trump Social account on Wednesday. “We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!”The post is confusing as Iran does not have a new president, and Tehran says there are no ongoing talks with the US. Masoud Pezeshkian has served as President of Iran since his election in 2024. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said Trump’s claim that Tehran agreed to a ceasefire is false. Additionally, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement explaining that Iran would continue to use its leverage over the Strait of Hormuz and was seeking new domains to expand the war. Throughout the month-long conflict, Trump and other top US officials have repeatedly claimed that Tehran was attempting to broker an end to the conflict. Iranian officials have rebuked those statements and said that Tehran is uninterested in a truce or negotiations with Washington. While the White House and Pentagon have told the American people that Iran’s military capabilities have been significantly degraded, Iranian forces continue to fire missiles and drones at US bases, Israel, and other US allies in the region. According to data compiled by Anadolu, Iran has fired missiles and drones at a consistent rate since the war was started by a US and Israeli surprise attack on February 28. On Wednesday, Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst said that Tel Aviv was experiencing a constant bombardment from Iranian missiles.
Senior Iranian Official Involved in Attempt at Peace Talks Severely Wounded by US-Israeli Strike - Kamal Kharazi, an 81-year-old advisor to the Iranian government and former Iranian foreign minister, was severely wounded by a US-Israeli strike on his home on Wednesday that killed his wife, Iranian media has reported. Kharazi, chairman of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, was seen as a potential negotiator and, according to Iranian officials speaking to Iran’s Mehr News Agency, he was overseeing engagement with Pakistan for a possible meeting between Iranian officials and Vice President JD Vance.The Iranian officials said they saw the attack on Kharazi’s home as an attempt to derail diplomacy. It’s unclear if the US or Israel launched the strike.While Israel is suspected of being behind the attack since it has an interest in keeping the US in the war, the Trump administration has engaged in deception campaigns when it comes to diplomacy with Iran, and could just be lying about its desire for a deal.President Trump has continued to insist that negotiations have been underway, but Iranian officials continue to deny that talks are taking place, and there’s no evidence of genuine diplomacy. Trump continues to threaten to escalate attacks on Iran and bomb more civilian infrastructure if a deal isn’t reached.
‘Ultimate Surrender’: Iran Vows War until US, Israel Face 'Full Humiliation, Disgrace' - Palestine Chronicle - Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, declared that the war will continue until what he described as the “full humiliation, disgrace, and ultimate surrender” of the United States and Israel. “With the help of God, this war will continue until your humiliation and disgrace,” Zolfaghari said, directly addressing Washington and Tel Aviv. He rejected assessments that US-Israeli strikes have significantly weakened Iran’s military capabilities, stating: “Your understanding of our military capabilities and equipment is incomplete.” Zolfaghari warned against assumptions that Iran’s strategic infrastructure had been destroyed: “Do not assume that you have destroyed our strategic missile production centers, long-range precision strike drones, advanced air defense systems, electronic warfare capabilities, or specialized equipment.” He added that such beliefs reflect “illusions” that would only deepen the crisis facing US and Israeli forces. According to the statement, the sites targeted by US and Israeli attacks were of limited value, while Iran’s core capabilities remain intact and concealed. “Strategic military production is taking place in locations that the enemy does not know about and will not be able to reach,” he said. Zolfaghari also warned that Iran’s arsenal remains far larger than adversaries assume. “We will spare you the effort of attempting to count our missiles, drones, and strategic assets, because you will inevitably be mistaken,” he said. Zolfaghari concluded with a direct threat of escalation: “Expect even more forceful, broader, and more devastating actions from us.” Phased Escalation Strategy Zolfaghari’s remarks align with broader signals from Iranian officials indicating a phased escalation strategy. A political-security source told the Lebanese news network Al Mayadeen that Iran plans to gradually increase the scale of its missile operations, alongside expanded actions by allied forces across the region. According to the source, the strategy focuses on dismantling enemy radar and air defense systems to systematically erode military capabilities, while leveraging battlefield data gathered during the ongoing war. The source added that Iran’s missile arsenal is expected to “surprise adversaries,” particularly as operations intensify.
33 days on, US war goals unmet as Iranian retaliation imposes heavy military, economic costs - After 33 days of the war imposed on the Islamic Republic of Iran, as US President Donald Trump searches for an off-ramp, the writing is on the wall: the aggressor failed to achieve any of its war objectives, despite deploying an overwhelming force. The war of aggression, launched amid indirect nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington under Omani mediation on February 28, was initially aimed at “regime change” in Iran. The first wave specifically targeted the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and some top-ranking military commanders. Unlike the 12-day war in June last year – which also came in the middle of nuclear diplomacy – when all overt and covert attempts to assassinate the Leader failed, this time “regime change” proponents in Washington and Tel Aviv presumed the foundations of the Islamic Republic had been shaken, and its collapse was imminent. Immediately after launching the so-called ‘Operation Epic Fury,’ Trump expressed hope that the Iranian people would overthrow their government once the US-Israeli strikes ended. “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take,” he said, addressing Iranians, while not ruling out American boots on the ground. According to one observer who spoke to Press TV, the plan was to reenact the Venezuela scenario in Iran, albeit with far greater military force than was deployed in Caracas. Last week, after nearly all US military bases and assets in the region were decimated in Iranian retaliatory strikes, Trump claimed that the “regime change” had already occurred in Iran, referring to the election of Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Leader. Many social media users mocked the claim, saying the US-Israeli war machine failed to even change the revolutionary slogans, let alone bring about the “regime change.” In his first message to the Iranian nation on March 13, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei vowed revenge for Iranian martyrs, reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to resisting aggressors, and highlighted the strategic importance of maintaining leverage over the Strait of Hormuz. Observers note that the election of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and his public statements underscore the fact that the Islamic Republic is built on enduring institutional structures rooted in the country’s constitution, not dependent on individuals, and that its strategic doctrine remains intact amid wartime pressures. “Regimes fall, democratic republics with functional governments don’t,” one social media user wrote, referring to the robust Iranian democracy, which has been on full display in the past month with millions on the streets, rejecting Trump’s “help.” The issue of Iran’s nuclear program has also dominated the war discourse. Before the war, Trump repeatedly framed Iran’s nuclear program as a central threat and threatened military action to dismantle Iranian nuclear infrastructure – over eight months after he had claimed the program was “obliterated.” In his State of the Union address on February 24, the US president – rebuffing his own intelligence agency – accused Iran of restarting its nuclear program and claimed it was pursuing capabilities capable of threatening Europe and even the United States. However, more than a month on, like the “regime change” project, Trump’s threat to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program has also proven hollow, primarily because, as Iranian officials have repeatedly asserted, the indigenous nuclear program – peaceful in nature – cannot be obliterated by bombing a few facilities in violation of international law.
From ‘Fortress America’ to Fragile Empire: Iran’s asymmetric warfare tests US global hegemony - With the press of a button, nearly two hundred Iranian families were plunged into unimaginable and immeasurable grief, mourning the tragic loss of their children. The soldier who activated that mechanism did so knowing his own family slept peacefully on the other side of the world, likely to wake hours later to send their children to school. What force has instilled in the American soldier such unwavering certainty – the belief that he can strike anywhere on earth without fear of consequence or reprisal? Beyond its technological superiority, market-driven economy, ability to attract global scientific talent, and dominance of international media, the United States possesses a fundamental advantage no other country can replicate. This advantage is described in various terms – “splendid isolation,” “free security,” “Fortress America,” and even “hemispheric hegemony.” At its core lies a simple geographic reality: the United States is physically removed from other major powers, shielded by two vast oceans. This natural buffer, combined with its accumulated strengths, has propelled the country to its current global dominance. It is this separation, this capacity to meet most of its needs within its own borders, that fosters a deep sense of security, even impunity, among American military personnel. Yet the American soldier, who in practice serves the military-industrial complex, does not commit horrific atrocities solely because he believes the consequences of war will never reach his own home. He also requires justification, an intellectual and moral framework that allows him to take thousands of lives in moments, unburdened by ethical, cultural, religious, or human considerations. This role is largely shaped by the media. Within this complex system, the media carries a profound responsibility. Drawing on an array of fields such as linguistics, psychology, marketing, and sociology, it employs subtle methods to dehumanize those portrayed as outsiders or adversaries. Through often imperceptible means, it constructs a worldview in which violence and mass casualties in West Asia appear routine, while far smaller incidents elsewhere are framed as extraordinary and the gravest of crimes against humanity. Immersed in a constant stream of news, films, and television, the American soldier is repeatedly exposed to narratives that his race and his values are inherently superior, that ethical and humanitarian norms need not apply elsewhere, and that others are intrinsically inferior and thus deserve more humane treatment. So powerful is the media’s capacity for dehumanization that it can shape not only how others are perceived, but how non-Western societies come to see themselves. It fosters the belief that their worth is inherently less than that of their Western counterparts, and that recognition as fully human depends on validation from the West. Hollywood productions, widely consumed across non-Western audiences, often embed subtle cues within their narratives that reinforce this sense of inferiority. The influence of these media systems has reached such heights that they can recast a brutal dictator as a benevolent figure, while portraying a champion of resistance as a global villain. They can normalize the bombing of civilians, including schoolchildren, by presenting such violence as routine in West Asia, diminishing its moral weight and numbing global outrage and conveying the message that the killing of brown‑skinned individuals inflicts no meaningful wound upon the world. Drawing on these structural advantages and the dominance they sustain, the United States can shape international behavior – building coalitions, exerting pressure, and issuing threats to align countries with its strategic objectives. Major global institutions such as the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund rarely make consequential decisions without Washington’s approval. While these bodies may appear democratic and representative of modern progress, in practice, they often function as instruments advancing the priorities of American power. In addition, mechanisms such as FATF and SWIFT serve as tools of economic leverage that the American Empire uses against countries in the Global South. Access to these systems is typically granted under two conditions: either a country is powerful enough that excluding it would risk the creation of a rival system, or it is weak enough to accept imposed terms without resistance. Countries that fall between these extremes often face mounting pressure and isolation, gradually constrained until compliance becomes unavoidable. This unparalleled power has allowed the United States to deny noncompliant nations access to the benefits of global institutions. Over time, such exclusion exerts sustained economic pressure, often enough to bring countries to their knees. Iran, however, has endured through various means, continuing along its chosen path despite these constraints that come in different shapes and forms. While it does not share America’s structural advantages, it possesses a critical asset of its own: its strategic position along both historic and modern arteries of global trade. Its southern coastline borders the Strait of Hormuz, a passage through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s energy supply flows. The United States has effectively closed multiple “straits” to Iran and others – the financial channel of SWIFT, access to the World Trade Organization, and pathways constrained by secondary sanctions. Yet the strait Iran now influences has placed unprecedented pressure on the foundations of American power. Many analysts note that even if tensions around the Strait of Hormuz were resolved today, the economic and geopolitical repercussions would continue to reverberate globally for months. Iran has long adapted to restrictions through costly and complex alternatives, but there is broad recognition that a prolonged disruption of this vital waterway could significantly destabilize the current global order.
US-Israeli Strikes in Tehran Damage Orthodox Church -- US-Israeli strikes in Tehran on Wednesday damaged a Russian Orthodox Church, the Russian Embassy in Iran has said, as the bombing campaign continues to have a devastating impact on civilians. “Two missile strikes on the morning of April 1st in the immediate vicinity of St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in Tehran caused damage to the main building and outbuildings (windows and doors were blown out),” the Russian Embassy said in a statement that included photos of the damage.The strike was also recorded by the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a US-based, US-funded NGO that’s very critical of the Iranian government.According to The Associated Press, the missile strike appeared to have targeted the nearby former US embassy compound in Tehran, from where the CIA coordinated the 1953 coup in Iran and where the hostage crisis started in 1979 following the Islamic Revolution that ousted the US-backed Shah. Part of the former embassy has been turned into a museum highlighting the US role in the coup, called the Den of Espionage Museum.The Russian Embassy said that a Russian nursing home was also damaged, though there were no casualties in either building. “The adjacent Russian Nursing Home, where elderly residents still live, also sustained significant damage (including a collapsed roof). Thankfully, there were no casualties,” the embassy said.“We note that St. Nicholas Cathedral was damaged during Lent and on the eve of Easter, one of the main religious holidays. Due to the military adventures of the United States and Israel, the Orthodox community in Iran is deprived of the opportunity to visit the cathedral,” the embassy added.
Oil Spikes As Trump Vows To Hit Iran "Extremely Hard Over Next 2-3 Weeks", Threatens To Send It "Back To The Stone Ages" (3 hour video, Trump speech at 1:53:30) After 48 hours of messaging triumphalism about US achievements, escalatory warnings tied to the Strait and energy targets, frustration with allies, and signals of de-escalation with a shortened timeline for reduced US involvement... President Trump addressed the nation tonight about the war in Iran. Summary:
- Trump declares 'core strategic objectives met', threatens 2-3 more weeks of bombing, no mention of ceasefire
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has released an open letter to the American people, questioning whether Washington is truly putting “America First” or merely acting as a “proxy for Israel” willing to fight “to the last American soldier.”
- Air defenses have been activated in Dubai, taking out 5 ballistic missiles and 35 drones launched from Iran
- Iran's new Ayatollah tweets "I emphatically declare that the consistent policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, following on the path of Imam Khomeini and the martyred Leader, is to continue supporting the Resistance against the Zionist-US enemy."
- "Not true": Iran rejects Trump claim that the "new regime president" asked for ceasefire (which has been Pezeshkian since 2024)
- UAE mulls becoming first Gulf country to directly joint US-Israeli war against Iran, lobbies for firm UNSC security resolution.
- Trump to Reuters: will be "out of Iran pretty quickly" and could return for "spot hits" if needed. Also says he's open to exiting 'paper tiger' NATO after Iran war is over, angry over lack of help in Hormuz crisis.
- Oil tanker leased to QatarEnergy was struck by an Iranian cruise missile in Qatari waters Wednesday.
- IRGC has newly vowed to keep attacking with "full intensity and power" - suggesting this is far from over, as ceasefire talks remain theater lacking in much substance. Ayatollah praises Hezbollah in written statement.
Oil had been selling off heading into Trump's address, with traders looking for clearer signals on whether Washington will end the war in the coming weeks, but started to rally strongly as Trump began speaking as traders did not hear the 'mission accomplished' they were hoping for, erasing all of yesterday's ceasefire chatter... Not what many were expecting... " In a triumph of hope against experience, some oil traders had been looking for clarity from Trump’s speech. He has provided no direction, repeating past comments and mixing bravado and threats with the prospect of an imminent end. That has pushed Brent and WTI higher," said Bloomberg's Clara Ferreira Marques.. For crude traders, producers and users, the main takeaway from Trump’s remarks is that the global oil-supply crunch triggered by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz is probably set to persist through April. Each day the waterway’s been shuttered has translated into the loss of about 11 million barrels, according to an earlier Bloomberg tally.
Fact check: Trump’s speech on war against Iran and familiar claims that don’t hold up - US President Donald Trump’s speech on Thursday had built anticipation that a major announcement would be made regarding the war against Iran. Many expected him either to signal an end to the costly military campaign or to announce a significant escalation. Instead, the remarks – and the claims – were largely familiar, echoing what he has repeatedly told friendly media outlets and posted on social media. In the 20-minute address, he largely regurgitated the same talking points that fueled this unprovoked and unjustified war in the first place. Here, we examine – and debunk – some of the key claims made in the speech.
- Trump said US military has nearly completed its goals in the Iran war This claim does not withstand scrutiny. As the US president searches for an off-ramp after more than a month of a costly military campaign, the reality is increasingly clear: the aggressor has failed to achieve its stated objectives despite deploying overwhelming force. According to observers, the war’s primary goals – widely described as unprovoked and unnecessary – have all fallen short. These include “regime change,” curbing Iran’s missile capabilities, dismantling its nuclear program, and, more recently, reopening the strategic waterway of the Strait of Hormuz. The Islamic Republic remains intact and operational. A new Leader has assumed office and continues to steer the system, while assassinated military commanders have been replaced, as also seen during the 12-day war, with successors actively directing operations. Iran’s missile capabilities also remain intact, evidenced by sustained, high-intensity operations against American and Israeli targets across the region. Key infrastructure, including underground missile bases, remains largely unaffected, while Iranian forces continue to impose costs on their adversaries. Iran’s nuclear program – peaceful in nature – has likewise endured.. Finally, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to US and allied vessels. Efforts to reopen it have thus far failed, with even Washington signaling a shift in its priorities.
- Trump said the US is "systemically dismantling the regime's ability to threaten America or project power outside of their borders." Iran has never posed a threat to the US or any of the regional countries. In fact, unlike the US, Iran has never initiated a war in its history. The Islamic Republic has always acted in self-defense, which is its legitimate right under international law. In the True Promise 1 and 2, Iranian armed forces struck the occupied territories in self-defense after the Israeli regime attacked Iranian commanders and assets in the region. In the True Promise 3, it was the Israeli regime, followed by the US, that initiated an unprovoked and illegal aggression against the Islamic Republic, leading to the assassination of a number of Iranian commanders, nuclear scientists, and ordinary citizens. This time, again, it was the Israeli-American war machine that attacked the Islamic Republic and assassinated the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, along with some top-ranking military commanders and political leaders. As Iran had previously warned, it retaliated powerfully against Israeli military and strategic facilities and US military bases scattered across the region.
- Trump said US objectives are largely achieved, claiming Iran's military, missile, and nuclear capabilities have been "decimated." This claim is a rehash of what the US president has repeatedly stated in his social media posts over the past four weeks, with facts on the ground scoffing at his assertions. Iranian military capabilities, including its missile launches, are very much in place, which is demonstrated by the fact that it continues to launch barrages of missiles and drones at Israeli and American targets across the region every single day and night. Already, 90 waves of missile and drone strikes have been conducted under Operation True Promise 4, decimating Israeli-American military infrastructure in the region. It has been acknowledged by military observers worldwide that the Iranian missile arsenal is by far the most expansive in the world, featuring a number of underground missile cities. Iran's indigenous nuclear program is also intact, despite multiple fresh strikes against some nuclear facilities in the past few weeks. As Iranian officials have emphasized, it cannot be eliminated with a few strikes on physical sites or the assassination of nuclear scientists..
- Trump said Iran's navy and air force are gone and missiles are depleted The Iranian Navy is still there, despite the cowardly American attack on one of its frigates in international waters that led to the martyrdom of over 100 sailors. The Iranian Navy is still there, despite the assassination of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) commander Brigadier General Alireza Tangsiri and other commanders with him. The Iranian Navy is very much alive and stronger than ever, which was demonstrated by the operations it carried out in the past few days, especially on Wednesday, involving the launch of more than 100 heavy missiles, attack drones, and 200 rockets across a vast operational radius spanning tens of thousands of kilometers throughout West Asia, from north to south of the occupied territories, targeting American and Zionist positions. These strikes targeted locations in "Eilat," "Tel Aviv," and "Bnei Brak," focusing on military sites and gatherings of Israeli forces. A hideout of US occupation forces in Bahrain, housing 80 personnel, was also struck with a precision missile. Two early warning air radar systems operated by US forces in the region, stationed on a maritime structure in the waters and islands of the UAE, were destroyed with high precision. An oil tanker belonging to the Israeli regime, operating under the trade name "Aqua 1," was also precisely targeted and is currently burning in the central Persian Gulf region. A secret and covert assembly point of US forces outside the perimeter of the enemy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain was struck with multiple attack drones and ballistic missiles. According to field reports, a large number of senior naval officers were transferred to hospitals in the city of Manama following the attack. The "Chinook" helicopter preparation center and its equipment storage hangars at Al-Udeid base were struck using a combination of ballistic missiles and drones. Several formations of attack drones were also launched at the "Abraham Lincoln" carrier strike group in the northern Indian Ocean, which, according to documentation and satellite imagery, has fled its previous position and retreated deeper into the Indian Ocean. Similarly, the Iranian Air Force is very much there, which is demonstrated by its daily missile and drone strikes at targets across the occupied territories and the wider region.
- Trump said "regime change" has already occurred in Iran This is a claim he has repeated in his interviews and social media posts as well, and it has already been debunked by many, including Western journalists and political pundits. The war of aggression, launched amid indirect nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington under Omani mediation on February 28, was initially aimed at "regime change" in Iran. The first wave specifically targeted the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and some top-ranking military commanders. Unlike the 12-day war in June last year – which also came in the middle of nuclear diplomacy – when all overt and covert attempts to assassinate the Leader failed, this time "regime change" proponents in Washington and Tel Aviv presumed the foundations of the Islamic Republic had been shaken and that its collapse was imminent. Immediately after launching the so-called 'Operation Epic Fury,' Trump expressed hope that the Iranian people would overthrow their government once the US-Israeli strikes ended. "When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take," he said, addressing Iranians, while not ruling out American boots on the ground. According to one observer who spoke to Press TV, the plan was to reenact the Venezuela scenario in Iran, albeit with far greater military force than was deployed in Caracas. Last week, after nearly all US military bases and assets in the region were decimated in Iranian retaliatory strikes, Trump claimed that "regime change" had already occurred in Iran, referring to the election of Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Leader. Many social media users mocked the claim, saying the US-Israeli war machine failed to even change the revolutionary slogans, let alone bring about "regime change." The Islamic Republic is not individual-centric but system-centric. Regimes fall, and democratic republics only become stronger.
- Trump said Iran was 'right at the doorstep' of making a nuclear weapon Before the war, Trump repeatedly framed Iran's nuclear program as a central threat and threatened military action to dismantle Iranian nuclear infrastructure – over eight months after he had claimed the program was "obliterated." In his State of the Union address on February 24, the US president – rebuffing his own intelligence agency – accused Iran of restarting its nuclear program and claimed it was pursuing capabilities capable of threatening Europe and even the United States. The fact is that Iran has repeatedly asserted that it is not pursuing nuclear weapons and that its nuclear program is purely for peaceful purposes, rooted in the fatwa (religious decree) issued by the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei. It was Trump who unilaterally walked out of the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018 and reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran was forced to ramp up its uranium enrichment, but it remains nowhere close to weapons-grade. Unlike the Israeli regime, which is not a signatory to the NPT, Iran has signed the treaty and has allowed regular inspections of its nuclear sites. And so far, the UN agency has found nothing that would give the impression that Iran's nuclear program is not peaceful in nature. Even IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, who is closely aligned with the Zionist regime, has acknowledged that Iran is nowhere close to making a nuclear bomb.
- Trump said his first preference was always the path of diplomacy The latest war of aggression was launched in the middle of indirect nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington under Omani mediation on February 28. The war in June last year was also launched by the Israeli regime, with American permission, in the middle of talks. Both times, Iran's good faith was betrayed by the Trump administration, resorting to foolhardy military adventurism in the middle of nuclear diplomacy. In the recent talks in Muscat and Oman, Iranian mediators went out of their way to reassure that the Iranian nuclear program had no diversions and was completely peaceful. They maintained that Iran was not looking to build a nuclear weapon. In fact, both sides and the Omani mediators had acknowledged progress in the talks. It was Trump who pulled the US from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, under which Iran had agreed to restrict its nuclear enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief. So, it is clear who is in favor of diplomacy to resolve the issues. It is not the US, nor the Trump administration. It has always been the Islamic Republic of Iran. The wars have been imposed on the Islamic Republic since the Trump administration was hijacked by Zionist interests. This is even admitted by Western commentators. 'Israel First' has effectively replaced 'America First.'
- Trump said the US imports 'almost no oil' through the Strait of Hormuz According to the US Energy Information Administration, as cited by some US media outlets as well, the US imported 0.5 million barrels per day of crude oil and condensate through the Strait of Hormuz in 2024. That accounted for 7 percent of US crude oil and condensate imports and 2 percent of petroleum liquids consumption. So, contrary to Trump's claim, the US does receive oil through the Strait of Hormuz, which has now been halted in the wake of the unprovoked and illegal war against Iran. The effective shutdown of the strait has disrupted global supply and triggered a sharp surge in oil prices, with Brent crude climbing toward record levels. Analysts warn prices could reach $200 per barrel if the war of aggression persists and the US refuses Iranian demands. The rise in crude prices has quickly filtered into the US gasoline market. Average prices have climbed above $4 per gallon, while diesel has approached $5–$6 per gallon in many states – levels not seen in years. This surge is fueling growing discontent across the United States. Beyond crude, the closure of the strait to US and allied vessels has also disrupted LNG, fertilizer, and other key commodities. Logistics costs and insurance premiums have surged, intensifying inflationary pressures in the US, particularly through higher transportation, food, and industrial costs. American consumers are increasingly feeling the strain, both at the pump and in their household budgets, as rising energy prices ripple through everyday expenses, according to US media reports. Democrats in the US, and some Republicans too, have sharply criticized Trump and his administration over the spike in energy prices. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) posted on X a screenshot of a New York Times article, stating that the "White House failed to prepare for rising oil prices from his reckless war."
- Trump said Iran's ballistic missiles could have reached the US soon This is another claim that fails the fact-check test. The range of Iranian missiles is limited to 2,000 kilometers, and that hasn't changed up to this moment. The recent claim about an Iranian attack on Diego Garcia island, roughly 5,000 km away, was denied by Iran. So, to this day, Iran has not developed an ICBM that could hit targets across continents, because Iran has no intention of doing so. Iranian missiles are meant for self-defense and primarily to deter the Israeli regime. As witnessed, Iranian armed forces have targeted Israeli and American assets in the region during this war, not the mainland US. That proves Trump's claim is unsubstantiated. As observers note, Trump's claim is rooted in remarks by Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu, who previously claimed that Iran was developing missiles that could reach American cities. It was meant to instill fear in Americans and push the US government into direct confrontation with the Islamic Republic.
- Trump said the war is "a true investment" for American children and future generations This claim is debunked by Americans themselves. They are firmly opposed to the war against Iran and similar military adventures across the world that do not serve US interests. Trump's approval rating has dropped to 36 percent amid this war, the lowest since his return to the White House, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday. Another poll by Fox News placed Trump's disapproval rating at 59 percent, the highest recorded across both of his terms, amid mounting dissatisfaction over the war against Iran. The survey, published on Wednesday, found that nearly 60 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump's performance – the highest level since his initial election in 2016. A striking 59 percent of respondents said they disapprove of Trump's performance as president, while 47 percent indicated that they "strongly disapprove." This weekend, more than seven million Americans took to the streets across the US in 'No Kings' demonstrations against Trump's disastrous domestic and foreign policies, particularly the unprovoked and illegal war against the Islamic Republic of Iran. More than 3,200 marches were held across all 50 states, with organizers describing it as the "single largest non-violent day of action" in American history – against Trump.
Iraq resistance strikes US occupation bases in six operations over past 24 hours -- The Islamic Resistance of Iraq has announced that its fighters carried out six precise operations against American occupation bases across Iraq in the past 24 hours, dealing another series of blows to the illegal US military presence in the country. In a statement issued on Thursday by the Saraya Awliya al-Dam resistance group, a key component of the Islamic Resistance of Iraq, the operations were confirmed as part of the ongoing campaign to force the withdrawal of occupation forces. The resistance group did not disclose details regarding casualties among the US troops, consistent with its operational protocol. News sources reported multiple powerful explosions in the city of Erbil in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, which were attributed to successive drone strikes targeting American positions. Local reports confirmed that several kamikaze drones were launched at US targets in Erbil, successfully hitting their objectives in the latest round of resistance actions. At the same time, an Iraqi official at Baghdad International Airport told Al Jazeera in an interview that a drone attack had struck a US military support base near the airport. The official provided no further details and made no mention of possible casualties. The area around Baghdad Airport has come under repeated drone attacks on an almost daily basis in recent days and weeks, reflecting the growing intensity of the Iraqi resistance’s operations against the US occupation forces that remain in the country despite repeated demands from Iraqi authorities and popular movements for their complete expulsion. The Islamic Resistance of Iraq has repeatedly stated that its operations will continue until all foreign occupation troops leave Iraqi soil, in line with the broader Axis of Resistance’s commitment to confronting US aggression in the region. Back on March 25, Saraya Awliya al-Dam claimed responsibility for a targeted operation against positions of Kurdish separatist movements and Israeli Mossad operatives in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. The group said in a statement that the attack relied on precise intelligence gathered by its members. According to the statement, a number of Mossad officers purportedly sustained severe injuries in the accurate and targeted strikes.
US Strikes Tallest Bridge in Iran After Trump Threatens To Bomb the Country Into the 'Stone Age' - A US-Israeli strike hit the B1 bridge in Iran’s Alborz province near the capital Tehran, an attack that came after President Trump threatened to bomb the country into the “Stone Ages.” The B1 bridge is said to be one of the tallest in the Middle East, and photos show it appeared to be severed in half following the attack. In a post on Truth Social, President Trump shared a video of the explosion on the bridge and threatened that more attacks were coming.“The biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again — Much more to follow!” the president wrote on Truth Social. “IT IS TIME FOR IRAN TO MAKE A DEAL BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, AND THERE IS NOTHING LEFT OF WHAT STILL COULD BECOME A GREAT COUNTRY!”According to Iranian media, the bridge was under construction when it was hit, and at least eight civilians were killed, and 95 were wounded. The casualties were people gathered under the bridge or near the river for Sizdah Be-dar, or Nature Day, an Iranian holiday when people gather for picnics and other outdoor activities.“Striking civilian structures, including unfinished bridges, will not compel Iranians to surrender,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X. “It only conveys the defeat and moral collapse of an enemy in disarray. Every bridge and building will be built back stronger. What will never recover: damage to America’s standing,” Araghchi added.
Iran threatens Nvidia, Apple and other tech giants with attack - Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has threatened attacks on a swath of U.S. tech companies with operations in the Middle East, including Nvidia , Apple , Microsoft and Google . The IRGC warned on Tuesday that 18 tech companies would be considered as “legitimate targets” in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Attacks on those companies would begin from 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, Tehran time (12:30 p.m. EDT), the IRGC said in a post on Telegram translated by Google, warning employees at those companies to leave workplaces immediately to protect their lives. “From now on, for every assassination, an American company will be destroyed,” they said in an IRGC-affiliated Telegram channel. The list of companies also featured Cisco , HP , Intel , Oracle , IBM , Dell , Palantir , JP Morgan, Tesla , GE, Spire Solutions, Boeing and UAE-based AI company G42. It follows Iranian strikes on AWS data centers in the Middle East earlier this month, which caused outages in a number of apps and digital services in the United Arab Emirates. U.S. tech firms have been funnelling resources into the Middle East in recent years, specifically around the AI infrastructure buildout, with the region offering cheap energy and access to land. “The safety and wellbeing of our team is our number one priority,” an Intel spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC. “We are taking steps to safeguard and support our workers and facilities in the Middle East and are actively monitoring the situation.” All the companies listed in the Telegram post have been approached for comment. Microsoft, Google and JP Morgan declined to comment.
Debris from aerial interception strikes Oracle building in Dubai, UAE says -- The office of U.S. tech giant Oracle in Dubai was damaged by falling debris, the city’s media office said on Sunday, as Iran continued to fire projectiles at targets around the Middle East in retaliation against U.S. and Israeli strikes. “Authorities confirm that they responded to a minor incident caused by debris from an aerial interception that fell on the facade of the Oracle building in Dubai Internet City,” the Dubai Media Office said in a post on X. No one was injured in the incident, the media office said. Oracle didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment emailed by CNBC. A CNBC journalist in Dubai reported hearing multiple interceptions overnight. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has threatened attacks on a swath of U.S. tech companies with operations in the Middle East, including Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft and Google. The Guard warned on Tuesday that 18 tech companies would be considered as “legitimate targets” in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. “From now on, for every assassination, an American company will be destroyed,” they said in an Guard-affiliated Telegram channel. The list of companies also included Cisco, HP, Intel, IBM, Dell, Palantir, JPMorgan, Tesla, GE, Spire Solutions, Boeing and UAE-based artificial intelligence company G42. James Henderson, CEO of risk management firm Healix, said the rise in threats against tech companies is not a flash in the pan, but is a sustained pattern. “Tech assets are now treated as part of the conflict, not peripheral to it,” Henderson told CNBC. “It also signals that future crises may target data centers and cloud platforms as much as traditional strategic sites,” he added. Iran struck Amazon Web Services data centers in the Middle East in early March, causing outages in a number of apps and digital services in the United Arab Emirates.
US fighter jet shot down over Iran, one crew member rescued so far, sources say - One of two crew members of a U.S. fighter jet that was shot down over Iran was located and rescued by U.S. special forces, and the search for the second is ongoing, an Israeli official and a second source with knowledge of the situation told Axios. Iran is also hunting for the crew and has asked civilians in the area to join the search, offering a reward if they're found. Israel is helping the U.S. with intelligence in order to locate the other crew member, the Israeli official said. The two crew members of the F-15 fighter jet ejected safely after being struck by Iranian fire, the sources said. U.S. special forces located one of the crew members and rescued him, alive, on Iranian territory. An Israeli official said Israel cancelled planned strikes in Iran so as not to hamper the search and rescue efforts. Iranian media was first to report that a jet had been shot down. State TV told Iranians that anyone who located the U.S. troops would be rewarded by the government. This is the first time since the beginning of the war that a U.S. jet was downed by enemy fire. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios "the President has been briefed." F-15E Strike Eagles fly with two crew, a pilot and a weapons-systems officer. The Boeing-made aircraft conduct air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. Three F-15Es were previously shot down by friendly fire during the war. There have been 13 Americans killed during the campaign. Iran's successful downing of the U.S. jet comes despite repeated claims from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials that the U.S. had achieved dominance of the Iranian skies. President Trump said during his prime time address on Wednesday said there was "not a thing" Iran could do to stop potential strikes on oil infrastructure. "They have no anti-aircraft equipment. Their radar is 100% annihilated. We are unstoppable as a military force," he said.
Second U.S. aircraft crashes in Gulf, pilot rescued- report -- A second U.S. Air Force combat aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf region on Friday, with its sole pilot later rescued, the New York Times reported, citing two U.S. officials. Earlier today, a U.S. official confirmed to Reuters that an American F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran, marking the first instance in the current conflict in which Iran has downed a piloted aircraft. One of the two crew members has been rescued, while the status of the second remains unknown as search and rescue operations continue. A search-and-rescue operation for the crew of a U.S. F-15E shot down over Iran is focused on Khuzestan province along the Persian Gulf near the Iraqi border, a region that forms the core of Iran’s onshore oil production and feeds crude flows via pipelines to Kharg Island. The F-15E is a multi-role variant of the F-15, originally designed as an air-to-air fighter, with added air-to-ground capabilities. The aircraft is operated by a two-person crew, consisting of a pilot and a weapons systems officer seated in the rear cockpit. Iranian state media published photos and videos allegedly showing parts of the downed aircraft and one of the ejection seats, with images suggesting the aircraft is an F-15E Strike Eagle. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps initially claimed an F-35 was shot down by a new air defense system, though debris from the crash site appears to belong to an F-15E Strike Eagle, not an F-35. The incident comes just one day after U.S. Central Command denied Iranian claims that an "enemy" fighter jet had been downed, stating "All U.S. fighter aircraft are accounted for." The shootdown follows President Trump’s April 1 address in which he vowed to hit Iran "extremely hard over the next two to three weeks" and bring them "back to the Stone Ages where they belong." The statement came amid conflicting reports about ceasefire negotiations, with Trump claiming Iran’s president requested a ceasefire while Iran’s foreign ministry called the assertion "false and baseless." The U.S.-Israeli joint military operation against Iran began approximately five weeks ago. Thousands have been killed and tens of thousands injured since the conflict started, with medical needs rising exponentially according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
2 US helicopters hit during recovery efforts in Iran - Two U.S. military helicopters were hit by Iranian fire on Friday while engaging in a search-and-rescue mission for the crew of a downed fighter jet. A U.S. Air Force UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and a second search-and-rescue helicopter were struck but were able to escape, a source familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to share operational matters, told The Hill. The aircraft were involved in recovery efforts for crew members ejected from an F-15E Strike Eagle that was shot down by Iranian forces, the first instance of an American plane being downed inside the country since the conflict began in late February. One of the two crew members has been rescued by U.S. forces, according to a U.S. official. There is an ongoing search for the other service member. A congressional aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Hill that the Pentagon briefed the House Armed Services Committee on Friday that the status of the second service member is not known.
BREAKING: Iran Claims Downing of 5 US Fighter Jets and Helicopters in One Day - Palestine Chronicle -Iranian forces on Friday reported targeting a US A-10 attack aircraft in southern waters near the Strait of Hormuz, as multiple incidents involving American aircraft unfolded across the region. The New York Times reported that a second US Air Force aircraft had crashed in the Gulf, with US officials confirming that one of the two pilots had been rescued while search efforts continue for the other. According to the report, the A-10 Warthog went down near the Strait of Hormuz around the same time that another US aircraft was shot down over Iran. Iranian authorities said their air defenses had destroyed a US fighter jet over central Iran, describing it as a complete loss. Iranian sources indicated that the aircraft was brought down during ongoing hostilities, with search operations still underway at the crash site. Reports cited by Al Mayadeen in earlier coverage noted uncertainty over the aircraft type involved in the downing over Iran, with Iranian sources describing it as an F-35, while other accounts pointed to an F-15. The US has not clarified the exact type. Following the downing, the US military launched a search-and-rescue mission involving Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 Hercules aircraft, according to Tasnim News Agency. The operation failed. Tasnim reported that US forces were unable to recover the pilots after Iranian air defenses engaged the rescue units, forcing them to withdraw. CBS News also reported that one of the rescue helicopters was struck, resulting in injuries among its crew. Iranian sources said the rescue effort was ultimately thwarted, leaving at least one pilot unaccounted for inside Iranian territory. The escalation comes as Iran launched the 93rd wave of Operation True Promise 4, targeting Israeli military positions and US-linked assets across multiple fronts. Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said the strikes focused on troop assembly areas and military-industrial sites in western Tel Aviv, Haifa, Kafr Kanna and the Krayot, describing them as “precise strikes.” The statement also said Iranian forces targeted US positions in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, as part of a broader response to attacks on Iranian territory. In parallel, Iranian officials claimed the destruction of American radar systems and naval equipment in the Gulf region using ballistic missiles and drones.
Bolton: Trump likely in ‘panic mode’ after Iran attacks US fighter jets - Former national security adviser John Bolton on Friday said the recent attacks by Iran on two U.S. fighter jets has likely placed President Trump in “panic mode.” The Iranian military downed an F-15E Strike Eagle over the Islamic Republic’s airspace on Friday — marking the first known instance of Tehran shooting down a U.S. jet since the beginning of the conflict. Iran later declared that its air defenses also hit an A-10 Warthog attack plane. Bolton told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that the lack of an on-camera response from the president shows the attack “absolutely degrades White House credibility, and that’s a self-inflicted wound by the White House, not the Iranians.”“No, it sounds to me like he’s probably back in a panic mode, wishing he could find a way to declare victory and get out of this war, regardless of whether or not he opens the Strait of Hormuz before he does it,” he continued. “I think that’s a mistake, too.”The former White House aide added later that if the lead-up to the conflict was “upsetting” Trump, then that is “a problem for him, and therefore it’s a problem for the country. But it was easily avoided and should have been avoided.”
Iran Rejects US Terms as Talks Collapse, Trump Claims Losses Won’t Affect Talks - Palestine Chronicle--Efforts to broker a ceasefire between the United States and Iran have reached a dead end, according to mediators cited by the Wall Street Journal, as Tehran formally rejected Washington’s terms and declined to attend proposed talks in Islamabad. The report said Iran informed mediators that US demands were “unacceptable,” effectively halting the current diplomatic track led by Pakistan. Despite the breakdown, regional actors, including Turkiye and Egypt, are continuing efforts to revive negotiations. Mediators are reportedly exploring alternative venues such as Doha and Istanbul, alongside new proposals aimed at overcoming the impasse. Earlier in the process, Iran had outlined strict conditions for ending the war, including US reparations, withdrawal from regional bases, and guarantees against future attacks, according to the Wall Street Journal. US President Donald Trump said ongoing military developments, including the downing of US aircraft and rescue operations inside Iran, would not affect negotiations. “No, not at all. No, it’s war. We’re in war,” Trump said in a brief phone interview, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. He declined to provide details about the search-and-rescue efforts underway following the downing of a US jet over Iran, describing the situation as “intense and sensitive,” while expressing frustration with media coverage. Trump’s remarks came amid reports that US forces are still attempting to recover personnel following recent aerial incidents. Trump claimed earlier this week that Iran had requested a ceasefire. However, Iranian officials denied this, with sources telling the Wall Street Journal that it was instead Trump who had indicated openness to a ceasefire—on the condition that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In response to Trump’s broader threats, including statements that the United States could strike Iran “very hard” and return it to the “Stone Age,” Iran’s mission to the United Nations dismissed the rhetoric as reflecting “ignorance, not strength.”
World leaders bypass Trump to tackle Strait of Hormuz crisis -- Countries heavily reliant on the energy exports from the Strait of Hormuz are troubleshooting plans to reopen the critical maritime trade route amid the chaos and uncertainty around the U.S.-Israel war against Iran. The United Kingdom convened 41 countries on Thursday to discuss plans to reopen the Strait, pinning the blame on Iran for holding the global economy “hostage” by hijacking the international shipping route. While not publicly addressed at the meeting, allies are deeply frustrated with Trump, who launched the operation in Iran on Feb. 28 without a plan to keep the Strait open, and without consulting the countries he is now telling to take charge of resolving the crisis. French President Emmanuel Macron has taken a hard line against the U.S. war against Iran, rejecting Trump’s pleas to European nations to join offensive operations to open the Strait. “They cannot then complain about not being supported in an operation they decided on their own. It is not our operation,” Macron told reporters on Thursday, on the sidelines of his visit to South Korea. Macron was responding to a question about Trump’s announcement on April 1 that he was preparing for major strikes against Iran. The U.S. president on Thursday said the U.S. has Iran’s bridges and electricity plants on a target list. At the United Nations, Bahrain has authored a United Nations Security Council Resolution to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait, but is facing opposition from veto-wielding China, Reuters reported. The resolution is expected to go to a vote next week. Trump has lashed out against European nations who have rebuffed his requests for assistance, ranging from the petty — taking personal jabs at Macron’s marriage — to the existential, threatening to withdraw the U.S. from NATO.
Trump warns Iran '48 hours before all Hell will reign down' -The U.S. military continued to search for a missing American airman after an F-15E fighter jet was shot down over southwestern Iran on Friday. One crew member has been rescued, but the second remains unaccounted for, with both U.S. and Iranian forces searching. Iran and the U.S. confirmed Tehran downed the two-seat F-15E jet, while separately two U.S. officials said the pilot ejected from a U.S. A-10 Warthog fighter aircraft that crashed in Kuwait after being hit by Iranian fire. Two Black Hawk helicopters engaged in the search for the missing crew member in Iran were hit by Iranian fire but made it out of Iranian airspace, two U.S. officials told Reuters. The possibility that the airman could be captured has raised concerns in Washington about potential leverage for Tehran. The incident marks the first time Iranian forces have successfully downed a U.S. combat aircraft since the war began. President Donald Trump said Saturday in a Truth Social post: “Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out - 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them.” On March 26, Trump said he would extend a pause in attacking Iran’s energy facilities by 10 days to April 6 at the request of the government of the Islamic Republic. In a televised address from the White House on Wednesday, Trump told Americans that he expects the Iran war to last another two to three weeks, but said the conflict was close to an end. “We are going to finish the job, and we’re going to finish it very fast,” he said. Iran’s foreign minister, in principle, left the door open for peace talks with the U.S. amid talks about mediation from Pakistan, but he gave no sign of Tehran’s willingness to bow to Trump’s demands. “We are deeply grateful to Pakistan for its efforts and have never refused to go to Islamabad. What we care about are the terms of a conclusive and lasting END to the illegal war that is imposed on us,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on X. Pakistan told the Associated Press on Saturday that efforts to broker a ceasefire are “right on track.” Iran continued launching waves of missiles and drones across the region, with the United Arab Emirates saying it intercepted dozens of incoming threats in the past 24 hours. The office of U.S. tech giant Oracle in Dubai was damaged by falling debris, the city’s media office said, as Iran continued to fire projectiles across the Middle East in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli strikes. “Authorities confirm that they responded to a minor incident caused by debris from an aerial interception that fell on the facade of the Oracle building in Dubai Internet City,” the Dubai Media Office said in a post on X. No one was injured in the incident, the media office said. Oracle didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment emailed by CNBC. A CNBC journalist in Dubai reported hearing multiple interceptions overnight. The U.S. military reportedly is assigning the majority of its stealth Joint Air-to-Surface Missile-Extended Range, or JASSM-ER, cruise missiles to the war in Iran, according to a Bloomberg News report. The move will leave just 425 of the powerful missiles in reserve elsewhere, according to Bloomberg. The decision to reassign the $1.5 million weapons from stockpiles in the Pacific came at the end of March, Bloomberg reported, citing a person with direct knowledge of the matter. The Trump administration has revoked the green cards or U.S. visas of at least four Iranian nationals connected to the current or former Iranian government, including two who have been detained by immigration authorities and are to be deported. The action were taken after Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined they were no longer eligible for either lawful permanent resident status, or to enter the United States, the Associated Press reported. In a statement on Saturday, the State Department said the niece and grand-niece of former Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike near the Baghdad airport in 2020, had been arrested late Friday by immigration agents after Rubio revoked their green cards. “Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter are now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” the statement said, adding that Afshar’s husband has also been banned from entering the United States. Afshar and her daughter had been living a “lavish lifestyle” in Los Angeles for many years while publicly supporting the Iranian government and anti-American attacks, according to the statement. She is “an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime who celebrated attacks on Americans and referred to our country as the “Great Satan,” Rubio said in a post on X. “The Trump administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes.”
‘You Are Not Our Enemy’ – Iran’s President Sends Message to Americans – FULL TEXT - Palestine Chronicle - In a rare move amid the escalating war, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued a direct message to the American people, bypassing governments and addressing public opinion at a critical moment. Rather than focusing solely on immediate developments, Pezeshkian situates the current crisis within a broader historical and political framework, tracing tensions back to the 1953 US-backed coup and framing recent events as part of a longer pattern of intervention and pressure. At the core of the message is a central argument: that Iran has not pursued aggression, and that the perception of Iran as a threat has been deliberately constructed. The Iranian president’s message repeatedly questions dominant Western narratives, particularly the portrayal of Iran as a destabilizing force. He argues that such perceptions are not rooted in historical reality, but rather in political and economic interests tied to military expansion, arms production, and regional dominance. Pezeshkian also points to the heavy US military presence surrounding Iran, suggesting that it is this posture—not Iranian policy—that represents a source of instability. At the same time, he emphasizes a distinction between governments and peoples, stressing that Iran does not view Americans as enemies. One of the most striking elements of the letter is its direct questioning of US motives in the current confrontation. Pezeshkian raises the issue of whether American policy is being shaped by Israeli interests, suggesting that Washington may be acting as a “proxy” in a broader regional conflict. He also connects the genocide with Gaza, arguing that framing Iran as a threat serves to divert attention from Israeli actions against Palestinians. The letter repeatedly returns to a central question directed at Americans themselves: whose interests are truly being served by the war? Below is the full text as published: In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful To the people of the United States of America, and to all those who, amid a flood of distortions and manufactured narratives, continue to seek the truth and aspire to a better life: Iran—by this very name, character, and identity—is one of the oldest continuous civilizations in human history. Despite its historical and geographical advantages at various times, Iran has never, in its modern history, chosen the path of aggression, expansion, colonialism, or domination. Even after enduring occupation, invasion, and sustained pressure from global powers—and despite possessing military superiority over many of its neighbors—Iran has never initiated a war. Yet it has resolutely and bravely repelled those who have attacked it. The Iranian people harbor no enmity toward other nations, including the people of America, Europe, or neighboring countries. Even in the face of repeated foreign interventions and pressures throughout their proud history, Iranians have consistently drawn a clear distinction between governments and the peoples they govern. This is a deeply rooted principle in Iranian culture and collective consciousness—not a temporary political stance. For this reason, portraying Iran as a threat is neither consistent with historical reality nor with present-day observable facts. Such a perception is the product of political and economic whims of the powerful— the need to manufacture an enemy in order to justify pressure, maintain military dominance, sustain the arms industry, and control strategic markets. In such an environment, if a threat does not exist, it is invented. Within this same framework, the United States has concentrated the largest number of its forces, bases, and military capabilities around Iran—a country that, at least since the founding of the United States, has never initiated a war. Recent American aggressions launched from these very bases have demonstrated how threatening such a military presence truly is. Naturally, no country confronted with such conditions would forgo strengthening its defensive capabilities. What Iran has done—and continues to do—is a measured response grounded in legitimate self-defense, and by no means an initiation of war or aggression. Relations between Iran and the United States were not originally hostile, and early interactions between the Iranian and American people were not marred with hostility or tension. The turning point, however, was the 1953 coup d’état—an illegal American intervention aimed at preventing the nationalization of Iran’s own resources. That coup disrupted Iran’s democratic process, reinstated dictatorship, and sowed deep distrust among Iranians toward U.S. policies. This distrust deepened further with America’s support for the Shah’s regime, its backing of Saddam Hussein during the imposed war of the 1980s, the imposition of the longest and most comprehensive sanctions in modern history, and ultimately, unprovoked military aggression—twice, in the midst of negotiations—against Iran. Yet all these pressures have failed to weaken Iran. On the contrary, the country has grown stronger in many areas: literacy rates have tripled—from roughly 30% before the Islamic Revolution to over 90% today; higher education has expanded dramatically; significant advances have been achieved in modern technology; healthcare services have improved; and infrastructure has developed at a pace and scale incomparable to the past. These are measurable, observable realities that stand independent of fabricated narratives. At the same time, the destructive and inhumane impact of sanctions, war, and aggression on the lives of the resilient Iranian people must not be underestimated. The continuation of military aggression and recent bombings profoundly affect people’s lives, attitudes, and perspectives. This reflects a fundamental human truth: when war inflicts irreparable harm on lives, homes, cities, and futures, people will not remain indifferent toward those responsible. This raises a fundamental question: Exactly which of the American people’s interests are truly being served by this war? Was there any objective threat from Iran to justify such behavior? Does the massacre of innocent children, the destruction of cancer-treatment pharmaceutical facilities, or boasting about bombing a country “back to the stone ages” serve any purpose other than further damaging the United States’ global standing? Iran pursued negotiations, reached an agreement, and fulfilled all its commitments. The decision to withdraw from that agreement, escalate toward confrontation, and launch two acts of aggression in the midst of negotiations were destructive choices made by the U.S. government—choices that served the delusions of a foreign aggressor. Attacking Iran’s vital infrastructure—including energy and industrial facilities—directly targets the Iranian people. Beyond constituting a war crime, such actions carry consequences that extend far beyond Iran’s borders. They generate instability, increase human and economic costs, and perpetuate cycles of tension, planting seeds of resentment that will endure for years. This is not a demonstration of strength; it is a sign of strategic bewilderment and an inability to achieve a sustainable solution. Is it not also the case that America has entered this aggression as a proxy for Israel, influenced and manipulated by that regime? Is it not true that Israel, by manufacturing an Iranian threat, seeks to divert global attention away from its crimes toward the Palestinians? Is it not evident that Israel now aims to fight Iran to the last American soldier and the last American taxpayer dollar—shifting the burden of its delusions onto Iran, the region, and the United States itself in pursuit of illegitimate interests? Is “America First” truly among the priorities of the U.S. government today? I invite you to look beyond the machinery of misinformation—an integral part of this aggression—and instead speak with those who have visited Iran. Observe the many accomplished Iranian immigrants—educated in Iran—who now teach and conduct research at the world’s most prestigious universities, or contribute to the most advanced technology firms in the West. Do these realities align with the distortions you are being told about Iran and its people? Today, the world stands at crossroads. Continuing along the path of confrontation is more costly and futile than ever before. The choice between confrontation and engagement is both real and consequential; its outcome will shape the future for generations to come. Throughout its millennia of proud history, Iran has outlasted many aggressors. All that remains of them are tarnished names in history, while Iran endures—resilient, dignified, and proud.
Not the Economy, Stupid – How Gaza Reshaped America’s View of the Iran War - Palestine Chronicle --In the wake of new polling showing that most Americans oppose the war on Iran and reject the deployment of ground troops, much of the media coverage has followed a predictable script. The public’s anti-war stance, we are told, is driven by economic anxiety, partisan polarization, or dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s leadership style. Concerns about rising fuel prices, the financial burden of war, and the risks to American soldiers are repeatedly cited as the primary reasons behind growing opposition. These explanations are not wrong. But they are incomplete. By reducing public sentiment to material concerns or partisan divides, such framing overlooks a deeper transformation already underway in American public opinion—one that predates the current war and cannot be fully explained by immediate circumstances. On February 27, 2026—just one day before the launch of the US-Israeli war on Iran—a Gallup poll recorded a historic shift. For the first time in decades of tracking, more Americans said they sympathize with Palestinians than with Israelis. The significance of this shift extends far beyond the Israel-Palestine context. It signals a broader reorientation in how Americans perceive war, occupation, and the use of military force. Crucially, this change occurred before the current escalation with Iran, meaning it cannot be attributed to war fatigue, economic pressures, or immediate political developments related to the conflict. It reflects something more fundamental. The latest polling on the Iran war shows that most Americans want the conflict to end quickly; a clear majority opposes sending ground troops; and public concern centers on the human and economic cost of war. These findings are often interpreted as reactive or situational. But when placed alongside the February Gallup data, a different picture emerges. The opposition to the war on Iran is not an isolated response—it is part of a consistent and evolving pattern in American public opinion, one that increasingly rejects military intervention, regime change, and the framing of foreign adversaries as existential threats. In this sense, the shift on Palestine and the opposition to the Iran war are not separate developments. They are expressions of the same underlying transformation. Economic concerns undoubtedly play a role. So do partisan divisions. But these factors alone cannot explain why public sentiment is changing so rapidly and so fundamentally. If opposition were driven solely by cost, one would expect support for war to remain stable when framed in strategic or security terms. Instead, we are seeing growing skepticism toward the very premises of such conflicts. Similarly, if the shift were purely partisan, it would not be accompanied by measurable changes in attitudes toward Palestine—an issue that has historically transcended short-term political cycles. What is emerging instead is a broader questioning of long-standing narratives about US foreign policy, including the justification of wars in the Middle East and the role of allies, namely Israel, in shaping American military decisions.
Israel Has Killed at Least 713 Palestinians in Gaza Since Signing Trump-Backed 'Ceasefire' Deal: Health Ministry - The Israeli military has killed at least 713 Palestinians in Gaza since the signing of the US-backed “ceasefire” deal in early October, Gaza’s Health Ministry said in its daily update on Thursday, as Israeli attacks continue across the Strip in violation of the agreement.“A number of victims are still under the rubble and in the streets, as ambulance and civil defense crews have been unable to reach them so far,” the ministry wrote on Telegram.The ministry said that another 1,943 Palestinians have been wounded, putting the total number of Palestinian casualties under the US-monitored deal at 2,656.The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that at least one Palestinian man was killed by Israeli gunfire in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Thursday. A day earlier, the news agency said that three Palestinians were injured by Israeli gunfire in different parts of the Strip, including a child who was in critical condition.Israeli troops continue to occupy more than 50% of Gaza, and the other part of the Palestinian territory is under the control of Hamas. There’s been no sign of progress in implementing President Trump’s Gaza plan amid the US-Israeli war against Iran, which the president launched less than two weeks after holding the first meeting of his so-called “Board of Peace,” which was meant to oversee the governance of Gaza.The US and Israel have been demanding that Hamas give up all of its weapons, and only then will reconstruction be allowed to take place. For its part, Hamas’s position has been that it won’t lay down its arms unless there’s progress toward a Palestinian state. Hamas officials have suggested they’re open to a limited disarmament or “freezing” their weapons, but according to the latest reports, that’s not enough for the US and Israel. Gaza’s Health Ministry said Thursday that since the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and the start of Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza, at least 72,289 Palestinians have been killed and 172,043 have been wounded. The number is considered an undercount as many thousands are still missing under the rubble, and several studies have found that the real death toll is likely around or over 100,000, which only accounts for violent deaths.
US Launches 48th Airstrike in Somalia of the Year - US Africa Command said on Monday that its forces launched an airstrike in Somalia on March 27 as the Trump administration continues the bombing campaign in the east African country amid the US-Israeli war against Iran. AFRICOM said the strike targeted al-Shabaab and was launched about 80 miles northwest of the southern city of Kismayo. The command offered no other details of the strike, saying, “Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security.” The US-backed Somali Defense Ministry announced operations and battles against al-Shabaab on March 26 and March 29, but not on the day of the strike claimed by AFRICOM. The US-backed Somali federal government has also been clashing with the local government of Somalia’s South West State and took control of its capital, Baidoa, on Saturday. The federal government, which is based in Mogadishu, has been at odds with many of the Federal States in Somalia over changes it made to the constitution and plans to implement universal suffrage, a break from Somalia’s traditional clan-based voting system. The push to take over Baidoa came after the Federal Government rejected the results of the South West State’s local election, which saw the re-election of President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, who reportedly resignedafter federal troops entered the city. Besides backing the federal government in its fight against al-Shabaab, the US has been supporting the Puntland government, which withdrew from the federal system in 2024 over a similar dispute. The US has been launching airstrikes against an ISIS affiliate based in caves in a remote mountain region in Puntland. The March 27 strike against al-Shabaab marked at least the 48th time the US bombed Somalia this year, according to AFRICOM’s numbers.
Tankers Seized By US Carried 20 Million Barrels Of Iranian Crude To China -- Nine tankers seized by the US since it began taking direct action against the so-called shadow fleet that transport illicit oil around the world have delivered more than 20 million barrels of Iranian crude to China since 2013, according to the WSJ. The figures form part of a new report that provides an insight into the level of support China has given Iran by buying its sanctioned oil. Between 2013 and 2025, these nine vessels delivered 20.3 million barrels of Iranian crude to Chinese ports, the report said, citing data from Kpler. The vessels also carried 37.9 million barrels of Venezuelan crude and 11.1 million barrels of Russian crude to Chinese ports. U.S. forces taking control of an oil tanker in the Indian Ocean Altogether, that crude is worth at least $4 billion, according to the report, which is set to be released soon by Republicans on the House Select Committee on China, and seen by The Wall Street Journal. To be sure, the amount from the seized vessels represents just a small fraction of the oil China has imported from Iran, a process which has accelerated since the Iran was started, lifting Iran's output to the highest in years. Still, it underscores how China has been a major user of the shadow fleet, bankrolling Iran, as well as Venezuela and Russia. In 2025, China received a third of the crude oil carried by shadow and sanctioned tankers and 10% of heavy refined products such as fuel oil and crude residuals, the report said, citing Kpler data. Shadow fleet vessels carrying sanctioned cargo have also used China’s BeiDou satellite navigation in an effort to operate outside Western oversight, the report said. BeiDou is Beijing’s answer to the U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS, and offers positioning, navigation and timing data globally. China’s Foreign Ministry didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Russia welcomes arrival of oil tanker in Cuba amid U.S. oil blockade - The Kremlin on Monday welcomed the arrival of a Russian-flagged oil tanker to Cuba, saying energy supplies to the fuel-starved island had been discussed with the U.S. ahead of its delivery.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow considered it its duty to help Cuba, according to Russian state news outlet RIA Novosti. He added that Havana needed petroleum products amid a de facto U.S. oil blockade.A Russian oil tanker carrying a humanitarian shipment of 100,000 tons of crude oil reportedly arrived in Cuba earlier in the day. The sanctioned Anatoly Kolodkin vessel was said to be waiting to unload shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had “no problem” with a Russian crude tanker delivering fuel to Cuba. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said, “If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem with that, whether it’s Russia or not.” The shipment of crude oil is seen as something of a lifeline to the Caribbean nation, which is facing its biggest test since the collapse of the Soviet Union amid a deepening energy crisis. Cuba had been heavily dependent on oil supplies from Venezuela, but it has effectively been cut off since early January when the U.S. launched an extraordinary military operation to depose Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The Trump administration subsequently threatened to impose tariffs on any country that sent crude to Cuba, prompting the likes of Mexico to halt shipments. The Kremlin has previously shrugged off Trump’s tariff threats, pointing out that Washington and Moscow “don’t have much trade right now.”
Allowing Russian oil tanker to reach Cuba 'not a policy change,' Karoline Leavitt says - White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said the decision to allow a Russian oil tanker to reach Cuba despite a blockade does not amount to a change in U.S. policy. “This is not a policy change; there has not been a formal change in sanction policy,” she said. “As the president said last night, we allowed this ship to reach Cuba in order to provide humanitarian needs to the Cuban people. These decisions are being made on a case-by-case basis.” “Cuba’s non-functional economy cannot be fixed unless they undergo dramatic, political and leadership change, but there has been no formal change,” she said. The U.S. has maintained an oil blockade around Cuba since January as it tries to squeeze the regime, leading to gas shortages and blackouts on the island. Leavitt declined to say whether the U.S. would allow future oil tankers to reach Cuba. She said the U.S. “still reserve[s] the right to seize vessels, if it’s legally applicable, that are headed towards Cuba and that violate the United States sanction policy.” “But of course, the president and the administration also reserved the right to waive those seizures on a case-by-case basis,” she said. President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday said “it wouldn’t bother me” if Cuba received oil. “If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba, I have no problem with that,” he said. “Whether it’s Russia or not.” Trump said allowing Russia to send the oil to Cuba “doesn’t help” Russian President Vladimir Putin. “He loses one boatload of oil, that’s all it is. If he wants to do that, and if other countries want to do it, it doesn’t bother me much,” he said. “It’s not going to have an impact. Cuba’s finished. They have a bad regime and they have very bad and corrupt leadership and whether or not they get a boat of oil is not going to matter.”
China now tops US in global approval ratings, Gallup finds -- Global approval of China surpassed the U.S. in 2025, the widest favorability gap between the two countries in almost 20 years, according to a new Gallup poll released Friday. Gallup found that China’s global approval rating last year reached a median of 36 percent in support of the country’s leadership. U.S. leadership saw its median approval rating drop to 31 percent, a fall of 8 percentage points since 2024. China’s approval rose from 32 percent in 2024. Disapproval of China’s leadership remained flat at 37 percent, Gallup found. U.S. leadership’s disapproval reached a record-high of 48 percent. Last year was the second year on record where both countries registered negative net global approval ratings. The median net approval for China dipped to -1, with the U.S. dropping down to a median net approval of -15, the lowest on record. China saw the strongest relative alignment from countries like Russia, Pakistan, Tunisia and Singapore. These countries’ preferences “reflect deep negativity toward the U.S. more than strong enthusiasm for China,” according to Gallup. Countries that include Israel, Poland, Kosovo, the Philippines and Albania favor the U.S. Their net approval resembles their net disapproval of China. Gallup found that the percentage of respondents who expressed no opinion reached some of its lowest levels in nearly 20 years. Sixteen percent of respondents had no opinion of China, slightly more than the 13 percent who said they have no opinion of the U.S. “This suggests that global views of both powers are becoming more defined, with more people forming clear opinions in both positive and negative directions,” Gallup stated.
Republicans back Army chief of staff ousted by Hegseth - Republicans are rallying behind Gen. Randy George after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly fired him from the Pentagon, praising the former Army chief of staff as a steady and accomplished military leader. A Pentagon official told The Hill on Thursday that Hegseth asked George to step down as the Army’s 41st chief of staff and retire immediately. He joins the more than a dozen senior military officers dismissed by Hegseth since the start of his term. George’s abrupt exit — coming amid the ongoing conflict with Iran — was met with apparent shock from Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.), who told Newsmax’s Ed Henry that he would be “very curious to know why” the four-star general was fired. “I’ve never heard him say anything contrary to what the president’s trying to achieve,” McCormick said Thursday, calling George a “brilliant mind.” “I thought he’s done a really good job getting the Army ready for war. So, I’d like to hear more because that’s concerning to me.”
Hegseth injects combative Christianity into America’s military - During his briefing on the Iran war last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested that Americans take a knee and pray to Jesus for the success of U.S. forces in the Middle East. A few days later, he read out a sermon praying that “wicked souls” be “delivered to the eternal damnation” in the fight against Iran. The Defense secretary has increasingly used his bully pulpit to promote his combative, controversial brand of Christianity. While the Pentagon says Hegseth is embracing America’s proud history as a Christian nation, some experts and veterans worry that Hegseth’s move to inject the military with more explicitly religious sentiments threatens to divide America’s forces. “I think it’s extremely concerning the way that he is operating. It’s concerning to me as a Christian, and it’s concerning to me as an American,” said Matthew Taylor, a visiting scholar at Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs. “The ideological consolidation of the military is something that we have historically not wanted. We want the military to be diverse. We want the military representative of the American people,” he added. Hegseth, who was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan before becoming a Fox News host, has presided over prayer services in the building led by controversial Christian pastors and revamped the military’s Chaplain Corps, and official Defense Department social media posts often amplify ultraconservative Christian views. During press briefings on the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war in Iran, Hegseth has frequently invoked his faith in referencing the conflict. On March 10, one day after attending a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, he referenced Psalm 144 from the Bible. “Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield in whom I take refuge,” he said. More recently, he has revamped the U.S. military’s Chaplain Corps, announcing Tuesday that the officers will no longer wear their rank insignia, instead displaying insignia that reflects their religious affiliation — part of two major changes to the group. Service members’ spiritual health “is equally important” as their physical and mental health, Hegseth said in a video message, complaining that previous administrations injected the Chaplain Corps with “political correctness and secular humanism,” changing and watering down the role’s core functions “until they were viewed by many as nothing more than therapists.” Prior to being tapped as Pentagon chief, Hegseth derided military efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, labeling them as discriminatory ideologies that “turn off the young, patriotic, Christian men who have traditionally filled our ranks.” Of the military’s 1.3 million active-duty troops, roughly 70 percent are Christian, according to 2019 Defense Department data.
Pete Hegseth's broker attempted to make defense investments before Iran war - A broker for U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sought to make a large investment in major defense companies in the lead-up to the Iran war, according to the Financial Times. The Pentagon has dismissed the report. The Financial Times reported Tuesday that Hegseth’s broker at banking giant Morgan Stanley contacted BlackRock in February about making a multimillion-dollar investment in its iShares Defense Industrials Active ETF. The ETF, which has about $3.1 billion in assets, counts companies such as RTX — formerly known as Raytheon — Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman among its largest holdings, BlackRock data showed. The Defense Industrials Active ETF has lost 12.4% over the past month, around the time the war in Iran started, according to LSEG data. The FT also said that the investment discussed by Hegseth’s broker ultimately did not go ahead because the fund was not yet available for Morgan Stanley clients to buy at the time. It is unclear whether the broker found another defense-related investment. Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell dismissed the report in a post on X, calling it “entirely false and fabricated,” and demanding the FT retract the article. Parnell said that neither Hegseth nor any of his representatives approached BlackRock about any such investment. “This is yet another baseless, dishonest smear designed to mislead the public,” he added. The U.S. war against Iran has stretched into its fifth week, and the conflict does not seem to show any sign of abating.
Army investigates Apache fly-by near Kid Rock's Nashville home -- The Army has launched a review into a recent fly-by of two AH‑64 Apache helicopters near singer Kid Rock’s Nashville, Tenn., estate after a video of the low-altitude maneuvers went viral online. “The Army is aware of a video circulating online that appears to show AH‑64 Apache helicopters operating in the vicinity of a private residence in the Nashville area,” Maj. Jonathon Bless, the spokesperson for the 101st Airborne Division, told The Hill in a statement Monday. “Army aviators must adhere to strict safety standards, professionalism and established flight regulations. An administrative review is underway to assess the mission and verify compliance with regulations and airspace requirements,” Bless said. “Appropriate action will be taken if any violations are found.” Fort Campbell, an Army installation located on the Kentucky-Tennessee border and home to the 101st Airborne Division, is about 50 miles from where Robert James Ritchie, aka Kid Rock, owns an estate he dubbed “The Southern White House.” On Saturday, Rock posted a video on social media of him saluting one of the helicopters that hovered near his home’s pool with the caption: “This is a level of respect that s‑‑‑ for brains Governor of California will never know. God Bless America and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend her.” The sign “The Southern White House” is visible in the video. News Channel 5 Nashville reported that the helicopters flew Saturday over the anti-President Trump “No Kings” protest in the city. “These helicopters were flying a route in the Nashville vicinity for training purposes,” Bless told The Hill. “Any association with the No Kings Rally also happening in Nashville that day is entirely coincidental.”
Kid Rock helicopter crews suspension lifted by Pete Hegseth - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday abruptly reversed the U.S. Army’s suspension from flight duties hours earlier of two AH 64 Apache helicopter crews that flew around musician Kid Rock’s home in Nashville, Tenn., over the weekend. Hegseth’s move, which also quashed an Army investigation of Saturday’s unusual flyby, came shortly after President Donald Trump was asked about the incident by reporters at the White House. Trump said he liked Kid Rock, who is a prominent supporter of his, even as the president suggested the crews’ conduct was unauthorized. “Thank you @KidRock,” Hegseth wrote in a post on his personal X social media account shortly after Trump’s comments. ″@USArmy pilots suspension LIFTED. No punishment. No investigation,” the Pentagon chief wrote. “Carry on, patriots.” The Army on Monday said that it was investigating the crews for the flyby, which Kid Rock had posted on his X social media account. Videos posted by the singer show the choppers hovering close to Kid Rock’s pool, with him saluting the crews and pumping his fist while standing close to a miniature Statue of Liberty.The flyby occurred on the same day that Nashville and many other cities around the United States saw “No Kings” demonstrations against Trump. Apache helicopters, which appeared to be the ones that flew outside Kid Rock’s house, also flew over the protests in Nashville that day.
Trump signs order to pay TSA employees after Congress disagreement - President Donald Trump on Friday signed a promised executive action to pay Transportation Security Administration employees after a bid to end the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security abruptly fell apart in Congress.Trump signed the action with an eye toward easing long security lines at many of the nation’s top airports.“America’s air travel system has reached its breaking point,” Trump said in the memo authorizing the payments. He added, “I have determined that these circumstances constitute an emergency situation compromising the Nation’s security.”Trump said his administration would use “funds that have a reasonable and logical nexus to TSA operations” for the payments. In a statement Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said TSA workers “should begin seeing paychecks as early as Monday.”While Trump’s action could help ease the plight of air travelers, it does little to resolve the DHS shutdown that has jammed airports and imposed financial hardship on thousands of federal workers. The House and Senate ended the week by passing vastly different bills, creating a new impasse as lawmakers leave Washington for a two-week recess.The shutdown of Homeland Security will reach 44 days on Sunday, eclipsing the record 43-day shutdown last fall that affected all of the federal government. The Senate passed a funding deal early Friday, but blowback from House Republicans came quickly. House Speaker Mike Johnson, upon opening the chamber for business, accused Democrats of playing a dangerous game and said he needed to talk with fellow Republicans about how to proceed.After a lengthy conference call, Johnson blasted the Senate’s action and announced that the House would be going in a different route. “This gambit that was done last night is a joke,” Johnson said.Instead, the House on Friday night passed a bill to fund the entire department through May 22. The vote was 213-203. Johnson said he had spoken with Trump about the House Republican plan and the president supported it.House Republicans were livid that the bill passed by the Senate does not fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. Democrats refused to fund those departments without changes to immigration enforcement practices.“We’re going to do something different,” Johnson said. He challenged the Senate to take up the House’s short-term fix to fund Homeland Security into May.But senators left town after voting to fund most of DHS, so it would take time for them to return once the House passes a different measure. And even if they were to return, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer made clear the House GOP plan would be “dead on arrival in the Senate, and Republicans know it.”House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said the Senate-passed bill would clear the House with Republican and Democratic votes if Johnson would allow it to be voted on.“This could end, and should end, today,” Jeffries said. Senators worked through the night to approve a bill by voice vote that would fund much of Homeland Security, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard and TSA.Senate Republicans said they were disappointed by the lack of funding for ICE and Border Patrol, but noted that immigration enforcement has remained largely uninterrupted. That’s because the GOP’s big tax cuts bill that Trump signed into law last year funneled billions of dollars in extra funds to DHS, including $75 billion for ICE operations.Conservative Republicans, however, were against establishing a precedent that allows Congress during the yearly appropriations process to fund some agencies within Homeland Security, but not others.“We will fully fund ICE. That is what this fight is about,” Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said. “The border is closing. The next task is deportation.”Democrats have refused to provide funding for ICE and the Border Patrol after the deaths of two Americans protesting the sweeping immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
Partial DHS shutdown drags on as TSA staff get delayed pay: What to know -- Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers started getting retroactive paychecks Monday for the weeks they have worked without pay during the partial 44-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).House Republicans on Friday rejected a bipartisan Senate deal to reopen much of the DHS, including the TSA, leaving the department unfunded as lawmakers left Washington for a two-week Easter recess.But President Trump’s executive order, which he signed Friday, tapped into a different source of funding to pay TSA officers — a move aimed at easing hours-long security wait times and encouraging Transportation Security officers, to show up to work, as callout rates topped 12 percent Friday.Most TSA officers began getting paid Monday for pay periods 4 and 5 — the most recent stretches of time interrupted by the shutdown — but officials cautioned that government workers might see some delays in receiving full back pay.“Most TSA employees received a retroactive paycheck today that included at least two full paychecks covering pay periods 4 and 5 today,” DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis said in a statement. The DHS shutdown, which started Feb. 14, began in the middle of the third pay period, and Bis said DHS is “working aggressively” with the relevant financial institutions “to complete processing for the half paycheck they are owed from pay period 3 as soon as possible.”Bis said some TSA employees “might see a slight delay” for reasons including “financial institution processing times or issues with their direct deposit.” The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) — the largest federal worker union, representing approximately 47,000 of the 51,000 TSA workers who worked unpaid during the shutdown — confirmed that most of its members began receiving paychecks Monday for pay periods 4 and 5. But AFGE TSA Council 100, which represents the TSA officers, expressed concern that several officers “have received incorrect pay amounts due to missing overtime payments and improper tax withholdings.” For weeks, security lines at major airports around the country have snaked around terminals and caused significant flight delays, as more officers quit or stopped showing up for work. Wait times at TSA checkpoints remained as long as an hour at some major airports over the weekend, but the four-hour lines seen at a small number of air hubs were not as pervasive. Even after Trump announced his intention Thursday evening to sign an executive order to pay TSA workers, officers were absent from work Friday at the highest rate recorded during this shutdown. The national callout rate hit 12.35 percent Friday, dropping slightly to 10.59 percent Sunday, according to the DHS. Many of the major airports continued to report high callout rates Sunday: 38.5 percent at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport; 36.4 percent at George Bush Intercontinental Airport; 34.1 percent at William P. Hobby Airport; 34.1 percent at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport; 33.7 percent at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; 29.6 percent at John F. Kennedy International Airport; 23.4 percent at Pittsburgh International Airport; 23 percent at Philadelphia International Airport; and 22.9 percent at LaGuardia Airport. Larger airports have tended to report higher callout rates during the shutdown. Union leaders have noted that many of the massive air hubs are in metropolitan areas where the cost of living may prevent TSA officers from living close to work. In turn, with gas prices increasing since the start of the Iran war, many officers have found it difficult to keep up with those costs without a paycheck, union leaders have said.
Bill O'Reilly: Stephen Miller 'most powerful guy in the White House' Conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly said Sunday that deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller is the “most powerful guy in the White House.” “Most powerful guy in the White House right now is Stephen Miller. And Miller is more militant about everything than Donald Trump is,” O’Reilly said during his Sunday podcast with former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney where the duo discussed the president’s top adviser’s influence. “But I think that Miller still has the presidency.” When asked if Trump’s getting good advice, Mulvaney said, “I think the answer is generally yes.” “I do hope that behind closed doors there are people who are saying, ‘Mr. President, this might not be such a good idea,'” he added. “My fear, Bill, my fear is this is that instead of giving them those those honest opinions, there’s people, especially more junior people in the White House … who are around the president all the time [and] are goading him on,” Mulvaney continued. Some lawmakers have claimed that Miller is “out of his depth” in his White House position. Miller has long been credited for shaping Trump’s hard-line approach to immigration during his second term, even being named the true decisionmaker behind closed doors at the White House by critics. Mulvaney on Sunday agreed that Miller has “the president’s ear.” “The one thing about Stephen is it’s a constant. Stephen was just as adamant and militant about [immigration] as in the first term,” Mulvaney told O’Reilly. The two agreed the president’s push for harsher immigration enforcement measures was the winning platform point of his successful 2024 presidential campaign. The efforts, however, have proven to be sore point for the administration, with the killings of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal immigration authorities. Trump ultimately ousted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem amid the uproar over the fatal shootings in Minneapolis.
Trump Fires Pam Bondi As Attorney General, Blanche To Be Acting AG --President Donald Trump has ousted Attorney General Pam Bondi, multiple outlets report. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is serving as acting AG in the interim. The move comes amid White House frustration with Bondi’s leadership at the Justice Department - particularly her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and what Trump viewed as insufficient aggression in targeting his political opponents. Trump had privately discussed firing her and floated EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin (or Blanche) as a possible replacement. Bondi met with Trump in the Oval Office Wednesday night ahead of his speech to the nation on the war in Iran, where she reportedly was informed of her ouster, according to two sources familiar with the meeting. One of those sources said that by the time Trump took his place behind the podium for the address, Bondi already lost her job and was on her way back to Florida. -Fox News And according to the WSJ, Trump weighed firing her in January but was persuaded not to do so. In a Thursday statement, Trump called Bondi "a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year," adding "she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector, to be announced at a date in the near future, and our Deputy Attorney General, and a very talented and respected Legal Mind, Todd Blanche, will step in to serve as Acting Attorney General."
Trump rips birthright citizenship ahead of Supreme Court arguments - President Trump on Monday ripped birthright citizenship ahead of Supreme Court arguments regarding his efforts to thwart the 14th Amendment later this week. “Birthright Citizenship is not about rich people from China, and the rest of the World, who want their children, and hundreds of thousands more, FOR PAY, to ridiculously become citizens of the United States of America. It is about the BABIES OF SLAVES!” Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social. “We are the only Country in the World that dignifies this subject with even discussion. Look at the dates of this long ago legislation – THE EXACT END OF THE CIVIL WAR!” he added. Three years after the end of the Civil War, the 14th Amendment was ratified and concluded, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” It followed the 1858 case of Dred Scott v. Sandford, in which the Supreme Court argued that enslaved people were not citizens, despite their birth in U.S. states and territories. Trump and the Justice Department are challenging the birthright citizenship guarantees in the 14th Amendment, arguing that only the children of citizens and permanent legal residents are “subject to the jurisdiction” of the U.S., not immigrants living in the country without legal permission or temporary visitors. On the first day of his second administration, the president signed an executive order restricting birthright citizenship to citizens and legal permanent residents, which quickly drew backlash in courts across the country. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in the case on Wednesday. Some of the conservative justices, along with the three liberals, have already signaled their opposition to Trump’s order.
Odds Of SCOTUS Striking Down Trump's Birthright Citizenship EO Spike -Odds are not looking good for President Trump's executive order restricting birthright citizenship, as two conservative justices now seem skeptical amid today's oral arguments. As journalist Eric Daugherty notes on X, "SCOTUS Justice John Roberts is VERY skeptical of President Trump ending birthright citizenship, repeatedly firing back at Trump's top lawyer," noting that Roberts paid no mind when US Solicitor General John Sauer brought up the fact that China has 500 birth tourism companies that bring people to the US to have children. "That has no impact on the legal analysis...it's a new world, it's the same Constitution," said Roberts. And as Daughterty notes, "This would mean we require Amy Coney Barrett for a shot at 5-4." Except... Barrett is skeptical too: Justice Amy Coney Barrett now appears skeptical of striking down birthright citizenship for illegals "I can imagine it being messy in some applications." "What if you don't know who the parents are?"
Gorsuch asks Sauer if Native Americans are birthright citizens - Solicitor General D. John Sauer seemed to struggle when pressed by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch on Wednesday on whether Native Americans should be considered birthright citizens. The question came during two hours of arguments at the Supreme Court in a case challenging President Trump’s 2025 executive order that aimed to end birthright citizenship. “I think so. I mean, obviously they’ve been granted citizenship by statute,” Sauer answered, referring to the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. Gorsuch directed him to put aside the statute. “Do you think they’re birthright citizens?” the justice pressed again. Next Stay “No, I think the clear understanding that everybody agrees in the congressional debates is that the children of tribal Indians are not birthright citizens,” Sauer answered. Gorsuch pressed for clarification, asking him to answer again based on the domicile of the parents. “I think so, on our test. They’re lawfully domiciled here. I have to think that through, but that’s my reaction,” Sauer said.
Lawmakers clash over Trump’s deep-sea mining plan - House members butted heads Thursday over the Trump administration’s accelerated push to allow deep-sea mining, with at least one Republican crossing the aisle to raise alarm. Most Republicans on a House Science subcommittee applauded NOAA for moving quickly to permit offshore exploration and mining under President Donald Trump’s recent directive to compete with China and Russia. The administration is moving to allow mining in international waters despite concern from global regulators who continue to hammer out safeguards. “We already know that China has ramped up mining activities in the Pacific and has repeatedly demonstrated it does not follow the same rules as other countries,” said Republican Rep. Scott Franklin of Florida, chair of the Environment Subcommittee. Advertisement Gerard Barron, CEO of Vancouver-based The Metals Co., the first company to move through NOAA’s newly condensed process, said they are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on research and called on other countries to follow suit.
Judge declines to halt ‘God Squad’ meeting - - A federal judge has declined to act on an emergency request from an environmental group to stop the Trump administration from exploring an exemption to the Endangered Species Act for oil and gas drilling, setting the stage for an unusual government meeting to be held next week.The rarely convened Endangered Species Committee is set to meet Tuesday to discuss an exemption under the Endangered Species Act related to fossil fuel drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, which President Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of America.During a Friday hearing, Judge Rudolph Contreras of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia declined to grant an emergency effort by the Center for Biological Diversity to put a stop to the meeting through a lawsuit filed last week.Contreras, an Obama appointee, raised concerns about his jurisdiction to act under the federal law that protects endangered species.The Endangered Species Committee has only met a handful of times since it was created in the late 1970s. It was designed to provide an escape hatch from the Endangered Species Act that could allow critical infrastructure projects that jeopardize vulnerable plants and animals to be built if granted an exemption. That power to potentially condemn a species to extinction led the committee to be nicknamed the “God Squad.” The committee’s six permanent federal members are the secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture departments, administrators of EPA and NOAA, the secretary of the Army, and the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers.The Trump administration’s decision to gather the committee made up of high-ranking officials and chaired by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum was announced briefly earlier this month in a Federal Register notice, prompting outcry from environmentalists that the effort to call up the committee had failed to follow procedures required under the law.“We truly are in uncharted waters, this is so far out of the ordinary,” said Jane Davenport, a senior attorney at Defenders of Wildlife, in an recent interview. Prior exemption requests have been accompanied by formal public hearings and public reports, as is laid out in the law.In response to the CBD lawsuit, government attorneys said in a Thursday court filing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had notified Burgum on March 13 that it was “necessary for reasons of national security to exempt from the ESA’s requirements all Gulf of America oil and gas exploration and development activities.”A government lawyer said at Friday’s hearing that more information about Hegseth’s rationale will be provided at the Tuesday meeting.“It’s disappointing that the court didn’t immediately stop Hegseth’s reckless power grab, but this is just the first battle in a longer fight to protect the Gulf’s endangered whales and turtles,” said Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the CBD, in a Friday statement.Hartl noted that the group also plans to protest the committee meeting in Washington on Tuesday, which will be at Interior’s headquarters and open to the public via a video stream. The never-before-invoked national security exemption could impact a range of animals in the Gulf.A number of species face risks from oil and gas activity in the Gulf, including sea turtles, sperm whales and the Rice’s whale, a recently identified species that only inhabits the Gulf and has as few as 51 individuals remaining in its population.About a fifth of the Rice’s whales’ population are estimated to have been killed in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and a recent environmental analysis concluded that oil and gas operations in the region had the potential to extinguish the species. But that research has not halted oil and gas operations in the Gulf, which is the source of almost all offshore production in federal waters. Instead, the analysis recommended further research and additional monitoring precautions. Trump declared a national “energy emergency” when he came into office and ordered the committee to meet “not less than quarterly,” but Interior has so far missed those deadlines.
Trump officials cite ESA threats to Gulf oil, but production is soaring - Trump officials have exempted oil and gas activities across the entire Gulf of Mexico from endangered species considerations, asserting that production in the region is under threat. But no court has so far turned off the oil spigot in the Gulf, and offshore oil production on federal waters is at near-records highs. Some analysts say that weakens the administration’s argument. Crude oil production from the Gulf, which President Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of America, rose to nearly 1.9 million barrels per day in 2025, the highest production since at least 1998 and 111,000 more barrels per day than in 2024, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Production from the Gulf could crest 2 million barrels per day this year, which would be a record, the EIA said in January. That amount could “decline slightly” next year “because of natural field declines.” Natural gas production since the late 1990s has dropped, according to the data, as many oil majors turn their focus to deepwater oil projects that release less natural gas. “I think that the national security argument is weak in light of the substantial production levels of fossil fuels being extracted from the Gulf,” said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond School of Law. The Trump administration’s war against Iran has steeply driven up the price of oil to over $100 a barrel, with the national average of gas prices for consumers topping $4 per gallon Tuesday. The U.S. is already the biggest oil and gas producer in the world, with Gulf activity amounting to about 15 percent of U.S. oil volume. Ed Hirs, an energy economist at the University of Houston, said that offshore oil projects require years of preparation from oil companies and that companies are unlikely to redouble their investments because the administration removes regulations. “These companies are risking shareholders money and they’re a lot more deliberate,” he said. During a 15-minute meeting of the Endangered Species Committee on Tuesday morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that ongoing litigation “threatened to halt” oil and gas production in the Gulf. “Considering this litigation, it is essential to our national security to exempt all Gulf oil and gas activities from the Endangered Species Act requirements,” Hegseth said. Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, who is one of six federal officials that comprise the committee nicknamed the “God Squad,” said at the meeting that Gulf oil disruptions would “force the army to rework its fuel supply chain.” Hegseth and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who chairs the committee, did not specify what litigation they meant. But a coalition of environmental groups last year sued NOAA Fisheries the same day the agency released a new environmental analysis of oil and gas activity in the Gulf, which it found could threaten the critically endangered rice’s whale. While the analysis recommended using technology to improve monitoring of the whales and develop a plan to reduce vessel strikes, it did not restrict oil and gas operations. The environmental groups — which include the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth, the Turtle Island Restoration Network and the Natural Resources Defense Council — have argued the analysis failed to consider environmental harms, particularly to the Rice’s whale, and have asked a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland to force the government to conduct further reviews. NOAA Fisheries “illogically concluded that oil and gas activity will not jeopardize the recovery of species even after citing species recovery plans finding that oil and gas activity will prevent recovery,” the groups said in an October court filing. But the demands from environmental groups are unlikely to prompt court-ordered stoppages of oil production.
Trump budget attacks renewables, boosts ‘energy dominance’ - The White House released its fiscal 2027 budget request Friday morning, unveiling plans to continue waging its longstanding war against renewable energy and climate initiatives while boosting support for artificial intelligence and fossil fuels.The spending blueprint also includes a proposed reorganization for core Interior Department energy offices — the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. President Donald Trump’s budget would take a sledgehammer to Biden-era energy and environment programs that the administration has not already decimated, proposing tens of billions of dollars in cuts to everything from electric vehicle chargers to efforts to prosecute certain environmental crimes.At the same time, the administration is supporting efforts to boost funding for oil and gas production, mining, manufacturing and AI development — often at the expense of other energy and natural resources programs.“President Trump is committed to eliminating funding for the globalist climate agenda while unleashing American energy production,” reads a White House fact sheet titled “Ending the Green New Scam.” White House budget director Russ Vought said in a statement attached to the budget document that “a historic paradigm shift in the budget process is occurring and is producing real results for the American public.” He added, “Fiscal futility is ending.”The budget proposal, which comes almost nine weeks behind schedule, is not binding. But it will serve as a starting point for congressional Republicans as they begin the long process of drafting and then negotiating fiscal 2027 spending bills that will ultimately have to be bipartisan to become law. Appropriators ignored or adjusted many of the president’s demands last year.In all, the administration is proposing to cut the government’s nondefense spending by $73 billion, or 10 percent. In terms of total dollars, that is less than half of the proposed cuts the administration requested for fiscal 2026.The preliminary budget documents released Friday make no mention of the supplemental funding request the administration is expected to send to Congress in the coming weeks.That could include more than $200 billion for the Department of Defense, as well as additional funds for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and farmer aid. Congress is still working on finalizing a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security, including FEMA, for fiscal 2026. A chunk of the proposed reduction to nondefense spending would come from the cancellation of funds from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law. The administration wants to cancel $15.2 billion that was meant for the Department of Energy to implement projects focused on renewable energy, carbon capture “and other costly technologies that burden ratepayers and consumers,” according to the White House fact sheet.About $3.5 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would be repurposed from renewable energy and climate priorities to DOE programs that “make energy more abundant and affordable” under the banner of “Bolstering Energy Dominance.”That would include an effort to deploy more baseload power, as well as $1.2 billion to support seven artificial intelligence supercomputers at national laboratories, according to another fact sheet.The administration is also proposing to end “taxpayer handouts” to electric vehicle battery manufacturers while canceling $4 billion in infrastructure law funding for “wasteful and ineffective” EV charging initiatives.The most likely target of that cut is the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, which appropriators already slashed in their fiscal 2026 Transportation-HUD spending bill.
Trump wants the world to buy more US oil. He might regret it. - President Donald Trump wants the world to buy more U.S. oil, but he might regret the offer if it raises gasoline prices. In his televised address to the nation Wednesday night, Trump specifically called on countries dealing with fuel supply shocks brought by the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran to purchase more from America: “Buy oil from the United States of America. We have plenty.”But while the United States does have a lot of oil, it does not have enough to make up for the supply bottled up behind the Strait of Hormuz by Iran in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli attacks.U.S. crude prices jumped more than $11 on Thursday to land at $111.54 a barrel, their biggest gain in years. Global crude oil benchmark Brent closed above $108. The American Automobile Association said the average U.S. gasoline price rose 2 cents to $4.08 per gallon.In Asia, countries like Thailand have begun fuel rationing and curbing gasoline demand with measures like school closures and four-day work weeks. Several Asian airlines have announced they will reduce flights, and Australia has reported fuel shortages at service stations. In Europe, airlines are warning of cuts if the crisis drags on. And in the United States, United Airlines plans to cut about 5 percent of its capacity to deal with rising fuel prices. “If we supply certain amounts to the rest of the world, you will see an outcry,” said Tom Kloza, chief energy adviser for U.S.-based fuel retailer Gulf Oil. “If we’re exporting gasoline during hurricane season and people are paying $5 a gallon, do you think they’ll tolerate that? I don’t think so.”The war in Iran and higher gasoline prices are already proving unpopular with voters as midterm elections come into view.The GOP is already struggling to retain control with Trump’s approval rating on the economy sitting at a career low 31 percent, according to a CNN poll released Wednesday. A Reuters/Ipsos poll Tuesday found two-thirds of Americans think the U.S. should work to end its involvement in the Iran war quickly, even if that means not achieving the goals set out by the Trump administration.In his Wednesday speech, Trump told the countries with oil shortages they should find some “delayed courage” and reopen the strait themselves. Robert McNally, an energy and national security adviser during the George W. Bush administration and now the head of consulting firm Rapidan Energy Group, said that comment from Trump showed he was “implicitly recognizing” that his demand for the countries to buy U.S. oil won’t fully fix the problem.The White House noted that oil production has continued setting records since he took power in January 2025.“Thanks to the President cutting unnecessary red tape and unleashing American energy, the Administration expects domestic production to continue to grow rapidly, while also tapping into newfound markets,” said White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers. The world is already buying up American oil, said Andrew Lipow, head of oil market consulting firm Lipow Oil Associates. But for as much oil as the United States now has, there’s not enough to fuel the world. The United States is the world’s biggest producer, but it remains a net importer of crude oil by about 3 million barrels of oil a day.“The world searches around for oil,” Lipow said. “They go to the location that has it available. And that’s actually what we’re seeing in the oil market today.” If the price signals are right, U.S. shale drilling operations can scale up relatively quickly, said Bridget Payne, head of oil and gas forecasting for Oxford Economics. But that would still take three to six months to happen. In that time frame, the U.S. might be able to add about 1 million barrels of oil a day, she said. “That comes nowhere near the [roughly 10 million bpd] of supply currently lost through the Strait of Hormuz,” Payne said in an email. Beyond ships being unable to pass through the strait, widespread damage to energy infrastructure in the Middle East is likely to crimp supplies even once hostilities pause.Still, U.S. production of oil and its exports of liquefied natural gas serve as a stabilizing force in a chaotic energy environment, according to the American Petroleum Institute, the industry’s largest trade group.“The U.S. remains the most reliable and secure supplier of energy — including LNG — strengthening energy security for allies and partners around the world,” spokesperson Andrea Woods said in a statement. There were times in the previous decade when America’s shale oil producers might have rushed to ramp up production in a geopolitical crisis. Shale companies were valuing production over profits then. More volume brought extra revenue to the companies, and served to tamp down U.S. prices at the pump. But more recently, oil companies, chastened by big losses in the late 2010s, have grown reluctant to quickly ramp up production, for fear the price would fall before the oil they pump gets to market. “They’d only commit to a real ramp-up if the conflict clearly drags on,” Payne said. “But that scenario probably means even greater Middle Eastern supply losses, widening the gap further.”There’s also logistical and technical problems. The oil that comes from U.S. shale plays is, in industry parlance, light and sweet crude oil that’s best suited for making gasoline, but not as good for diesel and jet fuel. And refineries on the Gulf Coast are built specifically to process the kind of heavier, sour crude.Still, Trump was right Wednesday night when he said the United States doesn’t actually get much oil from the Middle East. According to data from the Energy Information Administration, the statistical arm of the Energy Department, the U.S. imports about 646,000 barrels per day from the Middle East — about one-tenth of all U.S. imports, and a small fraction compared to the more than 13 million barrels it produces daily.Trump has often bragged that the United States has the largest petroleum reserves of any country. It actually ranks ninth in proved reserves, according to the 2024 Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy.
Trump administration to rejoin offshore drilling agencies separated after 2010 Gulf oil spill - Castanet.net The Trump administration said Friday it is combining two agencies that were separated in the aftermath of the 2010 Gulf oil spill. The Interior Department said the overhaul would increase efficiency and speed up permitting for offshore oil and gas drilling.The new Marine Minerals Administration will bring together the functions of the current Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said. Doing so will enable a “streamlined approach” that will maintain existing regulatory protections and rigorous safety standards, he said.The combined agency will “deliver clearer coordination, better service to the public and stronger, more integrated oversight of offshore energy development,” Burgum said in a statement.The new name is reminiscent of the old Minerals Management Service, which for decades was the federal agency responsible for overseeing offshore drilling. In April 2010, a deadly explosion destroyed BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 people and discharging nearly 5 million barrels of crude oil into the sea over the next three months in the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.Lawmakers from both parties and outside critics accused the agency of lax oversight of drilling and cozy ties with industry. A 2008 report by the Interior Department’s inspector general said employees accepted gifts, steered contracts to favored clients and engaged in drug use and sex with employees of the energy firms they regulated.The head of the agency resigned in May 2010 — less than a year into her tenure — under public pressure as the Obama administration moved to impose stricter control over drilling in the wake of the spill.The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement replaced the disbanded Minerals Management Service in 2011. The former agency’s revenue management function was also separated into a new office. The Obama administration said the reorganization was designed to remove the complex and sometimes conflicting missions of the former agency.BOEM oversees development of oil and gas, as well as renewable energy and mining on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, while BSEE enforces safety and environmental regulations. Environmental groups slammed the reorganization as a replay of the agency's troubled past.The MMS was intentionally split up after the Gulf spill because regulators were too cozy with industry and “we couldn’t trust the integrity of their work,” said Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at the Center for Biological Diversity.The new set-up "sounds like yet another handout to the oil industry that will fast-track risky projects. It sure won’t make the people or wildlife on our coasts any safer,” she wrote in an e-mail Friday.
SWPA Congresswoman Summer Lee Launches “O&G is Racist” Caucus - Marcellus Drilling News --- Southwestern Pennsylvania voters chose poorly when they elected a Communist radical as their representative to the U.S. Congress: Democrat Summer Lee. She and two other far far far far far left radicals, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (Democrat from Michigan), and Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva (Democrat from Arizona), together just launched what they euphemistically call the People’s Environmental Justice Caucus in Congress. A better name is the “oil and gas is racist” caucus, an attempt to smear the oil and gas industry with the label of racism, claiming that O&G projects only get built in communities of color or where the residents are poor—people who (says Lee & co.) can’t fight back against the industry.
Trump EPA punished dissenters despite ‘legal risk‘ warning - A top EPA attorney warned of considerable blowback if the agency dished out discipline to employees publicly critical of the Trump administration.Political leaders at EPA punished those staffers anyway.Internal emails shed more light on last summer’s episode when the agency was rocked by an open dissent letter that castigated the administration’s disrespect for science and intimidation of staff. EPA suspended many and removed some who signed the letter — a move being appealed by fired staffers. Yet before the agency sanctioned those employees, one of its own lawyers advised EPA to stand down.Nate Nichols, assistant general counsel of the employment law practice group at EPA, said “my legal advice” was the agency should not take “personnel actions” or make any move that could be considered “retaliatory” or have “a chilling effect” on other staff. “Taking any such action would present significant legal risk, as the letter is likely protected speech under the First Amendment,” Nichols said in an email sent July 2 last year. He cited Pickering v. Board of Education, a Supreme Court decision reached almost 60 years ago that found the government has an interest in regulating its employees’ speech. But that ruling established “a balancing test” to protect First Amendment rights, which was if the workers speak as private citizens about “a matter of public concern” and it doesn’t interfere with their government jobs. “The document appears to meet the Pickering test and the Agency would be prohibited from retaliating against employees who signed the document,” Nichols said, noting the signatories said the dissent letter was produced on their own time.He added the letter was “unquestionably” about public concerns and courts have found, depending on a government employee’s job, their private speech has minimal impact on agency operations.“If the agency retaliates against the employee signatories, we should expect a litigation with significantly increased publicity surrounding the letter,” Nichols said.The letter, called EPA’s “Declaration of Dissent,” was emailed to Administrator Lee Zeldin and posted online on June 30, 2025. Stand Up for Science, a nonprofit group, helped organize the dissent letter, which initially had names and job titles for some of the employees who signed on.Despite Nichols’ advice, EPA on July 3 placed close to 150 employees on administrative leave.“We have a ZERO tolerance policy for agency bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging, and undercutting the agenda of this administration as voted for by the great people of this country last November,” Zeldin said in a statement at the time. By summer’s end, EPA suspended many and fired some of those employees after they spent weeks on leave.
Interior to offer more buyouts, early retirements - The Interior Department plans to conduct another round of buyouts and early retirement offers as part of a “strategic initiative” announced Thursday. The department that manages millions of acres of U.S. public land, as well as permitting for energy development and other projects, said that it will be “offering another Deferred Resignation Program as well as another opportunity for Voluntary Early Retirement.” Interior said in a news release that the changes were part of delivering on President Donald Trump’s “commitment to strengthening federal performance and delivering clear value for our citizens.” The incentives to leave will be on offer from Thursday until April 12 and will “not be extended,” according to details of the plans obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News. Neither program is available to employees hired over the last year, and a range of employees are exempted, including most positions in fire, emergency response, law enforcement, dispatch and cybersecurity.
Trump asks Congress to cut one-fifth of USDA’s funding - President Donald Trump proposed a 19 percent funding cut for the Agriculture Department on Friday and included a call for Congress to slash some bipartisan programs the administration deemed “woke radical left projects.” The White House’s fiscal 2027 budget request proposes that Congress give USDA $20.8 billion in discretionary budget authority for the upcoming fiscal year, a $4.9 billion cut from the previous year’s enacted level. Agricultural research funding for land grant universities, an international hunger-reduction aid program and a grant opportunity that pays to improve public service buildings in rural communities are among the USDA programs targeted by the proposed White House budget cuts. Congressional appropriators have previously bucked Trump’s suggestions to cut USDA’s budget and focused on protecting funding for bipartisan programs. Last year, Congress rebuked Trump’s proposed $7 billion cut and instead funded the department at a similar level to the previous year as part of a November spending package negotiated to end the government shutdown.
Trump: Military ‘building a massive complex’ under new White House ballroom - President Trump said late Sunday that the U.S. military is “building a massive complex” under his controversial new White House ballroom. “Now, the military is building a big complex under the ballroom, which has come out recently because of a stupid lawsuit that was filed,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “But the military is building a massive complex under the ballroom, and that’s under construction, and we’re doing very well,” the president said. “We have all bulletproof glass, we have drone-proof roofs, ceilings,” the president added while shuffling through renderings of the project. “Unfortunately, we’re living in an age when that’s a good thing.” Last week, Trump said there was a national security component in the construction of the ballroom that was “supposed to be secret.” “Now it’s no secret, the military wanted it more than anybody,” Trump said Thursday in a Cabinet meeting, discussing the ballroom’s construction. “It was supposed to be secret, but it became unsecret because of people that are really unpatriotic saying things,” he said. Last year, the president directed that the East Wing of the White House be demolished so a $400 million ballroom could be built. The move was controversial, with notable pushback to the East Wing’s destruction. Trump has often pointed toward the need for the ballroom, with the president saying it will be used for state dinners, galas and other events attended by world leaders. According to the White House, the project is receiving funding from private donations. CNN reported earlier this year that the ballroom could feature a “top-secret project,” with the president “rebuilding a secret bunker under the East Wing.”
Judge orders Trump to pause construction on White House ballroom - A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to pause construction on its White House ballroom absent “express authorization from Congress” on Tuesday, throwing the $400 million project’s future into question.U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, wrote that “no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have,” granting the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s request for a preliminary injunction blocking further work on the project. “The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!” Leon wrote in his opinion. The Trump administration swiftly appealed the ruling, which will go into effect in 14 days.
Trump’s ballroom design gets final OK from planning commission -- A federal commission approved President Donald Trump’s plans Thursday for a $400 million White House ballroom, asserting a federal court’s order to halt construction has no bearing on its review process.A majority of the National Capital Planning Commission endorsed a slightly modified design — including removing a feature derided as the “stairs to nowhere” on the South Portico — with only D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson voting against the plans. Both of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s appointees voted “present.”The commission’s approval — which was expected given the group is stacked President Donald Trump’s deputies — came almost a month after the panel heard hours of criticism about the design plans for the massive ballroom to replace the demolished East Wing of the White House.Commission Chair William Scharf dismissed complaints of the expansion itself, comparing it to a series of headlines condemning past White House construction projects, while also taking aim at “negative comments” focused on the demolition process, interior design and the president himself.
Ron DeSantis signs bill renaming Palm Beach International for Donald Trump - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Monday signed legislation renaming Palm Beach International Airport to “Donald J. Trump International Airport.” The bill, which Republicans in the Florida House and Senate passed last month via votes of 81-30 and 25-11, respectively, gives the state the authority to name “major commercial service airports.” It also renames the airport, located roughly 4 miles from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, in honor of the president. The Republican Party of Florida touted the impending name change, writing Monday on the social platform X, “Florida is making it official! Welcome to the new President Donald J. Trump International Airport — right in the heart of Palm Beach!” “Florida is honored to be home to this landmark tribute to President @realDonaldTrump,” the Florida GOP added, sharing a photo of a sign in front of the airport that reads, “Welcome to the new President Donald J. Trump International Airport.” The name change for PBI would take effect on July 1 if it is approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), according to the text of the legislation. But the FAA told The Hill on Monday that changing the name of an airport is a local issue, and the FAA “does not approve airport name changes.” “However, the FAA must complete some administrative tasks to include updating navigational charts and databases,” the administration added. Rebeca Krogman, the public information officer for Palm Beach County Department of Airports, noted that the legislation does not impact airport’s three-letter code of PBI. But Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) introduced legislation earlier this month to change the code from PBI to “DJT.” Since the president returned to office, he and his administration have added his name to a slew of buildings and programs, including the Kennedy Center, the U.S. Institute of Peace, the TrumpRx prescription drug platform and “Trump Accounts,” investment accounts that parents can open for their children starting this tax season. In January, Palm Beach County also officially designated 4 miles of Southern Boulevard running from PBI to Mar-a-Lago as “President Donald J. Trump Boulevard.” The next month, the Trump Organization — which is run by two of the president’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, filed to trademark the use of President Trump’s name on airports.
First look at Trump’s library: Miami skyscraper with ballroom, golden statue, even aircraft - Eric Trump, President Trump’s son, unveiled the first renderings of his father’s presidential library and museum on Monday, which will be built in downtown Miami. The younger Trump wrote on the social platform X that he has “poured my heart and soul into this project” with his team at the Trump Organization. “This landmark on the water in Miami, Florida, will stand as a lasting testament to an amazing man, an amazing developer, and the greatest President our Nation has ever known,” Eric Trump said. “These images have never been seen by the public — until today. Enjoy!” A video of the completed library at trumplibrary.org, also shared by the president’s son, shows a skyscraper with “Trump” emblazoned in gold near the top and a needle that lights up in red, white and blue. The entrance to the library, which features a gold presidential seal, leads to a full-sized Air Force One, with other military aircraft on the second floor. Last year, the Trump administration accepted a plane as a gift from the Qatari government, with the president saying at the time that he planned on including it in his library — raising ethical and security-related questions. The library will also include an auditorium — featuring a giant golden statue of Trump raising his right fist in the air — a replica of the Oval Office, and a ballroom with gold throughout. The video notes that Bermello Ajamil, a Miami-based engineering and architecture firm, designed the library. The library will be built on land that previously belonged to Miami Dade College, a community college in the city. The college’s board of trustees voted in September to gift the 2.63 acres of real estate to the state of Florida, which then transferred the land to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) proposed the plan to dedicate the land for Trump’s library to the board of trustees before the initial transfer vote last fall. Dr. Marvin Dunn, a local historian and activist, filed suit against the board of trustees in October, alleging that the body violated a Florida transparency law in transferring the land to the state without a public hearing. The lawsuit alleged that a Miami-Dade County property appraisal valued the land at more than $67 million.While Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz temporarily blocked the college from formally transferring the land to the state while the trial played out, she dismissed the complaint in December after the board redid the vote during a public meeting that month, according to The Associated Press.
Democrats seek clarification on Trump's signature on bills - Two Senate Democrats are seeking answers from the Treasury Department about a plan to add President Trump’s signature to newly minted U.S. paper currency. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) pressed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a letter Thursday to explain how the decision “will in any way benefit the American public.” Bessent announced on March 26 that Trump’s name would appear on future paper currency to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary. Warren and Merkley cited that announcement, in which the secretary claimed the U.S. was “on a path toward unprecedented economic growth, lasting dollar dominance, and fiscal strength and stability” under Trump’s leadership. “In reality, Americans are facing an affordability crisis, and America’s economy is on shaky ground,” they wrote, pointing to instability linked to the ongoing conflict with Iran, from higher mortgage rates to concerns about global inflation.
Anti-Trump rallies pop up in thousands of U.S. cities for ‘No Kings’ protest Demonstrators decrying U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation efforts, war in Iran and other policies took to city streets across the country on Saturday in the third round of the “No Kings” rallies. More than 3,200 events had been planned in all 50 states, after the two previous nationwide events attracted millions of participants. Large rallies took place in New York, Dallas, Philadelphia and Washington, but two-thirds of No Kings events were happening outside major cities, a nearly 40% jump for smaller communities from the movement’s first mobilization last June, organizers said. In Minnesota, a flashpoint in Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, a massive rally was held outside the state capitol in Saint Paul. Many held aloft posters bearing photos of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, U.S. citizens fatally shot by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis this year. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2024, told the crowd that their resistance to Trump and his policies makes them “the heart and soul” of everything good about the U.S. “They call us radicals,” Walz said. “You’re damn right we’ve been radicalized - radicalized by compassion, radicalized by decency, radicalized by due process, radicalized by democracy, and radicalized to do all we can to oppose authoritarianism.” U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a Trump critic who sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020, also addressed the event in Minnesota. Musician Bruce Springsteen performed his song “Streets of Minneapolis” — a ballad criticizing Trump’s immigration crackdown and lamenting the deaths of Good and Pretti. “We will not allow this country to descend into authoritarianism or oligarchy in America,” said Sanders, an independent. “We, the people, will rule.” The National Republican Congressional Committee criticized Democratic politicians and candidates for supporting the rallies. “These Hate America Rallies are where the far-left’s most violent, deranged fantasies get a microphone and House Democrats get their marching orders,” committee spokesperson Mike Marinella said in a statement. In New York, a crowd that police estimated at tens of thousands stretched more than 10 blocks in midtown Manhattan. Actor Robert De Niro, one of the organizers, said that no president before Trump has posed “such an existential threat to our freedoms and security.” Holly Bemiss, 54, said she and other New York rally attendees were acting in the same spirit as her ancestors who fought in the American Revolution. “We fought against having kings and we fought for freedom,” she said. “We’re just doing it again.”
Record anti-Trump crowds reported in Central Ohio • Ohio Capital Journal - Organizers estimated that 27,000 marched from the Ohio Statehouse through downtown Columbus Saturday as part of the third No Kings protest against Donald Trump and his administration. Earlier in the day, an estimated 23,000 turned out for smaller protests around central Ohio, an organizer said. Those and thousands of other protests drew an estimated 8 million across the country to speak out against Trump’s war in Iran, mass deportations, deep cuts to the social safety net, and other policies. On the Statehouse lawn, people registered to vote and signed petitions on issues such as forcing members of Columbus City Council to actually run in the districts they claim to represent. Gary Daniels, legislative director of the ACLU of Ohio, told the crowd that Trump and his allies are doing all they can to undermine democracy in other ways. “These same people who consider themselves royalty and the rest of us their subjects are dead set against anyone thinking they’re going to vote their way out of any amount of this mess they have created, and that’s why they keep making it harder to vote,” he said. Earlier in the day, about 450 came out on a cool, clear morning to join a protest in Reynoldsburg. Ken Harmon, 81, held a sign saying “Republicans. Please help save our democracy.” He said he’s trying to persuade people with whom he has things in common. “I am a registered Republican,” he said. “But as far as my voting in recent years, very seldom have I voted Republican. I did vote once for (Gov.) Mike DeWine. And I still have respect for him. But I also voted once for (U.S. Sen.) Jon Husted, and I’m embarrassed about it today. He’s done a terrible job. Just a complete Trump man.” Fourteen months into Trump’s second term violent immigration raids, an unexplained war with Iran and inflationary tariffs have most voting groups souring on Trump. Harmon said things are getting bad enough that disengaged Americans are ready to tune in. “Many Republicans, they’re not bad people,” he said. “Many people are just so absorbed in their own lives, trying to earn a living, trying to raise their kids. They don’t take the time to follow the news. And I think many people just don’t know what’s happening in this world. I’m reaching out to those kinds of people.” Cece Burton, 25, said the war in Iran was one reason she was protesting. “Something needs to change,” she said. “My sign says ‘No New Wars.’ Guess who they’re sending to wars? People my age. People younger than me. I have two younger brothers and a cousin in the military. This is senseless. I don’t want them over there dying for no reason.” But it was only one reason. “The job market, the housing market — I also work in education — it’s everything,” Burton said. “Every point in my life has been touched by this president in some way, shape or form,” she said. “None of it’s been good.”
Trump signs executive order limiting mail-in voting - President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order cracking down on mail-in voting, a move that voting-rights advocates say would disenfranchise millions of Americans.The order, which requires the Department of Homeland Security to compile a list of verified U.S. citizens in each state who are eligible to vote, is almost certain to be challenged in court, which could block it from being enforced in time for the midterm elections in November. “We want to have honest voting in our country, because if you don’t have honest voting, you can’t have, really a nation if you want to know the truth,” Trump said in the Oval Office after signing the order. According to a White House fact sheet, DHS would undertake the effort to compile the list with the Social Security Administration. The list would be sent to each state, and the order directs the Attorney General to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of “election officials, individuals, and other entities that violate the law by issuing or distributing Federal ballots to ineligible voters.” It also directs the Attorney General to withhold federal funds from noncompliant states, the fact sheet says. The fact sheet says the Postal Service would be required “to transmit ballots only to individuals enrolled on a State-specific Mail-in and Absentee Participation List.” Election authorities in each state typically send out mail ballots to voters, not the Postal Service. The order also requires the Postal Service to require all ballots it transmits to be “placed in secure ballot envelopes marked as Official Election Mail with unique Intelligent Mail barcodes that facilitate tracking,” according to the fact sheet. Trump himself recently voted by mail in Florida. The Constitution vests the administration of elections in the states, though Congress can pass laws pertaining to elections. The executive branch does not have an official role in changing election laws or carrying out elections. Voting-rights advocates say Trump’s planned restrictions on voting would disenfranchise millions of Americans. The executive order is almost certain to be challenged in court, which could block it from being enforced in time for the midterms. Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, a Democrat, said her office is “reviewing this order and will take appropriate legal action to ensure that every eligible voter in Massachusetts can vote and have their vote counted.” “The Trump Administration cannot interfere with the right to vote and may not override state election authority,” Campbell said. The NAACP, in a statement, said the “order will not stand.” “Not only is his order unconstitutional, it’s unserious,” said NAACP president Derrick Johnson. “His attempts to silence us will only make us louder - with our voices and our votes.” The Daily Caller first reported that Trump would sign the order. Trump has long sought to restrict mail-in voting following his loss in the 2020 election to former President Joe Biden. He has repeatedly claimed, without providing evidence, that the election was stolen from him due to fraud in mail-in voting. The order comes after months of pressure on Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, a measure that would require voters to provide photo identification and proof of U.S. citizenship to vote. The U.S. House voted to approve the measure in February, and the Senate debated it this month without taking a vote. Trump has told Republicans that they will lose the November midterm elections if they don’t pass the bill and crack down on mail-in voting.
What documents would you need to vote if SAVE Act passes? Congress is still working to pass legislation supported by President Trump that could impact the voting process. The House has passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (or SAVE Act or SAVE America Act), and it has remained in the Senate ever since. Senate Democrats defeated an amendment last week that would have required voters to show a photo ID when voting in person or by mail, a core piece of the SAVE Act that most states already adhere to. The SAVE Act would additionally require Americans to prove they are citizens when they register to vote. Federal law already requires that voters in national elections be U.S. citizens, but there’s no requirement to provide documentary proof. Would you need a passport, REAL ID to vote if SAVE Act passes? Republicans, including President Trump, say the legislation is needed to prevent voter fraud, but Democrats warn it will disenfranchise millions of Americans by making it harder to vote. For some voters, a valid passport or a driver’s license could be enough. The latter, however, will only apply in a handful of states. Only five states — Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington — offer the type of enhanced REAL ID driver’s licenses or state IDs that explicitly indicate U.S. citizenship. Outside of those states, you would need another document to prove you were born in the U.S.
Jamie Raskin accuses Kash Patel of weaponizing FBI against Eric Swalwell - Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on Saturday slammed FBI Director Kash Patel for reportedly pushing to release files related to Rep. Eric Swalwell’s (D-Calif.) interactions with a suspected Chinese spy. “The FBI is attempting to smear a sitting U.S. Congressman, candidate for governor, and vocal opponent of the president,” Raskin, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, said in a release. “What the hell does that have to do with law enforcement? This is plain weaponization of the FBI for partisan political purposes.” The New York Times and Washington Post reported Saturdaythat Patel has pushed FBI agents to gather documents on the relationship between Swalwell and Christina Fang, a Chinese woman also known as Fang Fang. Fang reportedly helped Swalwell with fundraising for his 2014 reelection campaign and placed an intern in his congressional office. Swalwell cut ties with Fang in 2015 after he was briefed by U.S. intelligence officials on their concerns with her. While a two-year probe by the Republican-led House Ethics Committee that concluded in 2023 found that Swalwell “may have violated House Rules, law, or other standards of conduct,” the panel did not take further action on the matter. Raskin wrote that by pushing to release files related to Swalwell and Fang’s interactions, Patel is “wasting the resources of the FBI and perhaps violating the Hatch Act by ordering agents to spend hours preparing a political smear file” as part of a vendetta. The Maryland Democrat also added that “rank-and-file agents” have objected to the FBI director’s actions, echoing reporting from the Times and Post. “These exploitations of public office and DOJ files to attack political opponents are in service of Donald Trump’s desperate effort to distract from the disastrous policy failures of this Administration, which is covering up for pedophiles, dragging the country and the world into a disastrous regional war in the Middle East, and inflicting skyrocketing gas and grocery prices on the American people,” Raskin concluded. Swalwell, who is running for governor of California, said Monday on “CNN News Central” that he is sending a letter to the FBI “outlining the illegal acts that have already taken place” and “to invite future whistleblowers to come forward” on Patel’s reported push.
Epstein victims get $72.5M from Bank of America settlement - Bank of America has agreed to pay victims of notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein $72.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging that the bank facilitated his sex trafficking operation, a New York federal court filing showed Friday evening. The settlement, in which BoA did not admit wrongdoing, is the fourth settlement by a major bank of legal claims by Epstein victims or a government entity alleging they effectively abetted his trafficking while he was a customer. The settlement with BoA must be approved by U.S. District Court in Manhattan Judge Jed Rakoff; such approval is typically granted. The settlement would pay “all women who were sexually abused or trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein, or by any person who is connected to or otherwise associated with Jeffrey Epstein or any Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking venture, between June 30, 2008 and July 6, 2019, inclusive,” according to the filing. Lawyers in the case are “aware that there are at least 60 women who were victimized by Epstein between” those dates, the filing said. A Bank of America spokesman, in a statement, said, “While we stand by our prior statements made in the filings in this case, including that Bank of America did not facilitate sex trafficking crimes, this resolution allows us to put this matter behind us and provides further closure for the plaintiffs.” CNBC has requested comment from the two law firms that represented the victims in the suit filed in October 2025, Boies Schiller Flexner and Edwards Henderson. JPMorgan Chase in June 2023 agreed to pay victims of Epstein $290 million to settle a similar lawsuit. The settlement came a month after Deutsche Bank agreed to pay victims $75 million.. JPMorgan in August 2023 separately agreed to pay the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands $75 million, alleging the bank facilitated and benefited from the sex trafficking of young women by Epstein, who owned a private island in the USVI. Like BoA, JPMorgan did not admit wrongdoing in its settlements. JPMorgan in August 2023 separately agreed to pay the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands $75 million, alleging the bank facilitated and benefited from the sex trafficking of young women by Epstein, who owned a private island in the USVI.
Epstein files: Warren Buffett says he hasn't talked to Bill Gates - Warren Buffett said Tuesday that he has not spoken to Microsoft founder Bill Gates “since the whole thing” with the Jeffrey Epstein files “was unveiled.” “I haven’t talked to him at all since the whole thing was unveiled,” Buffett told CNBC’s Becky Quick on “Squawk Box.” “I don’t want to be in a position where I know things ... to be called as a witness,” said the Berkshire Hathaway chairman, who since 2006 has donated more than $43 billion to the Gates Foundation, the philanthropic organization founded by Gates and his ex-wife, Melinda Gates. Gates became friends with Epstein in 2011, three years after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida state court to soliciting an underage girl for prostitution. Emails and photos detailing Gates and Epstein’s friendships have been revealed in documents released by the Department of Justice and Congress since late 2025. Gates, in February, apologized to staff at the Gates Foundation for his association with Epstein and admitted having affairs with two Russian women, which Epstein learned of, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. Gates at the same event said, “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” the newspaper reported. Asked Tuesday if he was still good friends with Gates, Buffett spoke fondly of their personal relationship, which included establishing, with Bill and Melinda Gates, The Giving Pledge, an effort aimed at garnering commitments by the world’s richest people to commit much of their wealth to philanthropy. But, Buffett added, referring to the scandal surrounding Epstein and Gates, “I think until it gets cleared up, it doesn’t make sense to do a lot of talking.” “I don’t want to be under oath,” Buffett said, in what were his first public comments about Gates since the Epstein files were released. “It is astounding to me that anyone could be that successful as a con man,” Buffett said. “Men are going to like sex ... and some of them are going to like not paying taxes, and he figured out their weaknesses,” Buffett said. “That guy must have been the con man of all time,” Buffett said. “He had a way of conning everybody.”
Kristi Noem In Shambles As Husband Exposed As A Cross-Dresser -- While decision to replace Noem as DHS Secretary with former Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin and shift her into a newly created role as United States Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas was designed to insulate Noem from controversy, the latest scandal plaguing her shows that the dysfunction that follows her wherever she goes is emblematic of how deeply broken the Trump administration is as a whole.Noem now finds herself as a black eye on the Trump administration yet again following revelations of her husband's sexual degeneracy that shatter the public image that she has cultivated for herself. Bryon Noem, who Kristi has been married to since 1992 and had three children with, has been exposed as a cross-dresser involved in the online bimbofication subculture. Hundreds of messages leaked to the British outlet The Daily Mail revealed that the former DHS secretary's longtime husband, Bryon Noem, has been hiding a secret double life as a cross-dresser. The source of the leaked messages came from several online fetish models who became involved with Noem through the online bimboficiation networks. There, Noem maintained contact with at least three women with whom he shared numerous images of himself wearing enormous silicone breasts while dressing in skintight women's clothing. Despite his public image built around being a quintessential conservative husband and father, Noem showed a complete lack of discretion when sharing the pictures by choosing to include his face in them, erasing any reasonable doubt of the veracity of the claims made by the women behind the leaked photos and messages from him. The leaked messages reveal how Bryon Noem participated in the online bimbofication scene under the alias 'Jason Jackson.' Under that pseudonym, Noem began discreetly messaging female fetish models. Text messages and audio calls reveal the full scope of his perversion as he submissively messaged the women, writing, "You turn me into a girl," before asking them what outfits they wanted him to cross-dress in. Noem's continued correspondence with the women slowly began to chip away at the facade masking his true identity. At first, small clues like his admission that he was married with children began to put the pieces of who was operating behind the alias together. "He'd say, 'I love my wife, I want to get better.' Then he'd disappear, come back, and start again," one source told The Daily Mail. A second source told the outlet that she mistakenly called the number given to her by 'Jason Jackson,' only to reach his voicemail. The greeting stunningly stated, "Noem Insurance, leave a message," exposing the identity behind the anonymous account. The women who inadvertently uncovered Noem's dark secret by mistakenly calling him confronted Noem in shock after the discovery. When she asked him why he was taking such an unfathomable risk given his wife's standing in the upper echelon of the Trump administration, he told her that he didn't care. Left aghast at his brazen disregard of the dangers created by his sexual deviancy, the woman recounted how she thought, "You should care—your wife could lose everything she's ever worked for."
"No One Knows What Will Happen Now": Justice Jackson Warns Against Unbridled Free Speech by Jonathan Turley - Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is again warning of a growing threat to the nation. In her lone dissent in Chiles v. Salazar, Jackson observed that “to be completely frank, no one knows what will happen now.” The ominous tone stemmed from the fact that free speech had prevailed over state-imposed orthodoxy in a Colorado case. Eight justices, including her two liberal colleagues, ruled that Colorado could not prevent licensed counselors from “any practice or treatment” that “attempts or purports to change” a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The win for free speech was catastrophic for Jackson and many on the left. Allowing counselors to discuss the causes and basis for sexual orientation changes, Jackson maintained, would “open a can of worms.” It would be far better for the majority to simply silence such dissenting voices in the name of science. The dissent in Chiles is only the latest example of the chilling jurisprudence of Justice Jackson, including a pronounced dismissal of free speech values. Consider the holding of her colleagues that Jackson finds so horrific. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that the First Amendment “reflects … a judgment that every American possesses an inalienable right to think and speak freely, and a faith in the free marketplace of ideas as the best means for discovering truth … any law that suppresses speech based on viewpoint represents an ‘egregious’ assault on both of those commitments.” What a nightmare. Instead, Jackson would have declared the ban on anything deemed “conversion therapy” to be “conduct,” not speech. It is that easy.
Pete Hegseth's broker attempted to make defense investments before Iran war - A broker for U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sought to make a large investment in major defense companies in the lead-up to the Iran war, according to the Financial Times. The Pentagon has dismissed the report. The Financial Times reported Tuesday that Hegseth’s broker at banking giant Morgan Stanley contacted BlackRock in February about making a multimillion-dollar investment in its iShares Defense Industrials Active ETF. The ETF, which has about $3.1 billion in assets, counts companies such as RTX — formerly known as Raytheon — Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman among its largest holdings, BlackRock data showed. The Defense Industrials Active ETF has lost 12.4% over the past month, around the time the war in Iran started, according to LSEG data. The FT also said that the investment discussed by Hegseth’s broker ultimately did not go ahead because the fund was not yet available for Morgan Stanley clients to buy at the time. It is unclear whether the broker found another defense-related investment. Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell dismissed the report in a post on X, calling it “entirely false and fabricated,” and demanding the FT retract the article. Parnell said that neither Hegseth nor any of his representatives approached BlackRock about any such investment. “This is yet another baseless, dishonest smear designed to mislead the public,” he added. The U.S. war against Iran has stretched into its fifth week, and the conflict does not seem to show any sign of abating.
Iran-linked hackers breach Kash Patel's personal email - Iran-linked hackers have broken into FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email inbox, publishing photographs of the director and other documents to the internet, the hackers and the bureau said on Friday. On their website, the hacker group Handala Hack Team said Patel “will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims.” The hackers published a series of personal photographs of Patel sniffing and smoking cigars, riding in an antique convertible, and making a face while taking a picture of himself in the mirror with a large bottle of rum. The FBI confirmed that Patel’s emails had been targeted. In a statement, bureau spokesman Ben Williamson said, “we have taken all necessary steps to mitigate potential risks associated with this activity” and that the data involved was “historical in nature and involves no government information.” Handala, which presents itself as a group of pro-Palestinian vigilante hackers, is considered by Western researchers to be one of several personas used by Iranian government cyberintelligence units. Handala recently claimed the hack of Michigan-based medical devices and services provider Stryker SYK.N on March 11, saying they had deleted a massive trove of company data. Alongside the photographs of Patel, the hackers published a sample of more than 300 emails, which appear to show a mix of personal and work correspondence dating between 2010 and 2019. Reuters was not able to independently authenticate the Patel messages, but the personal Gmail address that Handala claims to have broken into matches the address linked to Patel in previous data breaches preserved by the dark web intelligence firm District 4 Labs. Alphabet-owned Google, which runs Gmail, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran-linked hackers - who initially kept a low profile after the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes against the Islamic Republic last month - have increasingly boasted of their cyber operations as the conflict drags on. In addition to the hack against Stryker, Handala on Thursday claimed to have published the personal data of dozens of defense company Lockheed Martin employees stationed in the Middle East. In a statement, Lockheed Martin said it was aware of the reports and had policies and procedures in place “to mitigate cyber threats to our business.” Gil Messing, chief of staff at Israeli cybersecurity company Check Point, said the hack-and-leak operation against Patel was part of Iran’s strategy to embarrass U.S. officials and “make them feel vulnerable.” The Iranians, he said, are “firing whatever they have.” It is not unusual for foreign hackers to target senior officials’ personal emails, and breaches and leaks both happen periodically. Hackers famously broke into Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s personal Gmail account ahead of the 2016 election and published much of the data to the WikiLeaks site. In 2015, teenage hackers broke into then-CIA director John Brennan’s personal AOL account and leaked data about U.S. intelligence officials. Relatively unsophisticated breaches of this nature are in line with a U.S. intelligence assessment reviewed by Reuters on March 2. The assessment said Iran and its proxies could respond to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with low-level hacks against U.S. digital networks. Iran-linked hackers may have other emails in reserve. Last year, another group operating under the pseudonym “Robert” told Reuters it was considering disclosing 100 gigabytes of data stolen from White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and other figures close to U.S. President Donald Trump. Reuters has not been able to verify the claim and the group has not responded to messages in several months.
FBI labels data breach as 'major incident' - The FBI has labeled a recent data breach, which reportedly targeted an FBI surveillance system, a “major incident” and notified Congress about the cyber intrusion, the agency confirmed to The Hill on Friday. “The FBI identified anomalous activity on an unclassified network and quickly leveraged all technical capabilities to remediate the incident,” the agency said in a statement. “It was determined the access was obtained through a third party and constitutes a major incident under the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA).” “The FBI is following the required steps under FISMA, including notifying Congress, and remains focused on countering nation-state and cybercriminal activity,” it continued. Several outlets reported that China-linked hackers are suspected of being behind the breach. According to Politico, the system contained information from pen register and trap and trace devices, which are used to monitor incoming and outgoing calls from a phone, as well as personally identifiable information related to subjects of FBI investigations. The government has defined a “major incident” under FISMA as “any incident that is likely to result in demonstrable harm to the national security interests, foreign relations, or economy of the United States,” according to 2025 guidance. It can also constitute an incident involving personally identifiable information that presents similar risks.
Oracle cutting thousands in latest layoff round as AI spending booms - Oracle has started telling employees that it’s cutting thousands of jobs, CNBC has confirmed, as the software maker deals with a plummeting stock price tied to hefty capital commitments for building out AI infrastructure. While Oracle’s core business is on the receiving end of market panic about competitive risk from generative artificial intelligence models, the company is also facing pressure from investors about the amount of debt it’s raising for AI investments and its dwindling cash flow. Business Insider reportedon the latest cuts earlier on Tuesday. CNBC confirmed the cuts with two people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because the announcement hasn’t been made public. Oracle, which employed 162,000 people as of May 2025, declined to comment. The company’s stock price is down 25% this year, dropping more than all of tech’s megacaps. Oracle continues to sell its flagship database for storing and serving up corporate information. In recent years, alongside cloud rivals such as Amazon , the company has ratcheted up capital expenditures as it builds data center infrastructure that can handle AI workloads. But Oracle is smaller than its cloud peers. Oracle has been leaning on the debt market to fund its buildout. In January, Oracle announced plans to raise $50 billion in debt and equity. During earnings last month, executives said there were no more plans to raise debt in 2026.
Off-grid data centers will help protect ratepayers, but codifying ARC-ES would do even more -- Between the war in Iran, the controversies involving the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and other developing national and world events, a pledge made in early August by our biggest AI companies did not get the attention it deserved. In communities big and small across the U.S., emerging data centers have been a source of controversy. The headlines keep coming. As NPR reported, “The large-scale facilities are necessary to match the electricity demand required for AI, but high energy costs come with them, angering residents.”In reality, the relation of new data centers to higher electric costs in the communities in whichthey are built are more complicated than the notion of a simple direct correlation. But it is beyond dispute that data centers need a huge amount of electricity and an endless supply of water to cool the facilities.The Trump administration reacted to those concerns by taking the first step in ensuring that AI companies acknowledge the issue and do their part to mitigate the impact, a move Trump mentioned during his February State of the Union address and finalized a few days later.“Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge,” the White House announced on March 4, a pledge that means the companies agreed to “build, bring, or buy new generation resources and cover the cost of all power delivery infrastructure upgrades required for their data centers, ensuring such expenses are not passed to American households.”In accordance with the plan, “…these companies will negotiate separate rate structures withutilities and State governments, and commit to pay these rates for the power and related infrastructure brought online to service their data centers, whether they use the electricity or not.”“We’re telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs,” Trump said in his State of the Union remarks. “We have an old grid. It could never handle the kind of numbers, the amount of electricity that’s needed. So I’m telling them, they can build their own plant. They’re going to produce their own electricity. It will ensure the company’s ability to getelectricity, while at the same time, lowering prices of electricity for you.” While many data center operators did not originally intend to build their own off-grid gas plants,the reality of their needs are leading an increasing number of them to change their minds.“Power plants have bloomed in New Albany, Ohio, near Columbus, as if overnight,” the NewYork Times recently reported. “It was little more than a year ago that Sloan Spalding, the mayor, learned that a data center developer wanted to build the town’s first gas-fired power plant. Now, three are under construction, all meant to exclusively power data centers, and at least one other is planned.”Plants like those “will not affect the price of electricity for Ohio residents because the facilitiesare not connected to the grid,” the Times reported. The same is true elsewhere.And once again, natural gas is king.“Companies are gravitating to gas because it can theoretically generate electricity all day, unlikethe wind or sun. And smaller gas generators and engines can be installed much faster than nuclear power plants,” the Times noted.The only downside is that the pledge made by the data center companies is for now voluntary,with little enforcement outside deals negotiated with state regulators. That's why it’s more important than ever to codify the Affordable, Reliable, Clean Energy Security Act (ARC-ES), introduced in Congress late last year by Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH). ARC-ES “would require relevant federal agencies — such as the Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency — to review any actions relating to affordable, reliable, or clean energy within 90 days and submit a report to Congress. The bill guarantees that our most affordable and reliable energy sources, including nuclear and natural gas, remain part of the energy mix – a crucial requirement to guarantee affordable and reliable energy for American households and businesses.”Regardless of any controversies surrounding artificial intelligence and the data centers needed to generate the growing demand, what everyone should agree on is the importance of the U.S. being the world leader in the AI boom. Allowing China or other countries to control AI technology would spell disaster for Americans and other freedom-loving nations. Natural gas will be the leading source of electricity generation for decades to come. Protecting its production beyond President Trump’s term should be the highest priority for the president and for lawmakers who want to ensure America’s place as the world leader in technology.
Free AI for all? UAE becomes first to offer ChatGPT Plus to every resident and citizen - The Arabian Stories News -- The United Arab Emirates has become the first country in the world to offer free access to ChatGPT Plus for all residents and citizens. The move is part of a sweeping new partnership with OpenAI under the ambitious “Stargate UAE” initiative to build the largest AI supercomputing cluster on the planet. OpenAI has announced the collaboration with Abu Dhabi-based tech powerhouse G42, launching a high-stakes project to create a vast AI infrastructure as part of its “OpenAI for Countries” initiative. Central to the deal is Stargate UAE, an AI supercomputing hub backed by industry giants including Oracle, Nvidia, SoftBank, Cisco, and G42. The first data center is scheduled to go live next year. As part of the collaboration, all UAE citizens and residents will now have free access to ChatGPT Plus, which typically costs $20 per month. This nationwide rollout marks a world-first, underlining the UAE’s aggressive investment in next-gen technology. G42 will also match OpenAI’s investments dollar-for-dollar in future U.S.-based data centers, reflecting a transcontinental AI alliance worth tens of billions of dollars. A separate U.S.-UAE agreement will see the development of a 5-gigawatt AI campus in Abu Dhabi—enough to power an entire U.S. state—positioning the site as the largest AI facility outside the U.S. However, the deal has sparked political debate in Washington. Some policymakers, including Rep. Ro Khanna, criticized the decision to build abroad rather than in states like Ohio or Pennsylvania. Others, like former Trump advisor David Sacks, applauded the UAE partnership as a strategic move to counterbalance China’s AI ambitions. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman defended the global initiative, dismissing critics as “naive” and stressing the global scale needed to realize AI’s full potential.
Warren slams Trump admin for pressuring EU to relax tech regulations - Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is demanding to know why the Trump administration pressured European allies to relax regulations that would hold big tech companies accountable for enabling child sexual exploitation online. In a letter on Wednesday to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Warren called out the trade office for threatening countries throughout Europe with tariffs after they initiated formal investigations into Elon Musk’s xAI and its Grok image generator. A version of Grok released last year resulted in the online spread of millions of sexually explicit deepfakes. “The White House’s trade negotiations appear to be focused on securing advantages for the President and his tech billionaire friends, rather than delivering the new manufacturing jobs and balanced trade he promised American families,” wrote Warren, a member of the Senate Finance Committee and its subcommittee focused on trade. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), in a report on Tuesday, identified X, owned by xAI, and Grok as two of the biggest contributors to online sexual exploitation of kids in 2026. The group also put Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the top of its “Dirty Dozen” ranking, a list of entities that it says profit from sexual exploitation. Warren said in her letter that big tech companies have been receiving exemptions from many of the Trump administration’s tariffs, which roiled markets last April, when they were first introduced in sweeping fashion. Meanwhile, Warren wrote, President Donald Trump “has used the tariffs to bully other countries into abandoning their regulations countering Big Tech abuses.” Warren is seeking records from the USTR indicating whether it’s communicated with officials working on behalf of Musk’s businesses seeking to “oppose or undermine content moderation policies,” and whether USTR officials have heard from industry executives or lobbyists on the matter. SpaceX, Musk’s aerospace and defense company, recently acquired xAI. The company is expected to soon file paperwork for an IPO that could be the largest in history.
AI agents are coming for money launderers - DailyPay, an earned wage access provider that processes $30 billion a year, has to keep an eye out for money laundering and other forms of financial crime, just as banks need to do. To do this work efficiently, the company recently began using agentic AI — autonomous systems that act as agents, leveraging large language models to reason, plan and take multistep actions.
Fincen whistleblowers could earn 30% of penalties in new rule - Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network on Monday proposed a rule to formally establish rewards for its illicit activity whistleblowers, allowing awards of 10% to 30% of monetary penalties collected from enforcement actions stemming from their tips.
- Key insight: The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is proposing rewards of up to 30% for information that leads to successful illicit activity penalties.
- Supporting data: Whistleblowers could earn 10% to 30% of the collected monetary penalties resulting from tips.
- Expert quote: "President Trump has been clear that Americans have a right to know that their tax dollars are not being diverted to fund acts of global terror or to fund luxury cars for fraudsters," said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. "At Treasury, we follow the money, and we strongly encourage individuals to come forward with credible tips to help safeguard our financial system."
The Treasury's financial crimes enforcement wing proposed a rule Monday that would incentivize whistleblowers to come forth with information that could assist in cracking down on scams, fraud or money laundering, at a time of heightened geopolitical risk.
Banks are better positioned to benefit from AI than many realize - Despite headlines threatening massive AI-driven disruption of the industry, legacy financial institutions with vast troves of customer data are actually very well positioned to reap the benefits of AI – if they understand how, writes Stephanie Ferris, of FIS.
- Key insight: Legacy financial institutions with vast troves of customer data are actually very well positioned to reap the benefits of AI — if they understand how.
- What's at stake: There are real questions about where AI could take us as a society without the proper guardrails.
- Forward look: People want to bank with people, buy financial products from people and know the faces behind the transaction. Technology's role is to augment those relationships, not replace them.
The conversation around AI and financial services has reached a fever pitch. Every day brings new headlines about machines replacing white-collar jobs and upending entire industries.Despite headlines threatening massive AI-driven disruption of the industry, legacy financial institutions with vast troves of customer data are actually very well positioned to reap the benefits of AI — if they understand how.
A third of banks ban employees from using gen AI. Here's why Though financial services leaders are aware of and hopeful about the benefits of using artificial intelligence to become more efficient and to help employees do their jobs, 30% still ban the use of generative AI tools within their company, according to a survey conducted by Arizent, publisher of American Banker. False information, job losses, diminishing skills and human interaction, among other concerns, have bankers worried about deploying both generative artificial intelligence, like ChatGPT, and more long-accepted forms of AI like machine learning, according to a new survey of American Banker readers.
More Americans asking AI for financial advice: TD survey | American Banker Last year, only 10% of surveyed Americans reported they had asked large language models such as ChatGPT and Claude for financial advice. This year, 55% did so, according to TD Bank's second annual survey of 2,500 consumers, released Tuesday.
Bankers say AI is not eating jobs, yet | American Banker - graphic presentation of survey results
US card networks accelerate bets on agentic AI - Visa and Mastercard's embrace of agentic artificial intelligence is starting to result in product releases and deployments, a signal that new forms of artificial intelligence are starting to mature.
- Key insights: Visa and Mastercard have debuted new products that use agentic artificial intelligence.
- What's at stake: The card networks' moves will make agentic AI more widely available to merchants and card issuers.
- Forward look: Visa's research says AI-to-AI commerce is poised to expand in coming years.
US Senators Unveil 'Mined In America Act' To Reshore BTC Mining, Codify Bitcoin Strategic Reserve -- Republican Senators Bill Cassidy and Cynthia Lummis introduced legislation Monday aimed at reshaping the U.S. digital asset mining sector, tightening supply chains, and embedding bitcoin into federal reserve strategy. The proposal, titled the “Mined in America Act,” would establish a federal certification program for domestic crypto mining operations while phasing out reliance on foreign-manufactured hardware. It also seeks to codify Donald Trump’s executive order creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, placing the policy on statutory footing, according to a release on the matter. “Digital asset mining is a big part of our economy. We should be doing it here in America,” Cassidy said in a statement, framing the bill as a supply chain and manufacturing initiative. Lummis tied the legislation to a broader push to position the United States as a global hub for digital assets. “The Mined in America Act brings this industry home through forward-thinking initiatives to secure our financial future,” she said. The bill directs the Department of Commerce to create a voluntary “Mined in America” certification for mining facilities and pools that meet security and sourcing standards. Certified operators would be required to transition away from hardware linked to foreign adversaries over a phased timeline, with the goal of full compliance by the end of the decade. Lawmakers and industry advocates have pointed to a stark imbalance in the current mining ecosystem. While the United States controls an estimated 38% of global bitcoin hash rate, roughly 97% of specialized mining hardware is produced by Chinese firms, including Bitmain and MicroBT.
BankThink Bitcoin is slowly supplanting legacy mechanisms of monetary policy Bitcoin has evolved beyond peer-to-peer electronic cash or digital gold, and is now positioned as a foundation for neutral collateral in an increasingly global economy, writes Jeff Garzik, of Hemi Labs.
- Key insight: As bitcoin plays an ever-larger role in cross-border transactions, it remains to be seen is how prepared the various bodies overseeing global finance are to engage with an asset that operates largely beyond their ability to meaningfully control it.
- What's at stake: Bitcoin's competition for institutional adoption isn't other cryptocurrencies — it's the legacy mechanisms of monetary policy that govern how countries store and transfer value.
- Forward look: Every central bank digital currency acknowledges programmable money is inevitable, and every institution adding bitcoin to its balance sheet is a vote of confidence in cryptocurrency's long-term stability.
In 2025, bitcoin rose precipitously into the ranks of institutional assets. Despite this market shift, the price dropped 30% as long-term holders and whales sold off at increasing rates, leaving the broader bitcoin community and mainstream press fixated on price action. But price movement isn't the right focus; it's only a symptom of an asset beginning to displace institutional anchors like gold, sovereign bonds and fiat currency that run the global financial system. As bitcoin plays an ever-larger role in cross-border transactions, what remains to be seen is how prepared the various bodies overseeing global finance are to engage with an asset that operates largely beyond their ability to meaningfully control it.
BankThink Bitcoin may not be dead, but it needs a new hook - Bitcoin is dead! OK, that's an April Fool's Day joke.* Or a prediction that's been made scores of times before () and hasn't come true. But today it's maybe, kind of, actually only a half-joke. Because researchers at Google released a paper this week explaining in depth (without detailing the exact steps) how a quantum computer could, as soon as within three years, defeat bitcoin's encryption and render the network extremely vulnerable to malefactors. Quantum computers are one dire threat for cryptos, but public disinterest is a bigger one.
Treasury outlines state v. federal stablecoin oversight balance - The proposal allows states substantial flexibility but sets guardrails against regulatory arbitrage.
- Key insight: States get flexibility in setting capital and liquidity, but must match federal protections on "uniform standards," like AML.
- Expert quote: "A State-level regulatory regime that nominally provides examination authority but limits its exercise — for example, by permitting examinations only upon the request or consent of a State qualified payment-stablecoin issuer — would likely not satisfy [the requirements]." —Treasury's proposal
- Forward look: The proposal is open for 60 days and set for publication in the Federal Register Friday.
The Treasury on Wednesday proposed criteria aimed at assessing when state-level stablecoin regulatory frameworks are "substantially similar" to the federal framework. The proposal, set for publication in the Federal Register on Friday for a 60-day public-comment period, gives states substantial leeway to deviate from the federal framework but contains some guardrails to ensure states do not create opportunities for companies to circumvent the rules and guidance pursuant to the law. "The proposed rule recognizes that the Act provides States with broad discretion to design many aspects of their own unique regulatory regimes and accordingly provides wide latitude for States to deviate from certain Federal regulations while remaining 'substantially similar' to the Federal regulatory framework," the proposal states. "A State-level regulatory regime that nominally provides examination authority but limits its exercise — for example, by permitting examinations only upon the request or consent of a State qualified payment-stablecoin issuer — would likely not satisfy [the requirements]."The rule would implement the GENIUS Act's language that allows smaller issuers — defined as those with under $10 billion in total payment-stablecoins in circulation — to opt for state oversight if their regimes are substantially similar to federal standards, as determined by an interagency review committee composed of principles from the Treasury, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Federal Reserve. The proposal outlines a relatively flexible approach. State regimes would generally comply if they meaningfully mirror the federal framework, but states could choose the particular regulatory processes to accomplish this. State regulators would need effective authority to oversee the kinds of nonnegotiable standards they have less discretion over. These less flexible, "uniform" standards include those on reserve requirements, anti-money laundering and sanctions. States are obligated to protect stablecoin users at least as well as the federal government does in issues of custody and bankruptcy procedure. States could generally write their own rules on things like capital and liquidity, but a state regime would be supplanted by federal standards if it effectively limits oversight, waters down disclosures or lets companies take more risk with reserves than enshrined in federal standards. Treasury also proposed that federal oversight would trump state regimes where states make rules that let companies shop for easier rules."The State-level regulatory regime must not materially narrow, condition, or limit the scope of the uniform requirements compared to the Federal regulatory framework," the proposal states. "For example, if a State-level regulatory regime requires State qualified payment-stablecoin issuers to publicly disclose the issuer's redemption policy … but does not require that the issuer publicly, clearly, and conspicuously disclose in plain language all fees associated with purchasing or redeeming payment-stablecoins, the State-level regulatory regime would materially diverge from the Federal regulatory framework."The Treasury's proposal comes nearly a month after the OCC's proposed rule implementing the GENIUS Act. OCC's proposal officially bars platforms from paying yield on stablecoins held in custody, but allows challenges under a flexible "rebuttable" standard and stops short of an impermeable, sweeping ban on platforms paying value on consumer stablecoins. The FDIC board in December proposed a rule setting the process for FDIC-supervised banks to apply to issue payment-stablecoins through subsidiaries. In February, the FDIC announced it would extend the comment period to May 18.
Coinbase receives conditional approval for OCC trust charter -Coinbase is now the latest cryptocurrency exchange to receive conditional approval for a national trust bank charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
- Key insight: Coinbase got conditional approval from the OCC to establish a trust bank subsidiary for assessing institutional money.
- What's at stake: Bank trade groups have expressed concern that giving charters to crypto firms increases risk exposure, while Comptroller Gould has been pushing for "diversity" in the finance sector.
- Expert quote: "The conditional approvals reflect the OCC's leading role in defining how crypto activities will operate within the traditional bank regulatory system." —Klaros Group's Michele Alt
The cryptocurrency exchange is the latest digital asset firm to receive a trust bank charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
SoFi to offer combined fiat and crypto enterprise banking - SoFi Technologies is offering its business customers a combination of traditional and crypto banking.
- Key insight: SoFi is launching an enterprise product for businesses to manage fiat and crypto transactions under the same institution.
- Expert quote: "Keeping traditional/fiat and crypto banking on a single platform is a defensive play to prevent eroding share of wallet." - Simon-Kucher's Abdul Bhatti
- Forward look: The option to co-manage fiat and digital assets could impact where enterprise customers working with both types choose to open accounts.
The digital bank launched Big Business Banking, an interface for businesses to manage fiat and crypto assets in the same place and conduct 24/7 transactions.
Crypto needs the yield compromise more than banks do — Bankers and crypto firms might have to reckon with the status quo over a contentious part of crypto legislation, a prospect that's not desirable to either party but could ultimately end up favoring banks. The Senate Banking Committee delayed its discussion of the much-anticipated crypto market-structure bill, hours after exchange Coinbase Global Inc pulled its support for the latest version.
- Key insight: With Congress on vacation and the midterms looming, the crypto and the banking industries are looking at navigating a world without the market structure bill.
- Forward look: The crypto-market structure bill could still pass this year, but probably only if Congress decides the unlikely route of appeasing neither the banking industry nor large crypto players like Coinbase.
- What's at stake: Experts say that the stakes for crypto firms of not passing some kind of market structure legislation is higher on the yield issue.
The stalemate over stablecoin yield leaves both sides uneasy, but ultimately favor banks.
$71.4M in regulated stablecoins stolen in crypto heist - The largest crypto theft of 2026 hit Drift Protocol after attackers exploited a small security council, putting a spotlight on DeFi vulnerabilities.
- What's at stake: The flow of stolen assets through reg ulated crypto entities casts heavy scrutiny on U.S. stablecoin issuers and their ability to freeze illicit transactions.
- Expert quote: Blockchain security firm CertiK confirmed the theft is "the largest security incident in 2026 so far."
- Supporting data: The theft drained more than half of the platform's total deposited assets and sent the native token's value plummeting by 37%.
Overview bullets generated by AI with editorial review
Prediction markets: Polymarket removes bet on rescue mission in Iran - Polymarket removed a forum related to the rescue mission of U.S. military servicemembers amid political pressure, the latest sign of mounting scrutiny around prediction markets. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., decried the Polymarket page that allowed users to bet on which day the U.S. would confirm the rescue of the two airmen after an American F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran. The lawmaker called the page “DISGUSTING” in an X post. “They could be your neighbor, a friend, a family member,” Moulton wrote on Friday. “And people are betting on whether or not they’ll be saved.”In a response on X, Polymarket said: “We took this market down immediately as it does not meet our integrity standards.”“It should not have been posted, and we are investigating how this slipped through our internal safeguards,” Polymarket wrote.In a separate X post, Polymarket said it doesn’t “make money or charge any fees on any geopolitical markets.” U.S. and Iranian military forces are searching for a missing American airman after its F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran on Friday. One crew member has been rescued, but another is not accounted for.Moulton last month banned his staff from using prediction market platforms like Polymarket or Kalshi, a policy that his office believes is the first of its kind in Congress., Moulton also said on X that Donald Trump Jr., the son of President Donald Trump, “is an investor in this dystopian death market and may have access to intelligence that isn’t public yet.” The Massachusetts lawmaker is part of a growing chorus of voices in Washington calling for stronger oversight of these betting platforms as interest swells.A group of congressional Democrats introduced legislation late last month that would bar prediction markets from allowing wagers on elections, war and government actions, in addition to sports.In February, six Democratic senators urged the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to clarify that it will prohibit any contracts related to an individual’s death. These contracts “present dangerous national security risks,” the lawmakers wrote.
Are banks safe from insider trading in prediction markets? --The largest banks in the country are actively reviewing their policies to explicitly address employees' use of prediction markets, as lawmakers and regulators seek to get a handle on how to oversee risks of insider trading on the platforms.The issue has taken on greater urgency amid the rapid rise of prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket. Trading volumes on such platforms grew from around $16 billion in 2024 to nearly $64 billion last year, according to a recent report on the market.
- Key insight: The rules around insider trading in prediction markets are hazier than those that apply to trading traditional securities.
- Supporting data: A recent study found that in two years of trading on Polymarket, at least $143 million of profit was tied to suspicious activity. The research flagged more than 210,000 trades as suspicious, and found that the traders' win rate far exceeded the norm.
- What's at stake: Regulators, lawmakers and prediction market platforms have all made moves in recent weeks to expand oversight of insider trading, especially in cases where politicians and athletes make the trades.
The largest banks in the country each warn employees against using confidential information for trading activities, but they don't specifically enumerate prediction markets or events contracts. Now, oversight of insider trading on such platforms is gaining traction.
US banks with Paris offices on alert due to terror threats - American banks are taking greater security precautions internationally amid concerns about threatened terrorist attacks on their operations in Paris.
- Key insight: Following a foiled bomb plot, several major U.S.-based banks gave their employees the option to work from home this week.
- What's at stake: As the war with Iran continues, banks must be properly prepared for potential acts of terrorism, according to security experts, who say American banks that operate across the globe can be seen as symbols of the U.S. economy.
- Expert quote: "Anyone who's working for a U.S. bank — and any American — should consider their safety around this." — Holden Triplett, co-founder of risk advisory firm Trenchcoat Advisors
After French authorities stopped a bomb plot against a Bank of America office in Paris, security experts warned banks to step up their preparations for terror attacks.
Banks get operational risk relief in Basel proposal Regulators' revised Basel operational risk capital framework makes it easier for the largest U.S. banks, known as Category I and II firms, to calculate how much unborrowed money they must hold to guard against losses from events like cyberattacks, fraud or compliance failures.
- Key insight: The proposal simplifies operational risk capital for the largest banks.
- Forward look: Critics warn lower capital could raise systemic risk as in prior crises.
- Key quote: "The proposal really misses the mark in terms of what its original intent was." —Phillip Basil, director at Better Markets
Banks have a lot to celebrate in the operational risk framework, but advocates warn it cuts capital too far.
Bowman says capital changes will fuel small-business lending - Federal Reserve Vice Chair Michelle Bowman said the Fed's proposed capital framework will inject up to $100 billion into the economy to support small-business loans.
Rep. Hill blames the Senate for failing to pass bank relief --House Financial Services Chairman French Hill is pushing regulatory relief for banks, reforming the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and advocating a "whole-of-government" assault on fraud.
OCC scraps bank-recovery plans -The regulator argues the plans were costly, too theoretical and ineffective, eliminating the financial crisis-era requirement as part of the Trump Administration's deregulatory push.
Fed's Barr: Weakening oversight risks 'race to the bottom' -Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr warned Wednesday that the current deregulatory environment can trigger a "race to the bottom" in financial services.Speaking at an AI symposium hosted by the National Fair Housing Alliance, Barr said loosening oversight in the financial sector can create a "sugar high" initially, but problems may emerge if standards are eased too far.
- Key insight: Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr worried that too much deregulation could hurt rather than help the financial system. He also said cuts to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have weakened oversight of the nonbank sector.
- Expert quote: "If you look at these patterns in history, people start to get complacent, or the political mood in Washington changes, and regulation starts to weaken, and you get a little sugar high at first. But you know that bill comes due, it always comes due, so down the road you might have greater risk." — Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr
- Forward look: A federal appeals court is currently deciding whether the CFPB can move forward with widespread layoffs, further minimizing the bureau's ability to oversee parts of the financial services sector.
Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr said Wednesday that his dissents over the past year on proposed regulatory changes reflect concern that oversight of banks could be significantly weakened.
FCC hits telecom firm that enabled bank impersonation calls The Federal Communications Commission is seeking to charge a telecommunications company $4.5 million for allegedly facilitating bank impersonation calls, marking the agency's latest move to curb phone call-related fraud.
- Key insight: The action, which comes as fraud against consumers continues to rise, marks the FCC's latest effort to crack down on illegal robocalls.
- Supporting data: In 2025, consumers lost $15.9 billion due to fraud, up more than 30% from the prior year, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
- Forward look: The telecom provider, Voxbeam, can now respond to the FCC's notice with evidence and legal arguments.
The Federal Communications Commission proposed a $4.5 million fine against Voxbeam Telecommunications, which it accused of facilitating fraud scams. Many of the calls spoofed phone numbers belonging to American banks.
CFPB firing line: DOJ moves to axe half the bureau's staff - The Department of Justice is seeking court approval to immediately fire more than 600 employees, slashing the CFPB's workforce by 53%.
Court halts Trump policy capping homeless & housing dollars -- A federal judge in Rhode Island has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from enforcing new conditions it placed on long-term housing aid for homeless Americans in a lawsuit Kentucky joined with several other states and cities. In November, the administration said it would shift the nearly $4 billion it uses to combat homelessness by capping federal assistance for permanent supportive housing at 30% and allocating more dollars to transitional housing programs with strict work or addiction-treatment requirements. The last-minute changes risk 70% of the more than $15 million Kentucky had been approved to receive for permanent supportive housing in 118 of the state’s 120 counties, and the Tuesday ruling unlocks more than $21 million the administration could have withheld, Gov. Andy Beshear said in a Dec. 23 statement. “We should be finding ways to solve homelessness, not cause it, and unlawfully holding this congressionally approved funding was a dangerous step that would put thousands of Kentuckians and millions of Americans at risk of losing their home,” Beshear said. The Trump administration withdrew its plan earlier this month in a move Rhode Island federal district court Judge Mary S. McElroy called an attempt “to evade court jurisdiction.” The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said it would reissue the proposal after making “appropriate revisions.” Federal Continuum of Care funding from HUD supports nearly 11,000 year-round beds in Kentucky, according to a 2024 housing inventory. Lexington receives more than $2.5 million every year under the program, the vast majority of which supports permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing services. Under the administration’s proposal, Fayette County stood to lose more than two-thirds of its federal funding. U.S. housing-first policy ensures chronically homeless Americans receive long-term shelter and offers treatment for the root causes, such as addiction or mental illness. The Trump administration’s proposal would have required recipients to accept that treatment or find work.
Mortgage rates hit a 7-month high, as buyers retreat - Mortgage rates have increased for five consecutive weeks, sidelining potential buyers in the middle of the spring homebuying season. The 30-year fixed rate climbed to 6.46% this week, its highest mark since September, as mortgage applications fell 10.4% and sellers outnumber buyers by a record 46%.
Case-Shiller: National House Price Index Up 0.9% year-over-year in January - S&P/Case-Shiller released the monthly Home Price Indices for January ("January" is a 3-month average of November, December and January closing prices). November closing prices include some contracts signed in September, so there is a significant lag to this data. Here is a graph of the month-over-month (MoM) change in the Case-Shiller National Index Seasonally Adjusted (SA). The National index increased 0.23% month-over-month (MoM) seasonally adjusted, This is the 6th consecutive month with a MoM increase seasonally adjusted that followed 5 consecutive months with a MoM decline. On the FHFA index: FHFA House Price Index® Up 0.1 Percent in January; Up 1.6 Percent from Last Year -U.S. house prices rose 0.1 percent in January, according to the U.S. Federal Housing (FHFA) seasonally adjusted monthly House Price Index (FHFA HPI®). House prices rose 1.6 percent from January 2025 to January 2026. The previously reported 0.1 percent price change in December was revised upward to 0.3 percent.For the nine census divisions, seasonally adjusted monthly home price changes ranged from -0.7 percent in the West South Central division to +1.7 percent in the East South Central division. The 12-month changes ranged from -0.8 percent in the West South Central division to +4.4 percent in the East North Central division.Here is a graph from the FHFA report comparing the annual change by region for January 2026 and 2025.As expected, we are seeing significant regional differences. From S&P S&P Cotality Case-Shiller Index Reports Annual Gain in January 2026 The S&P Cotality Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index posted a 0.9% annual gain for January 2026, down from a 1.1% rise in the previous month.• For the eighth consecutive month, inflation outpaced national home price appreciation, with CPI running 1.5 percentage points above the 0.9% annual gain — leaving real home values modestly lower year over year. Geographic divergence persisted, with New York (+4.9%), Chicago (+4.6%), and Cleveland (+3.6%) leading all markets while Tampa extended its decline to -2.5% year over year ... “January’s results show home price gains continuing to cool, with the U.S. National Index up 0.9% year over year — down from 1.1% in the prior month,” “The 10-City and 20-City Composites followed the same path, easing to 1.7% and 1.2%, respectively, from 2.0% and 1.4% the prior month. Price levels remain elevated, but the rate of appreciation has slowed materially....The S&P Cotality Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, reported a 0.9% annual gain for January. The 10-City Composite saw an annual increase of 1.7%, down from a 2.0% increase in the previous month. The 20-City Composite posted a year-over-year increase of 1.2%, down from a 1.4% rise in the previous month. ..The pre-seasonally adjusted U.S. National Index and the 20-City Composite Index saw a drop of 0.1% and the 10-City Composite decreased 0.03%. After seasonal adjustment, the U.S. National, 10-City Composite, and 20-City Composite Indices each reported a monthly increase of 0.2%.This graph shows the nominal seasonally adjusted Composite 10, Composite 20 and National indices (the Composite 20 was started in January 2000).
Fed's Logan says US oil producers unlikely to provide near-term relief for consumers (Reuters) - Dallas Federal Reserve President Lorie Logan said on Thursday that U.S. oil producers are unlikely to boost output and shield consumers from higher gasoline prices any time soon. The price U.S. producers say they need to see to start drilling is just shy of $70 a barrel, well below the current price of around $110 a barrel, Logan said during a conference at her regional Fed bank. She added that prices at or above that breakeven level would need to be sustained for the firms to make the necessary investment that could eventually bring relief for consumers. U.S. oil firms "need to have a sense that those higher prices are going to stay around for a while, and so I am not hearing that we're going to see a dramatic increase in production here in the short run," she said. Logan's comments suggest that energy price rises tied to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran will remain a near-term problem for inflation and overall economic activity, even though she said the U.S. has buffers that other nations closer to the conflict don't. The Dallas Fed chief noted that inflation continues to be one of her chief economic concerns. "On the inflation side, even before the conflict in the Middle East, I wasn't convinced that we were headed on a path all the way to our 2% target," she said. "It's incredibly important to restore price stability, to get inflation back to 2% because stable inflation is just the bedrock for a strong economy." Echoing the monetary policy view of many of her colleagues, Logan said the current uncertainty means that the Fed should watch and wait while taking in information on the economy’s performance. "I really like thinking about things in scenarios right now," Logan said. "I think policy is positioned to adjust to the data as it's coming in, and we're prepared to make adjustments to the policy path as appropriate." Surging energy prices are a notable challenge for the Fed at the current time. The U.S. central bank lowered interest rates by three quarters of a percentage point last year as it sought to provide support to a softening job market amid still-high price pressures. The war is increasing the risk that inflation will rise even higher, while creating fresh troubles for the job market and overall economic growth. As a result, there are difficult trade-offs for the Fed, which is mandated by Congress to contain inflation and promote maximum sustainable job growth. Zahra Afshar, the head of legal, human rights and sustainability at Ahmad Tea, says erratic rainfall can erode soil, and heat can burn the tops of leaves. The central bank traditionally looks through energy price increases, as they tend to impact overall price pressures on a temporary basis and bleed into underlying prices in a limited fashion. St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem, however, said on Wednesday that the current long stretch of above-target inflation creates a greater risk that energy inflation could become a longer-lasting economic problem. Capital Economics said in a note the "indirect" impact of higher energy prices on inflation, separate from broader wage and price increases, could range from seven-tenths of a percentage point in the U.S. to nearly 1.5 points in the euro zone, with the UK and Japan somewhere in between. The Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, was up 2.8% in January, and by an even more challenging 3.1% when stripped of food and energy costs.
"Resilient" US Manufacturing Sector Surges In Face Of War, Prices Paid Up --Amid the fog of war and fading 'hard' data, the final March S&P Global Manufacturing PMI printed 52.3 (a small drop from the flash 52.4 print), higher than the 51.8 print for February.“Faster growth of output in March points to encouraging resilience for US manufacturing in the face of the outbreak of war in the Middle East," according to Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence. The ISM Manufacturing PMI also rose from 52.4 to 52.7 - the highest since August 2022... Graphs Source: Bloomberg Under the hood, Prices Paid continued to rise dramatically while New Orders and Employment dipped... Business confidence regarding output in the year ahead has also so far held up well, if one follows the S&P Global report. "This sustained resilience in part reflects reduced concerns over government policies such as tariffs, but also indicates that producers anticipate only a short-term and modest impact from the war, which is clearly uncertain. It remains early days in terms of the impact of the conflict, and a sharp rise in prices and delivery delays has cast a cloud over the outlook, threatening to drive inflation higher, dampen demand and throttle supply chains, warns S&P Global's Williamson. Factory input costs have already jumped higher on the back of surging oil prices and supplier delays have become more widespread than at any time since October 2022, linked to the war exacerbating existing shipping, haulage and port delays. “Some manufacturers are hence reporting stock building as a precaution against future price rises or supply shortages, and hiring has almost stalled in order to reduce staffing costs, underscoring the growing concern about how the war might cause problems for factories in the coming weeks." Obviously, if price pressures and supply delays persist, demand, employment and production capabilities will inevitably start to be more seriously affected..
ADP Employment Reports Shows Better Than Expected Job Gains, Accelerating Wages -The ADP National Employment report printed a better than expected +62k jobs added in March (+40k exp) and modestly down from an upwardly revised 66k in February. That is the ninth straight month of job gains. The smallest employers drove job growth for a second month, while hiring in trade, transportation, and utilities continued to decline. "Overall hiring is steady, but job growth continues to favor certain industries, including health care. In March, this solid performance was accompanied by a boost in pay gains for job-changers," said Dr. Nela Richardson Chief Economist, ADP. “In March, this solid performance was accompanied by a boost in pay gains for job-changers.” Additionally, pay for job-stayers rose 4.5% in March Pay growth for job-stayers was unchanged for the third month. For job-changers, year-over-year pay gains accelerated to 6.6%... Certainly no signs yet of the AI displacement as the no hire, no fire (after JOLTS and Claims) economy chugs along.
U.S. jobs growth surges past expectations in March -- U.S. job growth came in well above expectations in March, offering a stronger-than-anticipated signal on the labor market despite recent volatility in economic data. Nonfarm payrolls rose by 178,000 during the month, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, comfortably beating the median estimate of 65,000 from economists surveyed. Forecasts had ranged widely, from a decline of 16,000 to an increase of 151,000, highlighting the uncertainty heading into the release. The stronger headline figure was partially offset by revisions to prior data. February payrolls were revised down to a decline of 133,000 from a previously reported drop of 92,000, while net revisions over the prior two months resulted in a modest 7,000 reduction. Still, the March print suggests the labor market remains more resilient than feared. The unemployment rate edged down to 4.3% from 4.4%, coming in slightly better than expectations for no change. Wage growth, however, showed some signs of moderation. Average hourly earnings rose 0.2% month over month, below expectations of 0.3% and down from the prior 0.4% increase. On an annual basis, earnings grew 3.5%, also missing forecasts of 3.7%. "Overall though this was still clearly a better than expected report and one that justifies the current wait-and-see approach from the Fed, as it assesses how persistent the current oil price shock will be and how likely it is to spill over into other areas of inflation,"
SNAP restrictions 2026: New rules for soda, drinks and candy take effect – The movement to ban SNAP recipients from buying soda, candy and energy drinks with their benefits is growing. Four more states have been granted waivers from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Services to restrict the purchases of sugary drinks and snacks with SNAP dollars. SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, helps low- and no-income Americans afford groceries by loading a debit card with a monthly benefit amount. There are already restrictions on what SNAP recipients can use their benefits for (no alcohol or tobacco, for example). Now, 22 states have additional restrictions in effect or in the works for grocery items deemed “non-nutritious,” like soda and candy. Kansas, Nevada, Ohio and Wyoming have all moved to add new restrictions in the past month. These are the best places to live in the US for 2026, study finds But those states’ new rules won’t go into effect for several months or even years. Four states are ready to start cracking down next month. New restrictions take effect in April in Colorado, Florida, Texas and West Virginia. Colorado and West Virginia’s new rules ban the purchase of soda or soft drinks with SNAP benefits. Florida goes further, also banning the purchase of energy drinks, candy and prepared desserts. Texas SNAP recipients will no longer be able to buy candy or any sweetened drinks that contain more than 5 grams of added sugar or any artificial sweeteners. Virginia was also originally slated to start enforcing new restrictions in April, but has pushed back its target implementation to October, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. West Virginia had also set an original target date of Jan. 1, 2026, for implementation but told retailers they have until April 1 to fully comply. “With these new waivers, we are empowering states to lead, protecting our children from the dangers of highly-processed foods, and moving one step closer to the President’s promise to Make America Healthy Again,” USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a press release. But critics of the restrictions say it puts unnecessary restrictions on the poorest in America.
Ohio school named finalist for $250,000 education prize - — Utica Shale Academy has been named a finalist for a national award recognizing innovative approaches to career education, school officials announced. The Salineville-based school is one of 10 finalists nationwide for the Future Forward Schools Prize, a three-year initiative that highlights programs helping students explore career paths early. The award, presented through a partnership between Building Hope, a national nonprofit supporting charter and innovative schools, and Britebound, will provide $250,000 annually to five selected schools. Winners are expected to be announced in early May. Utica Shale Academy superintendent Bill Watson said the funding would support a proposed Appalachian Applied Skills Training Project, aimed at expanding hands-on technical training for students. The spike in U.S. gas prices is having a big impact on workers who drive their personal cars for a living. The program would focus on skills such as wheel service, alignment certification and preventive vehicle maintenance, giving students practical experience and industry-recognized credentials. If selected, the school plans to introduce a tire certification program in partnership with Snap-on. Students would learn to change, balance and rotate tires using vehicles from the school’s transportation fleet. Watson said the school would purchase tires for its fleet and perform maintenance in-house, allowing students to gain real-world experience. The program could begin during the next school year. Utica Shale Academy serves more than 170 students in grades 7-12 and focuses on career and technical education for at-risk students, offering certifications that prepare them for the workforce. The school is one of three Ohio institutions named as finalists. The other Ohio schools are Midview Local School District in Grafton and Old Brook High School Parma Campus in Parma.
College students struggle to identify problematic gray zones in academic practice, study finds - Students across education levels have a blind spot for identifying situations that might bring their academic integrity into questionable territory, a study finds. When navigating questions on citation, collaboration, and data collection, students in higher education struggle to identify the gray zones in academic practice. In a comprehensive study surveying over 3,000 European students from upper secondary to Ph.D. level, researchers found that while students at higher levels tend to be better at spotting clear-cut violations of academic norms, their ability to identify gray zone practices did not increase along their educational trajectory. “We need to recognize that academic integrity cannot be reduced to questions concerning plagiarism," said Mikkel Willum Johansen.In some cases, the opposite was even true: Presented with two examples of gray zone practices, 17% and 20% of the upper secondary level participants were able to identify them as such, whereas only 12% of the Bachelor and 14% of the Ph.D. level participants were able to do the same."It is worrying that gray zone practices seem to sit in a blind spot in students' understanding of academic integrity in higher education," said lead author Willum Johansen, associate professor at the Department of Science Education, University of Copenhagen."These are the situations that can inadvertently lead to academic malpractice, and it is clear that the students are not adequately trained to spot them," said the researcher.Participants were also asked whether they had received formal training in academic integrity, and the researchers found that training had no notable effect on their ability to identify gray zone practices.Participants in the study were further asked if they had violated academic norms in different ways. The researcher found that participants seemed to develop a better grasp on plagiarism at the more advanced study levels, but that their collaboration and data handling skills remained lacking. For example, 45% of the bachelor level participants admitted adding students as co-authors of group assignments even though they had not contributed, while 14% of the Ph.D. level participants admitted having deleted deviating data "based on a gut feeling that they were inaccurate" and 20% admitted to keeping inaccurate records.Once again, the researchers found that training made no difference to the prevalence of these types of questionable data practices.The results have clear implications for how to train academic integrity, said Willum Johansen."Plagiarism is widespread at the upper secondary level, but almost eradicated at Ph.D. level. This seems to indicate that efforts in this area are paying off," the researcher noted."But we clearly need to put more emphasis on gray zone practices—not just the clear-cut cases of violations. We should further recognize that academic integrity cannot be reduced to questions concerning plagiarism. We also need to pay attention to collaboration and data practices. These results call for a revision of academic integrity training at all educational levels."
Some of the most popular graduate degrees don’t pay off, study finds — Some of the most popular graduate degrees don’t seem to offer much, if any, financial return once costs are factored in — or at least that’s the takeaway from a report published this week by the Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center at American University. Economists Joseph Altonji and Zhengren Zhu, using administrative data from Texas, found that graduate programs boost students’ earnings by about 17 percent on average, though returns vary widely by field. Across 18 of the most popular graduate programs, pharmacy (PharmD), medicine (MD) and law (JD) delivered the highest returns, increasing students’ earnings by 114 percent, 110 percent and 59 percent, respectively. By comparison, returns were significantly lower for programs like business administration (16 percent), social work (7 percent) and clinical psychology (4 percent). But those gains don’t tell the full story. Once factors like tuition costs and foregone earnings are taken into account, the financial payoff from many graduate degrees shrinks and, in some cases, turns negative. “Outside some highly compensated professional fields, including law and medicine, graduate school is a risky proposition,” Preston Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote in a blog post on the findings. A master’s degree in psychology, for example, is associated with about a $16,000 increase in annual earnings, but after adjusting for direct and indirect costs, the lifetime return falls to minus 8 percent. The estimate accounts for what students earn before and during graduate school, helping isolate the impact of the degree itself. Even master’s programs in engineering, which tend to have high post-graduate earnings, yield modest returns once cost adjustments are factored in: electrical engineering (4 percent), mechanical engineering (4 percent) and computer engineering (2 percent). Other fields of study still produced high lifetime returns, even after adjusting for costs: MD (173 percent), PharmD (68 percent), JD (41 percent) and MPA (26 percent).
CDC, health groups spent millions to buy ads on websites flagged for misinformation - Government agencies, health advocacy groups, and health-related businesses spent nearly $37 million over four years to advertise on news websites accused of promoting misinformation, a new study shows. Although authors of the report question the wisdom of financially supporting websites whose content undermines public health, marketing experts say it’s important to reach vaccine-hesitant consumers, wherever they’re found. In the new study, published this week in JAMA Network Open, researchers scrutinized advertising revenue from 11 news sites flagged for spreading health misinformation, including false claims about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. About 10% of the more than $336 million that the sites made from advertising from 2021 to 2024 came from health groups, including government agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); drug makers such Pfizer and Eli Lilly; and nonprofits such as the American Heart Association (AHA) and Alzheimer’s Association. News websites with a history of spreading health misinformation, including NewsMax and ZeroHedge, “are directly at odds with the missions of these organizations,” said Neeraj Patel, a fourth-year medical student at the Yale School of Medicine and first author of the new paper.The misinformation industry earns $2.6 billion a year in estimated advertising revenue, according to a 2021 report from NewsGuard, which deploys trained journalists to track online misinformation, and Comscore, which measures audience, traffic, and advertising for tens of thousands of websites. For every $2.16 in digital ad revenue sent to legitimate newspapers, US advertisers send $1 to misinformation websites, according to the report.In another report, NewsGuard found that more than 4,000 top brands advertised on websites publishing COVID-19 misinformation. Because many of these ads are placed through automated ad-buying platforms based on algorithms, such as Google’s DV360, companies and organizations may not realize where their ads show up. In their joint report, NewsGuard and Comscore write that, “the data underscore the scale at which online misinformation and disinformation is unintentionally bought and paid for by major advertisers, who place their ads on thousands of websites using programmatic advertising, a byzantine, computerized process—leaving brands with little idea where their ads are appearing and what
Nearly half of US family physicians report burnout - Burnout among US family physicians is around 44% and is associated with a significantly higher likelihood of switching jobs or leaving practice altogether. That trend could lead to lower care satisfaction and increased spending for patients, as well as have substantial financial consequences for health care organizations, according to a research letter published yesterday in JAMA Internal Medicine.For the cross-sectional analysis, researchers led by a team from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City examined survey responses from 19,929 family physicians collected from 2016 to 2020 American Board of Family Medicine surveys and used Medicare data to track whether physicians later switched practices or left medicine. When physicians reported “I feel burned out from my work” or “I have become more callous toward people” at least once a week, the researchers defined them as experiencing burnout. Overall, 43.5% of family physicians reported burnout. Those physicians were more likely to either change practices or stop practicing medicine altogether in the following year compared with those who did not report burnout. Specifically, 4.8% of physicians with burnout switched practices, compared with 3.4% of those without burnout, while 5.4% left practice entirely. versus 3.7% of their non-burned-out peers. Burnout was more commonly reported among physicians younger than 55 years, those employed in nonrural areas, and among women. The findings suggest that burnout may play a meaningful role in workforce turnover and in physicians leaving clinical practice altogether. Previous research has suggested that losing a primary care physician can disrupt continuity of care, worsen a patient’s experience of care, and increase emergency department use. It can also drive up costs for patients and health care organizations. To the best of the researchers’ knowledge, this is the first national-level analysis to look at the relationship between burnout and turnover among family physicians. And while the study can’t establish causality and the design had some limitations, including the use of surveys that preceded the COVID pandemic, the findings are consistent with previous estimates linking physician burnout and turnover rates. “These findings suggest that physician burnout warrants sustained attention, not only because of its adverse relationship with professional well-being and patient safety but also because it compromises the physician workforce stability,” the authors write.
Maternal COVID vaccination tied to fewer infant COVID hospital visits - Infants born to mothers who received mRNA COVID vaccination during pregnancy had a 36% lower risk of COVID–related hospital contact in their first 6 months of life, according to a study published in Pediatrics. The protective effect did not extend to other types of infections. In this cohort study that looked at all live-born infants in Norway from March 2021 to December 2023, researchers led by a team at the Department of Community Medicine and Global Health at the University of Oslo looked at health outcomes among newborns whose mothers were vaccinated during pregnancy and compared them with those whose mothers weren’t vaccinated while pregnant. The analysis found that maternal vaccination was associated with a 36% reduced risk of hospital care for COVID in early infancy (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.64), a period when infants are not yet eligible for vaccination. Infants aged 6 months and younger have the highest rates of pediatric hospitalizations due to COVID infection. Protection waned from 52% in the first two months of age to 24% for three- to five-month-olds. Vaccine protects against COVID, but not other infections “[Maternal] vaccination protects the infant indirectly through protecting the mother, and directly by stimulating the production of maternal antibodies, including immunoglobulin G (IgG), which is actively transported across the placenta, and immunoglobulin A, which is secreted in breast milk,” note the authors. “Maternal antibodies confer immunity to the infant before they gradually wane and disappear.” One aim of the study was to determine whether maternal COVID vaccination would help protect against other types of infection in infancy, but the findings showed no evidence that COVID vaccination reduced the risk of hospital contact for infections other than COVID. The analysis had some limitations, including potential differences in health care use between vaccinated and unvaccinated mothers. The study’s main strength is its large sample size, with researchers looking at all live births in Norway over a roughly 2.5-year period.
Describing vaccines in terms of freedom can lead some hesitant older adults to accept COVID shots, study finds -- Vaccine-hesitant older adults were more willing to accept hypothetical COVID shots when they were described as way to preserve their freedom and autonomy rather than as an action that complies with government recommendations, a new study finds. In an experiment in which 907 participants were asked to rate their willingness to get a hypothetical COVID shot, many people concerned about vaccine safety responded favorably when researchers framed COVID vaccination as a way to maintain their freedom from disease and avoid restrictions on activities caused by illness. Participants responded to an online survey about their concerns and beliefs about COVID shots, as well as their willingness to receive hypothetical vaccines with varying levels of effectiveness and side effects. Hypothetical vaccine choices were accompanied by additional reasons to vaccinate, including “personal freedom to do what you want to do,” “help prevent spread of disease,” and “comply with government recommendations.”People with vaccine concerns were 6.3 percentage points more likely to say they would accept a COVID shot if the survey listed autonomy as a benefit than if the survey mentioned government recommendations, according to the study, which was conducted in 2024 and published this week in JAMA Network Open. Talking about freedom also appealed to adults who believe misinformation about COVID shots, such as the false claim that vaccination will alter their DNA or implant microchips in their bodies. This group was 4.6 percentage points more likely to say they would agree to a COVID shot when hearing how vaccines could protect their liberty.Among people without serious concerns or misconceptions about COVID shots, so-called “freedom framing” didn’t change their willingness to be vaccinated, according to the study, led by researchers at the University of Houston’s C.T. Bauer College of Business. The average age of people in the study was 70. About 90% of participants were white. Political party affiliation was equally dived among Democrats, Republicans, and independents.Framing immunization as a way to protect others was associated with increased vaccine acceptance regardless of participants’ feelings about COVID shots.
COVID vaccines, boosters may help mitigate long-COVID risk in cancer patients | COVID-19 vaccination and boosting appeared to play an important role in protecting cancer patients against long COVID during the Omicron wave, researchers reported yesterday in JAMA Network Open. In a retrospective cohort studythat involved more than 76,000 cancer patients with high rates of vaccination and boosting in Singapore, a team led by researchers from Singapore’s Communicable Diseases Agency and Singapore General Hospital assessed the risk of long-COVID diagnosis and of symptoms compatible with long COVID among those infected with SARS-CoV-2 from January 1 through December 31, 2022, when the Omicron variant was prevalent. They compared the risk against noninfected cancer patients. While research suggests immunocompromised cancer patients have a higher risk of long COVID than non-immunocompromised people do, previous studies reporting long-COVID sequelae in cancer patients were conducted primarily during pre-vaccination pandemic waves, the study authors noted. “Emergence of milder Omicron variants and widespread vaccination may have altered long COVID risk,” they wrote. Among the 76,807 patients in the study, 39,256 had SARS-CoV-2 infection and 37,551 were noninfected. The vast majority (93.2%) of all patients in the study had received booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines. No significant difference in long-COVID diagnosis or compatible symptoms was observed between infected and non-infected patients. Although cancer patients who were hospitalized for COVID had a 36% higher risk of long-COVID diagnosis and a 48% higher risk of long COVID–compatible symptoms than non-infected patients, the overall incidence was modest, the authors noted, and the risks did not differ significantly from those associated with seasonal flu hospitalizations. “These findings suggest that COVID-19 vaccination and boosting remain important in mitigating long COVID risk among immunocompromised patients with cancer during endemicity,” the authors concluded.
Antidepressant relieves fatigue in people with long COVID, study finds - An antidepressant called fluvoxamine reduces fatigue in people with long COVID, at least in the short term, according to a new study that tested the drug against a placebo. In a randomized clinical trial of 399 people, all participants had significant fatigue, measured by a score of at least four points on a seven-point scale called the Fatigue Severity Scale, a validated measure in which people rate their level of tiredness or exhaustion. Seven points on the scale indicates the worst fatigue. After 30 days on medication, people randomly assigned to take fluvoxamine were nearly 50% more likely than those assigned to take a placebo to rate their fatigue as three or less. After 60 days, fluvoxamine lowered participants’ self-reported fatigue ratings by nearly half a point, according to the study, published today in Annals of Internal Medicine. Those taking fluvoxamine also reported better quality of life and fewer adverse events than those taking a placebo.The new study also tested metformin, a diabetes drug that can help prevent long COVID. Researchers found that metformin didn’t alleviate fatigue more than a placebo. But the results suggest that fluvoxamine is worth trying in people with long COVID, study co-author Jamie Forrest, PhD, MPH, scientific director of the University of British Columbia’s Health Equity & Resilience Observatory in Vancouver, Canada, told CIDRAP News.Forrest said his goal is to “get people back to feeling normal.” In that regard, “I think fluvoxamine's done great.”Although people with long COVID can experience a wide variety of symptoms, fatigue is the most common. Many people with long COVID feel so exhausted that they can no longer work or take care of their family. Other problems experienced by people with long COVID include joint and muscle pain, heart palpitations, memory problems (commonly called brain fog), sleep disturbances, headaches, digestive problems, and new autoimmune diseases.
More people requesting ‘unvaccinated’ blood for themselves or their children - A growing number of patients who need transfusions are asking for blood from unvaccinated donors, a difficult request to honor, given that blood centers don’t ask donors if they’ve been vaccinated and don’t label blood according to vaccinated status.These requests often delay care and, in some cases, harm patients’ health, according to a report published late last week in Transfusion. Health systems need to develop standardized policies, include counseling, to handle these requests, the report’s authors wrote.The US blood supply is incredibly safe, the authors wrote. Donations are carefully screened for HIV and other potentially infectious microbes. There’s no evidence that blood from unvaccinated people is any safer than other blood.The requests for “unvaccinated blood” increased after the release of COVID-19 vaccines, which saved an estimated 20 million lives in their first year of use, but which have been the subject of misinformation and conspiracy theories.Vanderbilt University Medical Center received 15 requests for unvaccinated blood from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025, according to the new report. The median age of patients was 17 years old; more than half were children.Hospitals have no way to know if donated blood comes from vaccinated or unvaccinated donors, and there are no tests that can differentiate the blood of vaccinated from unvaccinated people.That leads some patients to ask for blood donation from particular people, such as relatives, whom they know to be unvaccinated. That’s a risky request, because such “direct donations” from first-time donors are more likely to contain potentially harmful pathogens compared with blood collected from people who donate regularly, authors noted.In the study, 13 patients received blood donated specifically for them by family members. Two patients got much sicker after refusing a transfusion with standard blood. One developed anemia, which occurs when people don’t have enough iron in their blood. The other developed hemodynamic shock, a life-threatening condition in which people have inadequate blood flow and oxygen delivery to tissues, which can cause multi-organ failure. These cases challenge the claim by some anti-vaccine activists that insisting on blood from unvaccinated donors is “a benign or low-risk accommodation,” authors wrote.Lawmakers in several states—including Connecticut, Kentucky, Montana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wyoming—have attempted to mandate that patients have access to blood transfusions from unvaccinated donors. In January, an Oklahoma legislator went so far as to propose that his state run its own blood bank in order to provide blood donations from unvaccinated people. So far, none of the bills has passed.
Amid rising vaccine hesitancy, more parents reject vitamin K shots - The baby began life as a healthy newborn. But just a few weeks after birth, the child became irritable and appeared to be bleeding under the skin, a condition that can cause bruises or small red spots. When doctors performed a blood test, they found the baby had low levels of several critical proteins that help blood to clot. The body needs vitamin K to make certain proteins, called clotting factors, which are critical for controlling bleeding. Babies have low levels of vitamin K when they’re born, leaving them vulnerable to life-threatening bleeding under the skin and from the umbilical cord, nose, mouth, digestive tract, and brain. Bleeding in the brain can lead to strokes that leave babies with devastating and even fatal injuries.Doctors treated the baby with vitamin K, which can bring clotting factors up to normal levels within four hours. Although they used other treatments to try to stop the bleeding, the infant bled too much and for too long and died, said Allison Wheeler, MD, MSCI, co-author of a paper that tells the infant’s story, published today in Pediatrics. The baby’s death could likely have been prevented with an injection of vitamin K at birth, said Wheeler, an associate professor of pediatric hematology and oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.“This is not a unique scenario,” Wheeler said. “This is unfortunately all too common.”A growing number of parents are rejecting vitamin K shots. The proportion of newborns who didn’t receive the vitamin K shot increased from 2.92% in 2017 to 5.18% in 2024, according to a national analysis of electronic health records published in JAMA in January. Infants who do not receive vitamin K injections are about 81 times more likely than other babies to develop vitamin K deficiency bleeding between one week and six months of life. Wheeler said she fears that she other doctors will be treating more babies with vitamin Kdeficiency bleeding. .“It’s heartbreaking,” she said.
CDC data suggest flu is on the way out - US flu activity keeps trending downward, according to the latest FluView report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Flu cases are declining across most of the country, the CDC said, with influenza A viruses waning and influenza B viruses showing varying levels of activity. That trend follows the typical seasonal flu virus patterns. The proportion of tests that were positive for flu fell to 9.8%, down from 11.5% the previous week, and the proportion of outpatient visits for flu remained below the national baseline for the second straight week, falling from 2.8% to 2.6%. For the season overall, influenza A viruses have been the most frequently reported. Of the influenza A viruses collected so far, 92.7% have belonged subclade K, which contains mutations that developed after this season’s flu vaccine strains were selected. Weekly hospital admissions for flu also declined, dropping from 5,640 the previous week to 3,050 this week. But an additional four pediatric deaths were reported this week, bringing the total for the season to 127. Although the CDC has classified the current flu season as moderate for adults, for children it’s been a high severity season. The CDC estimates there have been 30 million illnesses, 370,000 hospitalizations, and 23,000 deaths from flu so far this season. Overall, the amount of acute respiratory illness causing Americans to seek health care is low, the CDC said in its respiratory illness update. But respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity picked up later than normal this year and is currently at elevated levels, though it appears to have peaked in most regions, and the virus isn’t making people sicker than in previous seasons. Emergency department visits and hospitalizations for RSV are highest among children aged 4 and under. The CDC also noted that human metapneumovirus (HMPV) activity is rising across the country, which is typical for this time of year. Symptoms of HMPV include cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath.
A new covid variant called Cicada, ticks and a new Lyme vaccine, common cold, and good news - Katelyn Jetelina, Your Local Epidemiologist -Spring is here, and so is a shift in what’s circulating. Flu season is officially behind us, tick season is just getting started, and a new Covid-19 variant is making the rounds in the news and on social media (but has not yet been felt in hospitals). And with Lyme disease season upon us, the news of a long-awaited vaccine couldn’t be more timely, though there are some real caveats worth understanding. Good riddance, flu season. We are officially out, as rates have now fallen below the “epidemic threshold.” Some states are still high, like New Mexico, but the trend is the same. The other main fall/winter viruses, including RSV and Covid-19 are all decreasing, too. Odds are that if you get sick in the next month or two, it will be the common cold (the gray line below). This will continue to increase until May/June. Enter tick season. Emergency department visits for tick bites are low but climbing, which is normal for this time of year. Expect two waves: one peaking in May and another in mid-October. By year’s end, more than 500,000 people will likely be diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease. Ticks thrive in warm, lush spring environments and can carry pathogens responsible for over a dozen diseases. Lyme is the most well-known. It can cause flu-like symptoms and, if untreated, serious complications including neurological and cardiac issues. Not all ticks carry disease. Risk depends on the species, geography, and duration of a tick’s attachment. Currently, tick-borne illnesses are most concentrated in the Northeast, with emergency department (ED) visits at 13 per 100,000 people. Covid-19 continues to mutate, and the latest variant attracting attention is BA.3.2 (nicknamed “Cicada”), a descendant of Omicron that has been circulating globally for some time.BA.3.2 now accounts for 11% of U.S. cases, but it’s too early to tell how quickly it’s growing. What is clear is that it has yet to trigger a surge. Wastewater levels, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations all remain low. Historically, a variant doesn’t drive a significant new wave until it reaches ~50% of cases.What’s drawing attention is the spike protein, which has 75 mutations compared with the strains included in last fall’s Covid-19 vaccines. The spike protein acts like a key that unlocks our cells, and when that key changes enough, existing antibodies struggle to recognize and block it. Lab studies confirm this is happening, but antibodies are just one layer of defense. The immune system has other tools that protect against serious illness, and current immunity is expected to hold up.One thing researchers are actively tracking: early signals suggest BA.3.2 may be infecting kids at higher rates than previous variants. It’s hard to know whether this is real or just random chance, but if it is real, it’s likely due to a combination of many factors. For example, younger kids might not have seen as many Covid-19 variants or had as many coronavirus infections as adults, so they might be less immune to it.
- Q: Could this cause a spring/summer wave? A: We have very little data on how fast this is growing, so time will tell. My guess is this will cause a spring/summer wave, but not a nothing burger or a tsunami.
- Q: Should people over 65 get a spring Covid-19 shot? A: If it’s been at least three months since your last dose, a spring shot is a reasonable call. Timing it around May or June tends to align well with how Covid-19 seasons typically play out.
- Q: Is a second shot within a year a booster? Or is it only a booster if the formulation is different? A: The term gets thrown around loosely. Generally, a booster means a repeat dose of the same vaccine, not necessarily a new formulation. The strains for the next updated Covid-19 vaccine haven’t been selected yet, so there’s no new version available right now. If a pharmacist tells you there’s no booster available, they may be thinking specifically of an updated formulation. A repeat dose of the current vaccine is still an option worth asking about.
- Q: Could BA.3.2 spark the next pandemic? A: No. In fact, researchers have argued that another coronavirus pandemic is now less likely, not more, precisely because Covid-19 and the vaccines that followed built widespread, robust immunity across the global population.
Ticks spread Lyme disease, one of the most common and debilitating infections in the country, and for the first time in over two decades, a vaccine to prevent it may finally be on the way. The only vaccine we had before, LYMErix, was pulled from the market in 2002. Not because it was unsafe (the FDA found no real problems) but because rumors about arthritis side effects, amplified by bad press and lawsuits, scared people. Now Pfizer and French vaccine company Valneva have announced their new vaccine candidate worked in more than 70% of cases in a large late-stage trial of 9,400 people aged five and older.
US nears 1,700 measles cases, with 73 new infections in Utah - --US measles cases climbed by almost 100 in the past week, reaching 1,671 infections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly update. The vast majority of the 96 new cases are in Utah.The CDC said all but 10 of the 2026 cases are from 32 states and New York City, with the rest travel-related. The number of affected states grew this week by one. Of all confirmed cases, 94% are associated with one of 17 outbreaks, with one of those outbreaks (three or more related cases) being new. Last year, the country saw 48 outbreaks, many of which are still ongoing. Last year’s case total was 2,286, including three deaths. No measles-related deaths have been confirmed yet this year, but 91 patients have been hospitalized, or 5%, compared with 11% last year. Among all patients this year, 92% are unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccine status.The United States is on pace to top last year’s measles total this spring. The country will likely lose its measles elimination status—which it gained in 2000—in November, when officials assess the data.Measles cases in Utah are skyrocketing, according to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. The state now has 362 cases in 2026, compared with 197 for all of last year. Officials recorded 73 new cases this week, and 142 new cases in the past three weeks. The CDC measles map lists 378 cases in Utah this year.Southwest Utah has 242 (43%) of the state’s 559 total for 2025 and 2026, but regions across the state are now also being hit hard, which is a much different scenario than in 2025, when the vast majority of cases were in the southwest.Arizona has 11 new cases, and 71 for 2026, North Dakota recorded five new infections (31 total), and Texas also has five new cases (175 total), according to the CDC map. Washington state officials reported three new cases this week, including two travel-related infections in King County. The state now has 31 cases this year. Neighboring Idaho has one new case, 23 total.
Berlin sees rapid rise in locally acquired mpox clade 1b cases -- A rapidly expanding cluster of mpox caused by clade 1b virus has been identified among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Berlin, Germany, according to a rapid communication published last week in Eurosurveillance. Of the 35 identified cases from December 2025 to last month, 34 were most likely acquired locally. The sharp increase in locally acquired infections marks a shift from historic patterns in which most mpox cases in Europe were largely travel-related. Clade 1b of the mpox virus (MPXV) was newly identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and several other countries in East and Central Africa in 2023. The first clade 1b case in Berlin was reported in mid-December 2025, and it was linked to travel within Europe. Shortly after, in the first week of January 2026, Berlin’s first locally acquired clade 1b case was reported; epidemiologic investigations found no connection between the travel-related case and the locally acquired case. Genetic sequencing of the locally acquired cases showed that they were genetically related, suggesting a shared transmission network. “These sequences from MSM-associated cases revealed a genetic cluster that differs from other German MPXV clade Ib sequences obtained from travel-associated cases and their household contacts from 2024 to 2025,” the authors wrote. Berlin has played a central role in mpox transmission in Europe. During an international outbreak of clade clade 2b in 2022, “Berlin represented a hotspot of epidemiological dynamics in Europe,” note the authors. In February 2026, several countries reported clade 1b infections linked to MSM sexual contact in the city. The authors conclude that accessible testing, vaccination efforts, and continued genomic surveillance are essential to limit further spread in Germany and across Europe.
Meningitis kills more than 250,000 worldwide in a year, report says - More than 2.5 million people worldwide were infected with meningitis in 2023, according to a comprehensive global assessment published late last week in The Lancet Neurology. More than 250,000 people died from the condition, an infection that causes inflammation of the meninges, the fluid and membranes around the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis, which causes symptoms such as headache, fever and a stiff neck, has a mortality rate of about 18%. One-third of the people who die from meningitis are children under age 5, according to the report, which is based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2023 framework. The GBD is a systematic, scientific effort aimed at measuring the comparative burden caused by diseases, injuries, and risk factors across age-groups, sexes, and locations over time. The top risk factors for dying from meningitis are low birthweight, pre-term birth, and household air pollution, according to the report. Low-income countries in the African “meningitis belt,” which includes Nigeria, Chad, and Niger, have recorded the highest death and infection rates. Three sources of bacterial meningitis—Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Haemophilus influenzae—can be prevented with vaccines. Infection with another cause of meningitis—a bacterium called group B Streptococcus, which can pass from mother to child during delivery—can be prevented by screening pregnant women for the bacterium and administering intravenous antibiotics to moms during labor. Meningitis is the leading infectious cause of neurologic disabilities worldwide, according to the study. Although most people recover fully, survivors can be left with learning and intellectual disabilities such as memory loss, lack of concentration or issues with thinking and problem solving. Other after-effects include clumsiness and co-ordination problems; headaches; deafness, hearing problems, tinnitus, dizziness or loss of balance; epilepsy or seizures; weakness, paralysis or spasms; speech problems; loss of sight or vision problems; hydrocephalus, or fluid on the brain; mental health issues and changes to personality or behavior; sleep problems; fatigue; and anxiety and depression.
Ebola virus may linger in breast milk for weeks after recovery -The Ebola virus (EBOV) might persist in breast milk for weeks after maternal recovery, according to a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine. The findings raise the possibility of post-illness transmission to infants, even as blood tests and other measures of viral load are negative. The report describes a 23-year-old woman in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who contracted EBOV during pregnancy in 2019. She received monoclonal antibody therapy at an Ebola treatment unit in Butembo, DRC, and was discharged after three negative reverse-transcriptase–polymerase-chain-reaction blood tests for EBOV. At 42 weeks gestation, she delivered a healthy infant with no evidence of EBOV infection in maternal blood, amniotic fluid, vaginal secretions, or the newborn. But EBOV RNA persisted in the placenta and breast milk. To reduce the infant’s risk of contracting the disease, researchers kept the mother from breastfeeding and gave a prophylactic (preventive) monoclonal antibody to the newborn. During follow-up, the infant exhibited no signs of infection. Ongoing testing showed that the mother’s blood remained negative, but viral RNA was still detectable in breast milk at 14 weeks after illness onset. To protect the newborn from transmission, clinicians used the drug bromocriptine to suppress lactation. While the authors call for further studies and the use of viral culture to better assess infection risk, the findings suggest the potential for mother-to-child transmission while breastfeeding. Current World Health Organization guidance recommends that Ebola survivors avoid breastfeeding until viral clearance is confirmed.
Allergy symptoms start earlier with climate change - Early spring means beautiful tree blooms, but also an increase in pollen that can trigger allergy symptoms like itchy eyes, runny nose and sneezing.Allergists say these symptoms may become more intense as allergy season starts earlier than past seasons because of the effects of climate change. Temperature and precipitation pattern changes mean trees are blooming earlier and vegetation is growing more rapidly, producing more pollen in the atmosphere.“The growing knowledge and awareness that things are changing is of paramount importance, that the atmosphere is impacted, and our health is also being impacted by the changes in temperature and precipitation patterns associated with global warming,” said Dr. Neelu Tummala, an ear, nose and throat physician at New York University Langone Health.Pollen allergy season typically begins in the beginning of March, while grass allergens occur during the summer and ragweed pollen is more common in the fall.Daniel DiGiacamo, a pediatric allergist and immunologist at Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey, said allergy symptoms can have serious impacts on young patients.“I see predominantly kids, and there is good data to show that uncontrolled seasonal allergies or allergic rhinitis can have impacts on sleep, and also impacts on school and productivity and school achievement,” DiGiacamo said. DiGiacamo and Tummala recommend patients start their medications before they become symptomatic, which could be earlier in the year than in years past. “With more pollen in the atmosphere, patients also may need to adjust the medications that they’re on,” Tummala said. “The medications that worked for them 15, 20 years ago may not be the same medications that are working for them now.” The physicians say allergy sufferers can also find relief by keeping their windows closed during allergy season, using an air purifier and changing their clothes and washing their hair after spending time outdoors.
Antibacterial soaps and wipes can fuel antimicrobial resistance, scientists warn An international team of scientists is warning that everyday antibacterial soaps, wipes, sprays, and other "germ-killing" products are quietly contributing to the global rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) while providing no added health benefit for most consumer uses.Antibiotic-resistant infections already cause more than one million deaths worldwide each year and could rival cancer as a leading cause of death by 2050, according to the United Nations Environment Program.Most global AMR prevention efforts have focused on antibiotic overuse in health care and agriculture. Now, researchers from universities and institutes in the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Switzerland have published a Viewpoint highlighting growing evidence that biocides commonly used in household products—such as quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) and chloroxylenol—can promote resistance among bacteria not only to the chemicals themselves but also to critical antibiotic medicines. "Global AMR strategies have focused on hospitals and farms while overlooking everyday products used in homes that may contribute to resistance," said senior author of the study published in Environmental Science & Technology, Miriam Diamond, a professor at the University of Toronto."Biocides from soaps and disinfecting products are washed down millions of household drains every day, entering wastewater systems and the broader environment where they create ideal conditions for bacteria to adapt and become harder to kill. With little evidence of health benefit, these uses should be a clear target for AMR prevention." QACs and other biocides are added to antibacterial hand soaps, disinfecting wipes and sprays, laundry sanitizers, plastics, textiles, and personal care products, and their use surged during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains elevated today.The authors summarize numerous laboratory and real-world studies showing that environmental levels of these chemicals cause resistant bacteria to survive and spread, promote cross-resistance to important antibiotics, and cause lasting genetic changes to microbes, including the exchange of resistance genes.Over time, these shifts can allow resistant strains to dominate. This translates to the spread of antibiotic resistant genes that threaten the effectiveness of antibiotics when we really need them and can contribute to rising deaths. Evidence shows biocides in many consumer products provide no added health benefit, but the biocides do raise concerns about AMR and toxicity. The authors call on the World Health Organization and its partners to explicitly include consumer-product biocides in the next Global Action Plan on AMR, including setting clear reduction targets supported by environmental monitoring. "The overuse of biocides in consumer products is low-hanging fruit in the fight against AMR," "By phasing out unnecessary antibacterial additives, we can reduce chemical pollution, protect public health, and help slow the spread of superbugs."
Quick takes: CDC warning on raw cheese, H5N1 avian flu case in Cambodia, HIV drug access | CIDRAP
- In an update yesterday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said consumers and retailers should not eat, sell, or serve Raw Farm–brand raw cheddar cheese that was sold from January 4 until now. The cheese, and other Raw Farm–brand raw dairy products, have been linked to a multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli that has sickened at least nine people in three states. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked the company to voluntarily remove its raw cheese from the market, but the company has not responded to that request. CDC, FDA, and state health officials continue to investigate the outbreak.
- Cambodia’s Ministry of Health (MOH) has reported its third human H5N1 avian flu infection of 2026, according to Avian Flu Diary. The infected patient is a 3-year-old boy from Oddar Meanchey province who was confirmed positive for H5N1 on March 29 and is currently hospitalized. MOH officials say there have been reports of sick and dead chickens and ducks in the boy’s village and home. It’s the 37th human H5N1 case in Cambodia in the past three years, most of which are linked to a new reassortment of an older clade of H5N1.
- Humanitarian organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is calling out drugmaker Gilead for not selling its HIV preventative medicine lenacapavir directly to the group. In an open letter published yesterday, MSF said it asked Gilead if it could buy a limited supply of the drug for its humanitarian programs, but the company refused, instead directing the group to buy lenacapavir from the Global Fund, which has a limited supply that MSF says falls far short of the global demand. “Blocking humanitarian organizations from accessing a medical breakthrough puts vulnerable people in danger,” Tom Ellman, director of MSF’s Southern Africa Medical Unit, said in a news release. “Gilead must decide whether it prioritizes protecting people or protecting control and profit.”
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday that its investigation into a multistate outbreak of extensively drug-resistant Salmonella linked to Rosabella brand moringa leaf capsules has ended. The outbreak sickened 10 people in eight states, with three new case-patients reported since the CDC’s last update in February. Three people were hospitalized in the outbreak of Salmonella Newport, which was resistant to all first-line and alternative antibiotics commonly used to treat Salmonella infections. The CDC ended its investigation into a separate Salmonella outbreak tied to contaminated moringa powder in March.
- Taiwan’s Center for Disease Control (CDC) has reported its first locally transmitted human case of H7 low-pathogenic avian flu infection, according to Avian Flu Diary. The patient is a man in his 70s who works in poultry farming and was hospitalized with fever and pneumonia on March 22. Thirty-three of the man’s close contacts are being monitored, and three have been given preventive medication. Taiwan CDC said genetic analysis of the H7 virus, which is different from the H7N9 virus that circulated in mainland China from 2013 to 2019, found no genetic mutations that would increase the risk of bird-to-human transmission.
- The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is reporting several H5N1 avian outbreaks in commercial and backyard flocks in recent days, including two large outbreaks at commercial turkey facilities in South Dakota that have affected more than 72,000 birds and outbreaks at duck meat facilities in Pennsylvania and Indiana that involved nearly 24,000 birds. APHIS is also tracking smaller H5N1 outbreaks in backyard flocks in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and live bird markets in Kings and Bronx counties in New York. Over the past 30 days, H5N1 has been detected in 70 flocks (39 commercial and 31 backyard) and affected 5.2 million birds.
State public health labs step up as CDC pauses testing for various pathogens, including rabies, mpox - Work with raccoons and need a rabies test? Don't send samples to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for at least the next couple of weeks. The agency has temporarily paused testing for a host of infectious diseases, including poxviruses, various parasites, and lymphocytic choriomeningitis, a rodent-borne virus that can cause meningitis. Testing is a vital aspect of disease surveillance. It allows public health officials to identify outbreaks early or track how a disease is spreading through a region. State and local public health labs, particularly those in smaller jurisdictions, rely on the CDC for testing, because they lack the staff and resources to handle every possible test that might be required. The temporary pause comes as public health infrastructure in the United States roils with uncertainty: Hundreds of CDC workers have been laid off or quit since President Donald Trump took office, while state and local public health agencies face cuts to their federal funding. But the testing pause is unrelated to these challenges, said Scott Becker, MS, the Association of Public Health Laboratories' (APHL’s) chief executive officer. There have been previous pauses as the CDC has been making a concerted effort to evaluate the quality of its testing since 2024. Becker told CIDRAP News it's good policy for the agency to assess its processes periodically. "They've been very transparent about this all along,” he said, adding that the menu of tests the CDC runs is “enormous.”
Not Just Cigarettes, Vaping Likely Causes Cancer, Major Study Finds --A new report from researchers at the University of New South Wales in Australia, published in Carcinogenesis, finds that nicotine-based e-cigarettes are likely to cause lung and oral cancers, a finding that may alarm the millions of young people, from high school through college, and into the professional world, who use them heavily. Researchers examined human studies, animal experiments, and lab tests. Together, they found signs that vaping can damage DNA, cause inflammation and oxidative stress, and expose users to harmful chemicals considered drivers of cancer. Some rodent studies also found lung tumors after vape exposure."Nicotine-based e-cigarettes are likely to be carcinogenic to humans who use them, causing an indeterminate burden of oral cancer and lung cancer," the researchers wrote in the report. The researchers still don't fully understand the long-term risks, given that vaping only entered commercial markets worldwide in the last 20 or so years. However, they say the warning signs are already present and should not be ignored as cigarette risks once were."Though smoking was once given the benefit of the doubt, the same should not now be accorded to vaping, given the strength of relevant carcinogenicity data," wrote study co-authors Freddy Sitas and Bernard Stewart of UNSW in a related commentary.Vaping in the U.S. emerged in 2007 and was widely touted as a safer way to consume nicotine than traditional methods involving inhaling smoke from burning tobacco leaves. The trend exploded in 2015 with the introduction of Juul.Millions of Americans started vaping to quit smoking cigarettes. Instead, if the study is correct, they may actually be increasing their health risks.Vaping is not as harmless as once thought, and the researchers' point is that e-cigarettes should not receive the same "benefit of the doubt" cigarettes once did, because the cancer warning signs are already present.Even before the assessment was released, NielsenIQ data showed e-cigarette sales in the U.S. were weak as of March 21 (according to the Goldman report, which can be viewed in full here for Pro subscribers): Within Tobacco, dollar sales for BAT were up 1.8% over the past four weeks, versus 1.0% last month; sales for IMB were down 3.5% over the past four weeks, versus down 3.4% last month; and sales for MO were down 2.0% over the past four weeks, versus down 3.2% last month.
EPA eyes tracking microplastics, medicines in tap water - EPA is taking an initial step toward regulating microplastics and pharmaceuticals in tap water, in a procedural move the Trump administration touted as a win for the “Make America Healthy Again” movement. The agency on Thursday announced a new draft list of potential contaminants in tap water, the first of many steps under the Safe Drinking Water Act before legal limits can be established. The list includes microplastics and pharmaceuticals for the first time but does not require water utilities to take immediate action. The move comes as EPA has faced backlash from MAHA activists over approval of pesticides and chemicals and five months after Democratic governors petitioned the agency to require microplastics monitoring. Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that some studies have linked to harmful human health outcomes. The new draft list — which will soon be published and open for comment — also includes an unspecified number of “forever chemicals,” byproducts of disinfectants such as chlorine, microbes, antidepressants, hormones and antibiotics, EPA said. Agency officials said the list would advance additional research on health risks from microplastics and pharmaceuticals. But experts stressed that the step was preliminary and procedural. “By placing microplastics and pharmaceuticals on the Contaminant Candidate List for the first time ever, EPA is sending a clear message: we will follow the science, we will pursue answers, and we will hold ourselves to the highest standards to protect the health of every American family,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement.
EPA touts microplastics plan. Critics say it falls short. - The Trump administration touted an announcement on microplastics as a “major step” toward safeguarding drinking water, but the plan sidesteps questions about whether EPA will require widespread monitoring.The agency is keeping mum on whether it will include microplastics in a pending monitoring rule for water contaminants, a procedural — but critical — move that would lay the groundwork for possible regulations. At a splashy event with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on Thursday unveiled a new draft list of contaminants that are likely to show up in drinking water, putting microplastics and pharmaceuticals on the list for the first time. While the move identifies pollutants on EPA’s radar for future regulations, the vast majority of contaminants never make it that far. Environmentalists and some water experts said it remains to be seen whether the agency has the resources or will to take another step: tracking the substances to determine how ubiquitous they are in tap water.
Can replacing Illinois' toxic lead pipes lead to a workforce boom? - Illinois is in the midst of a public health crisis. Nearly 1.5 million service lines — the pipes that carry drinking water to homes and businesses — contain or are suspected to contain lead, a neurotoxin linked to cognitive, reproductive and cardiovascular problems.Now, public health and workforce advocates want to turn the state’s long-overdue pipe replacement backlog into a statewide economic engine, creating up to 90,000 jobs over a decade.A recent report proposes a plan to replace the state’s staggering inventory of toxic lead pipes and create tens of thousands of jobs. To do so, the analysis calls on state and local officials to fast-track pipe replacements for communities that have suffered from the most lead exposure and to use the projects to build a more diverse local workforce. It also urges the Illinois General Assembly to help plug a multibillion-dollar budget gap for lead pipe replacements.“The longer we put off taking care of our water infrastructure, the more expensive it’s going to get, the more that we’re going to be looking at water rates increasing to deal with that, and the more people are going to be in the position where they’re not going to have access to safe and clean drinking water,” said Justin Williams, a senior manager at the Metropolitan Planning Council, one of the policy think tanks that helped develop the plan. “And that’s not a situation we should be in as a state or region.”Several other regional and national nonprofits also worked on the analysis, including Current, a water solutions hub; Elevate, an organization working on water and energy affordability issues; and HIRE360, a workforce development group.Illinois has the most lead pipes in the country. The state estimates it has 667,000 known lead service lines and another 820,000 suspected lines. Chicago alone accounts for nearly 30 percent of those pipes.Replacing these service lines is expensive. In a 2022 report, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency found that a single service line replacement can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $13,000 across the state. In Chicago, the price tag is even higher: City officials estimated that replacements cost more than $30,000 per line on average.State officials have estimated that replacing all the known or suspected lead pipes across Illinois could cost between $6 billion and $10 billion. The Biden-era Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the bipartisan infrastructure law, set aside $15 billion over five years to help states replace lead pipes. Illinois is estimated to receive about $1 billion, but given the state’s unique needs, that number “is probably on the low side,” Williams said.The report makes the case that state lawmakers must approve dedicated, sustained and predictable funding to close the multibillion-dollar shortfall. Without long-term guarantees, replacements will likely remain inefficient and delayed.“It’s a bit of a chicken and egg: Unless you know how much money is going to be allocated to this — how many opportunities are coming down the pipe — they’re not going to add additional people to apprenticeship programs,” said Jay Rowell, executive director at HIRE360.Using workforce projections from the American Water Works Association and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the report’s authors calculated that already allocated federal funds could generate approximately 2,000 direct jobs and 9,000 indirect jobs. If legislatures closed the multibillion-dollar funding gap, those figures could jump substantially to 35,000 direct jobs and 55,000 indirect jobs — a total of 90,000 jobs over a decade.“We’re calling attention not only to the problem, but also to some of the opportunities to get more candidates engaged in apprenticeships,” Rowell said. “This is a really big problem that needs very thoughtful, state-led solutions.”
A flesh‑eating fly is advancing towards the US border—can it be stopped? - A flesh-eating parasitic fly has spread north through Mexico to within a few hundred miles of the U.S. southern border. The New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) lays its eggs in open wounds and in the orifices of live, warm-blooded animals—including, occasionally, humans. The maggots then devour the animal's flesh, causing devastating lesions that can quickly kill the infested host. Before the 1950s, it was found in the southern states of the U.S., where cattle infestations caused heavy financial losses for beef producers. But, during the second half of the 20th century, eradication efforts pushed it out of North and Central America.In the past few years, however, screwworm control has unraveled, with cases spiking across Central America. The fly has now spread north through Mexico, reaching two Mexican states—Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon—that share a border with Texas.The method that was used to eradicate the fly is known as the sterile insect technique (SIT). This involves breeding vast numbers of a target species, sterilizing them, usually with radiation, and then releasing the males.The sterile males mate with wild females, which then produce no offspring. By continuously swamping the wild population with sterile males, the wild groups go extinct. However, SIT alone may not be enough to control the current outbreaks.To be effective, SIT has a number of critical requirements. One of the most important is that the immigration of fertile females into areas where outbreaks are already under control must be very limited (and ideally zero). If fertile females are allowed to reinvade, the population will reestablish.The technique, therefore, works best on isolated or island populations. In other circumstances, barriers and continuous surveillance need to be maintained to prevent immigration and immediately stamp out any incursions.
More hedges lead to more insects—even in relatively green agricultural areas - Field margins where hedges have been planted attract twice as many insects as those without hedges. This holds true even in agricultural areas that already contain plenty of natural habitat, according to research published in Basic and Applied Ecology by ecologist Robin Lexmond at Radboud University. Flower strips can also help, but not as much as hedges.Insects are disappearing worldwide at an alarming rate. This is not only a problem for biodiversity, but also for agriculture and food production: many insects pollinate crops or help control pests. Lexmond is investigating how we can support insect populations. To this end, she spent three years collecting insects using special traps along 24 field and grassland margins in an agricultural area near the River Waal: the Ooijpolder and the Duffelt."It was essentially a tent about 1.70 meters high," explains the ecologist. "Insects could get in, but not out. We then weighed the insects that ended up in the trap."Some of the margins where the traps were placed had hedges, others had flower strips, and some had no additional vegetation at all. After weighing the insects, the results showed that more than twice as much insect biomass was found near hedges compared to bare field edges. Flower strips performed slightly better than edges without vegetation, but their effect was less pronounced and less consistent.Lexmond explains, "This is probably because many flower strips are plowed and reseeded every year. As a result, there is a lack of stable winter shelters and early-season food sources." Hedges, on the other hand, remain in place for years and provide shelter, food, and breeding sites year-round.
USDA advances fast-track rules for logging, forest thinning - The Agriculture Department is making final its new fast-track approach to environmental reviews, potentially speeding logging and other projects on national forests. USDA’s final rule revising procedures through the National Environmental Policy Act will reduce public comment periods in some cases. It will also affect issues beyond public lands, such as the agency’s responses to animal health emergencies like the avian flu.In the final rule — which closely followed an interim final rule from last July and is to be published in the Federal Register on Friday — the department emphasized the need for efficiency and, in some cases, quick action to respond to emergencies. The effort follows a broader rewrite of NEPA implementing procedures across the government, directed by President Donald Trump in an executive order in February 2025. In many cases, USDA said — including developing the final rule itself — allowing public input is time-consuming and not necessarily in the public interest. Still, the department said it “voluntarily” sought comment last summer on the interim final rule, receiving thousands of submissions.
World's oldest known tortoise still very much alive despite scam to the contrary --Reports on April Fools' Day of the death of the world's oldest living land animal—a 193-year-old tortoise called Jonathan—were greatly exaggerated. Jonathan is still kicking—albeit slowly—on the island of St. Helena. "It was a hoax," Anne Dillon, head of communications on the island, told The Associated Press on Thursday. "I can just assure you that he is very much alive." News of the Seychelles giant tortoise's demise spread rapidly on social media on Wednesday. An account on X, falsely claiming to be by Joe Hollins, a veterinarian who had worked with the reptile on the island in the south Atlantic Ocean between Africa and Brazil, said he was heartbroken to announce the death of the "gentle giant" that "outlived empires, wars, and generations of humans." The post quickly accumulated nearly 2 million views through Thursday, mostly an outpouring of condolences. But Hollins later said on Facebook that he didn't even have an X account and something more sinister was afoot. "There is a hoax—not even an April Fool—going around," Hollins wrote. "The hoaxer is asking for crypto donations. It's a con." Guinness World Records lists Jonathan as the oldest living land animal and the oldest tortoise ever. He was believed to be about 50 years old when he was brought to St. Helena in 1882. The St. Helena government sent a photo of Jonathan taken Thursday of him roaming the grounds of the governor's residence on the island best known as the place Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled following his defeat by the British at Waterloo in 1815. It was the place where the former emperor of France died in 1821, about a decade before Jonathan is believed to have taken the first steps in what would become a very long life.
Judge declines to halt ‘God Squad’ meeting - - A federal judge has declined to act on an emergency request from an environmental group to stop the Trump administration from exploring an exemption to the Endangered Species Act for oil and gas drilling, setting the stage for an unusual government meeting to be held next week.The rarely convened Endangered Species Committee is set to meet Tuesday to discuss an exemption under the Endangered Species Act related to fossil fuel drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, which President Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of America.During a Friday hearing, Judge Rudolph Contreras of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia declined to grant an emergency effort by the Center for Biological Diversity to put a stop to the meeting through a lawsuit filed last week.Contreras, an Obama appointee, raised concerns about his jurisdiction to act under the federal law that protects endangered species.The Endangered Species Committee has only met a handful of times since it was created in the late 1970s. It was designed to provide an escape hatch from the Endangered Species Act that could allow critical infrastructure projects that jeopardize vulnerable plants and animals to be built if granted an exemption. That power to potentially condemn a species to extinction led the committee to be nicknamed the “God Squad.” The committee’s six permanent federal members are the secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture departments, administrators of EPA and NOAA, the secretary of the Army, and the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers.The Trump administration’s decision to gather the committee made up of high-ranking officials and chaired by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum was announced briefly earlier this month in a Federal Register notice, prompting outcry from environmentalists that the effort to call up the committee had failed to follow procedures required under the law.“We truly are in uncharted waters, this is so far out of the ordinary,” said Jane Davenport, a senior attorney at Defenders of Wildlife, in an recent interview. Prior exemption requests have been accompanied by formal public hearings and public reports, as is laid out in the law.In response to the CBD lawsuit, government attorneys said in a Thursday court filing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had notified Burgum on March 13 that it was “necessary for reasons of national security to exempt from the ESA’s requirements all Gulf of America oil and gas exploration and development activities.”A government lawyer said at Friday’s hearing that more information about Hegseth’s rationale will be provided at the Tuesday meeting.“It’s disappointing that the court didn’t immediately stop Hegseth’s reckless power grab, but this is just the first battle in a longer fight to protect the Gulf’s endangered whales and turtles,” said Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the CBD, in a Friday statement.Hartl noted that the group also plans to protest the committee meeting in Washington on Tuesday, which will be at Interior’s headquarters and open to the public via a video stream. The never-before-invoked national security exemption could impact a range of animals in the Gulf.A number of species face risks from oil and gas activity in the Gulf, including sea turtles, sperm whales and the Rice’s whale, a recently identified species that only inhabits the Gulf and has as few as 51 individuals remaining in its population.About a fifth of the Rice’s whales’ population are estimated to have been killed in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and a recent environmental analysis concluded that oil and gas operations in the region had the potential to extinguish the species. But that research has not halted oil and gas operations in the Gulf, which is the source of almost all offshore production in federal waters. Instead, the analysis recommended further research and additional monitoring precautions. Trump declared a national “energy emergency” when he came into office and ordered the committee to meet “not less than quarterly,” but Interior has so far missed those deadlines.
Soil bacteria break down toxic chemicals in the environment - Many aromatic compounds, such as phenols, cresols and styrenes, are toxic to organisms and harmful to the environment. They can accumulate as a result of industrial processes and harm ecosystems. Soil bacteria can help to break them down.For one of these, Rhodococcus opacus 1CP, the team from the Microbial Biotechnology Research Group at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, led by Professor Dirk Tischler, has analyzed the genome and identified many potential metabolic pathways that the bacterium can employ to act as a "clean-up specialist" under a wide variety of environmental conditions.They report their findings in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.A large genome with many redundancies"Our 'pet' Rhodococcus opacus 1CP is characterized by a particularly large genome, which encodes a large number of enzymes, some of which are redundant," explains Dirk Tischler. These enzymes enable substrates to be converted and often work in a specific sequence, thereby forming a metabolic pathway.If an aromatic compound, such as styrene, is supplied to the bacterium, it is activated and metabolized, ultimately producing CO2."In the course of this metabolism, the bacterium has gained energy and cleaned the environment for us: a central element of environmental biotechnology," says Tischler."Understanding these processes is very important to us because it not only helps us understand how to remove pollutants from the environment, but also how to support ecosystems in doing this themselves, so to speak."
Climate change may produce 'fast-food' phytoplankton -We are what we eat. And in the ocean, most life-forms source their food from phytoplankton. These microscopic, plant-like algae are the primary food source for krill, sea snails, some small fish, and jellyfish, which in turn feed larger marine animals that are prey for the ocean's top predators, including humans.Now MIT scientists are finding that phytoplankton's composition, and the basic diet of the ocean, will shift significantly with climate change. In a study appearing today in the journal Nature Climate Change, the team reports that as sea surface temperatures rise over the next century, phytoplankton in polar regions will adapt to be less rich in proteins, heavier in carbohydrates, and lower in nutrients overall.The conclusions are based on results from the team's new model, which simulates the composition of phytoplankton in response to changes in ocean temperature, circulation, and sea ice coverage. In a scenario in which humans continue to emit greenhouse gases through the year 2100, the team found that changing ocean conditions, particularly in the polar regions, will shift phytoplankton's balance of proteins to carbohydrates and lipids by approximately 20%. The researchers analyzed observations from the past several decades, and already have found a signature of this change in the real world."We're moving in the poles toward a sort of fast-food ocean," says lead author and MIT postdoc Shlomit Sharoni. "Based on this prediction, the nutritional composition of the surface ocean will look very different by the end of the century."
Huge quantities of German ammunition lie at the bottom of Norwegian lakes - The stockpile of German ammunition left in Norway in 1945 could have been cleared and dismantled by the Germans. Norway declined the offer and began dumping it in Lake Mjøsa and other lakes instead. At the end of the Second World War, the German armed forces had large quantities of ammunition in Norway. It was stored in various units and large warehouses. In addition, there were explosives belonging to the police and Organisation Todt—a German semi-military organization involved in construction and engineering. There were also components and ammunition stored at the ammunition factory Raufoss ammunisjonsfabrikker. But how much ammunition was there, actually, and what should be done with it? The stockpiles Büttner knew of included everything from small arms to large artillery shells. The colonel estimated their value at NOK 780 million, which corresponds to NOK 21.3 billion in today's money. Could it have been possible for him and other Germans to assist Norway in handling and dismantling this ammunition? On 19 September 1945, the Army Ordnance Corps stated that it would be too dangerous to use Norwegian workers for dismantling ammunition. Norway also lacked people with the right expertise. However, if the Germans could do the work, it would save a lot of steel and other materials. In October 1945, the Norwegian High Command concluded that they did not want to pursue the proposal. The ammunition was to be handled and dumped in accordance with the guidelines set by the Allies. In addition, Norway needed all the Norwegian workers it could get to help rebuild the country. From the liberation days in 1945 at the Raufoss munitions factories. The German chief guard at the factory (on the left) and Helge Sunde and Halvdan Hegtun. Credit: Nils Raddum, Mjøsmuseet The assessment of whether German soldiers could be used for dangerous work was also sensitive due to the Geneva Convention. "Norway used German soldiers to clear minefields and dump explosives in fjords and lakes. This was dangerous work that resulted in many deaths," said Professor Mats Ingulstad at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). In the book Da freden brøt løs (When peace broke out), Trond Risto Nilssen writes that 170 Germans died in this mine-clearing work. The ammunition contained valuable metals, but instead of recycling it, the authorities chose to dump it in Lake Mjøsa, other lakes, and the sea. Is it dangerous that there is ammunition down there? "More research needs to be done before we are able to give an accurate answer as to what should be recovered and what it is safest to leave in situ. The ammunition can corrode, become more unstable and harder to handle. Sediments on the lakebed can cover the objects, but this depends on the conditions at the bottom of the lake and in the water column above. Ammunition that has been lying in water for 80 years can still be just as dangerous as when it was first dumped, and in some cases, it may be more liable to detonate than it was in 1945. We also see clear signs of corrosion, even in freshwater, which makes the ammunition unstable and unpredictable," explained Ingulstad. In addition, no one knows the amount of heavy metals potentially leaching into Lake Mjøsa, which is a source of drinking water for 150,000 people. The water from Lake Mjøsa flows downstream into the Vorma and Glomma rivers, and on into the sea."We see signs and have indications that certain groups are actively trying to retrieve military equipment and explosives," said Ingulstad. He believes this makes the dumping relevant in the current debate about weapons production: "Thousands of tonnes of ammunition in Lake Mjøsa and other lakes are a societal problem that will not become easier to resolve over time—quite the opposite. This historical legacy must be taken into account when discussing the defense industry and the ongoing military rearmament. You could call it an explosive legacy,"
The world's waste mountain is rising at an alarming rate --The world is struggling to deal with ever-growing quantities of waste. A new World Bank Group report, What a Waste 3.0, shows that more than 2.6 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste (which includes rubbish from households, businesses and street cleaning) were generated in 2022. That figure is projected to rise to 3.9 billion tonnes by 2050. The good news is that the share of waste that is mismanaged is expected to fall over that period, from around 30% to around 20%.That sounds like progress. But percentages can be misleading. The quantity of mismanaged waste, including plastics, is projected to remain almost unchanged, at around 760 million tonnes. This means that by 2050, enormous quantities of waste will still be openly dumped, burned or otherwise unmanaged, with many households and communities left to deal with it themselves.This new report, which we contributed to, brings together the most recent publicly accessible municipal waste data from 217 countries and economies (such as the Channel Islands) and 262 cities. It highlights that although waste systems are improving in many places, those gains are being undermined by the growth in the amount of waste generated.This matters because when waste is not managed properly, the consequences affect human health, the environment and the economy. Poor waste management contributes to air and water pollution, damages ecosystems, increases greenhouse gas emissions and makes cities harder and less pleasant to live in.One of the clearest examples is open burning. In many developing countries, where formal waste collection remains incomplete or absent, open burning is one of the main ways households and communities "self-manage" their waste. These fires burn at low and uneven temperatures. Combined with a mixed waste stream that can include plastics, organics and other materials, they release a complex cocktail of pollutants that can threaten the health of people living and working nearby.With new data on self-management, this report shows how waste is actually managed across large parts of the world, especially where formal systems remain weak. Forms of self-management of waste include open dumping, open burning, burying waste in informal pits, dumping into waterways and coastal waters, and some forms of informal recovery such as recycling or composting.So if the harms of poor waste management are well known, why does the problem persist? One reason is cost. Municipal waste management is resource intensive. Many countries are still spending far less than is needed to provide universal and reliable services. Our analysis suggests that even basic systems involving collection, transport and disposal tend to cost at least US$40 (£30) to US$45 per tonne in low-income countries. In middle-income countries, basic systems cost roughly US$70 to US$80 per tonne, while in high-income countries costs can exceed US$200 per tonne. At those cost levels, low-income countries would have needed around 0.78% of their combined GDP in 2022 to achieve universal waste management coverage. Middle-income countries would need roughly 0.31% to 0.46% of GDP. Yet reported public spending on solid waste management is less than 0.15% of GDP in about three-quarters of low- and middle-income countries and 0.31% in high income countries.
Global human population is pushing Earth past its breaking point -Earth has already exceeded its ability to support the global population sustainably, with new research warning of increasing pressure on food security, climate stability, and human well-being. However, slowing population growth and raising global awareness could still offer humanity some hope.Published in Environmental Research Letters, the study shows that humans have pushed well beyond the planet's long-term capacity and that continued growth under current patterns of consumption will intensify environmental and social challenges for communities worldwide.The research examined more than two centuries of global population data and uncovered a major shift in human population dynamics that began in the mid-twentieth century.Lead author, Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology Corey Bradshaw, from Flinders University, says the trend reveals a clear biological signal that humanity is living far beyond what Earth can support."Earth cannot keep up with the way in which we are using resources. It cannot support even today's demand without major changes, with our findings showing that we are pushing the planet harder than it can possibly cope," says Professor Bradshaw from the Global Ecology Laboratory in the College of Science and Engineering.The researchers, including distinguished Professor Paul Ehrlich who recently passed away, analyzed more than two hundred years of global population records and used ecological growth models to track how population size and growth rates have changed over time.They tested the direction of these trends and compared results across world regions. They also measured how population size has historically aligned with changes in climate, emissions, and the ecological footprint to understand how human numbers cause environmental stress.The study found that before the 1950s, global population growth actually sped up as human abundance increased. More people meant more innovation, more energy use, and more rapid technological development that supported further expansion.However, this pattern broke down in the early 1960s when the global growth rate began to fall even as the population continued to rise."This shift marked the beginning of what we call 'a negative demographic phase,'" says Professor Bradshaw. "It means that adding more people no longer translates into faster growth. When we examined this phase, we found the global population is likely to peak somewhere between 11.7 and 12.4 billion people by the late 2060s or 2070s if current trends hold." Professor Bradshaw says this upper limit is dangerous and has only been possible to date because human societies have relied on fossil fuels and drained natural resources faster than nature can replace them. "The truly sustainable population is much lower and closer to what the world supported in the mid-twentieth century. Our calculations show a sustainable global population closer to about 2.5 billion people if everyone were to live within ecological limits and comfortable, economically secure living standards," he says.
Judge declines to halt ‘God Squad’ meeting - - A federal judge has declined to act on an emergency request from an environmental group to stop the Trump administration from exploring an exemption to the Endangered Species Act for oil and gas drilling, setting the stage for an unusual government meeting to be held next week.The rarely convened Endangered Species Committee is set to meet Tuesday to discuss an exemption under the Endangered Species Act related to fossil fuel drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, which President Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of America.During a Friday hearing, Judge Rudolph Contreras of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia declined to grant an emergency effort by the Center for Biological Diversity to put a stop to the meeting through a lawsuit filed last week.Contreras, an Obama appointee, raised concerns about his jurisdiction to act under the federal law that protects endangered species.The Endangered Species Committee has only met a handful of times since it was created in the late 1970s. It was designed to provide an escape hatch from the Endangered Species Act that could allow critical infrastructure projects that jeopardize vulnerable plants and animals to be built if granted an exemption. That power to potentially condemn a species to extinction led the committee to be nicknamed the “God Squad.” The committee’s six permanent federal members are the secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture departments, administrators of EPA and NOAA, the secretary of the Army, and the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers.The Trump administration’s decision to gather the committee made up of high-ranking officials and chaired by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum was announced briefly earlier this month in a Federal Register notice, prompting outcry from environmentalists that the effort to call up the committee had failed to follow procedures required under the law.“We truly are in uncharted waters, this is so far out of the ordinary,” said Jane Davenport, a senior attorney at Defenders of Wildlife, in an recent interview. Prior exemption requests have been accompanied by formal public hearings and public reports, as is laid out in the law.In response to the CBD lawsuit, government attorneys said in a Thursday court filing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had notified Burgum on March 13 that it was “necessary for reasons of national security to exempt from the ESA’s requirements all Gulf of America oil and gas exploration and development activities.”A government lawyer said at Friday’s hearing that more information about Hegseth’s rationale will be provided at the Tuesday meeting.“It’s disappointing that the court didn’t immediately stop Hegseth’s reckless power grab, but this is just the first battle in a longer fight to protect the Gulf’s endangered whales and turtles,” said Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the CBD, in a Friday statement.Hartl noted that the group also plans to protest the committee meeting in Washington on Tuesday, which will be at Interior’s headquarters and open to the public via a video stream. The never-before-invoked national security exemption could impact a range of animals in the Gulf.A number of species face risks from oil and gas activity in the Gulf, including sea turtles, sperm whales and the Rice’s whale, a recently identified species that only inhabits the Gulf and has as few as 51 individuals remaining in its population.About a fifth of the Rice’s whales’ population are estimated to have been killed in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and a recent environmental analysis concluded that oil and gas operations in the region had the potential to extinguish the species. But that research has not halted oil and gas operations in the Gulf, which is the source of almost all offshore production in federal waters. Instead, the analysis recommended further research and additional monitoring precautions. Trump declared a national “energy emergency” when he came into office and ordered the committee to meet “not less than quarterly,” but Interior has so far missed those deadlines.
Floods leave 34 dead and affect over 310 000 people in Malawi - Flooding triggered by heavy rainfall between March 15–18, affected 23 districts and city councils across Malawi, leaving 34 people dead and 197 injured, according to the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) under the Office of the President and Cabinet. A total of 69 088 households, representing approximately 310 896 people, were affected nationwide. Authorities reported that 6 155 households were displaced and are currently being sheltered in 84 camps established across impacted areas, while ongoing assessments are expected to revise the figures upward as previously inaccessible locations are reached. Chikwawa District recorded the highest level of impact, with 24 832 households affected and 1 828 households displaced into 24 camps. The district reported 9 fatalities and 25 injuries. Machinga District reported 7 045 affected households, with 110 households displaced and sheltered in 2 camps, alongside 3 deaths and 32 injuries. In Balaka District, 3 409 households were affected, with 53 households displaced into 2 camps and 19 injuries recorded. Blantyre City registered 883 affected households, with 15 displaced households, 2 deaths, and 8 injuries. Blantyre District separately reported 964 affected households. Dedza District recorded 530 affected households, with 36 displaced households, alongside 2 fatalities and 6 injuries. Karonga District reported 34 households displaced and sheltered in 2 camps. Additional impacts were recorded across other districts, including Chiradzulu, Likoma, Mangochi (district and municipal), Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Neno, Nsanje, Ntcheu, Phalombe, Rumphi, Salima, Zomba City, and Zomba District. In Lilongwe District, localized impacts included mudslides in Traditional Authority Mazengera, where 17 households were displaced and relocated to a community-based care center. The DoDMA stated that the reported figures remain preliminary, noting that several affected councils are still conducting field assessments in areas that were previously inaccessible due to flooding conditions and infrastructure damage. Government response efforts are ongoing, with authorities distributing relief assistance, including food supplies, tents, and blankets to displaced households across affected districts as part of coordinated humanitarian operations.
At least 28 dead after flooding and landslides hit multiple provinces in Afghanistan - Flooding triggered by heavy rainfall between March 15–18, affected 23 districts and city councils across Malawi, leaving 34 people dead and 197 injured, according to the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) under the Office of the President and Cabinet. A total of 69 088 households, representing approximately 310 896 people, were affected nationwide. Authorities reported that 6 155 households were displaced and are currently being sheltered in 84 camps established across impacted areas, while ongoing assessments are expected to revise the figures upward as previously inaccessible locations are reached. Chikwawa District recorded the highest level of impact, with 24 832 households affected and 1 828 households displaced into 24 camps. The district reported 9 fatalities and 25 injuries. Machinga District reported 7 045 affected households, with 110 households displaced and sheltered in 2 camps, alongside 3 deaths and 32 injuries. In Balaka District, 3 409 households were affected, with 53 households displaced into 2 camps and 19 injuries recorded. Blantyre City registered 883 affected households, with 15 displaced households, 2 deaths, and 8 injuries. Blantyre District separately reported 964 affected households. Dedza District recorded 530 affected households, with 36 displaced households, alongside 2 fatalities and 6 injuries. Karonga District reported 34 households displaced and sheltered in 2 camps. Additional impacts were recorded across other districts, including Chiradzulu, Likoma, Mangochi (district and municipal), Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Neno, Nsanje, Ntcheu, Phalombe, Rumphi, Salima, Zomba City, and Zomba District. In Lilongwe District, localized impacts included mudslides in Traditional Authority Mazengera, where 17 households were displaced and relocated to a community-based care center. The DoDMA stated that the reported figures remain preliminary, noting that several affected councils are still conducting field assessments in areas that were previously inaccessible due to flooding conditions and infrastructure damage.
Rain-related incidents kill 9 and injure over 42 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, Pakistan. – Rain-related incidents killed at least 9 people and injured more than 42 across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces, Pakistan, over the 24 hours leading up to March 30, 2026. Most casualties were reported in the Bannu district, where six fatalities and over 40 injuries occurred, several of them critical. At least 9 fatalities and more than 42 injuries were reported across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab provinces, Pakistan, between March 29 and 30. Six deaths and over 30 injuries were reported in Bannu district following rain-triggered structural collapses, including the collapse of a mosque veranda that killed three people and a house collapse that killed three children. In Punjab, two people died in a roof collapse in Lahore, while a motorcyclist was killed in Bahawalpur after slipping on a rain-soaked road. Heavy rainfall since March 25 has caused roofs and walls of houses to collapse in multiple districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to authorities, 17 people have died and 56 have been injured. Among the deceased are 14 children, one man, and two women, while the injured include 25 men, 5 women, and 26 children, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). A total of 11 houses have been partially damaged. Affected districts include Battagram, Upper Kohistan, Upper Dir, Bajaur, Buner, and Shangla. Rainfall is expected to continue intermittently, and the public has been advised to avoid unnecessary travel and stay away from vulnerable areas. Meanwhile, floods, landslides, and thunderstorms across multiple provinces in Afghanistan left at least 28 people dead and 49 injured by Monday, March 30. Afghan authorities said roads, irrigation systems, and agricultural land were damaged, with 1 130 families affected.
Narelle triggers dark red skies across Shark Bay and Denham, Western Australia (video) Tropical Cyclone Narelle generated a widespread dust storm across arid regions of Western Australia after making landfall near the Gascoyne Coast on March 27, with wind gusts up to 195 km/h (121 mph). Red sky conditions were reported in Shark Bay and Denham as strong winds lifted iron oxide-rich dust into the atmosphere. Flooding and multiple rescues were also reported across affected areas. Narelle’s strong winds transported large quantities of dust inland following landfall, reducing visibility and impacting air quality in several regions. The red sky phenomenon was caused by Rayleigh and Mie scattering. Under normal atmospheric conditions, shorter wavelengths of light scatter more efficiently, giving the sky its blue color. During dust storms, larger mineral particles dominate scattering, allowing longer wavelengths such as red and orange to prevail. Iron oxide particles further enhance this effect, producing deep red or orange skies and limiting direct sunlight. Narelle is reported to be the first tropical system in over 20 years to impact three Australian states — Western Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory. Comparable systems include Cyclone Ingrid (2005) and Cyclone Steve (2000). “Such cyclones have been historically rare, but when they do occur, they tend to take a looping trajectory across Australia similar to Narelle’s path,” said Dr. Milton Speer, a fellow at the University of Technology Sydney and former Bureau of Meteorology forecaster, speaking to The Guardian. “Instead of moving within the tropical easterly trade winds in the monsoon trough, they can become embedded in mid-latitude westerlies,” he said. “They take time to curve southward, but once captured, they typically accelerate.” Severe flooding continues across parts of Western Australia, with widespread damage reported in multiple areas.
Massive Saharan dust storm sweeps across Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania, Africa - The (videos) A 1 600 km (1 000 miles) long sandstorm swept across parts of Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania on March 30, 2026, before it moved into the Atlantic Ocean. A large sandstorm swept across northwestern Africa on March 30. The storm was estimated to be approximately 1 600 km (1 000 miles) long based on satellite imagery and analysis. The event was driven by a low-pressure system over Algeria, which drew in air from Europe and lifted Saharan dust across the region. The storm affected southern and central Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania as it moved across the region into the Atlantic Ocean.
Early-season wildfires surge across the United States with over 611 000 ha (1.51 million acres) burned year-to-date - Wildfire activity remained elevated across the United States in late March 2026, with the National Interagency Fire Center reporting 51 uncontained large fires burning 399 800 ha (987 989 acres) as of March 27. Since January 1, the agency has recorded 15 436 fires that burned about 611 000 ha (1.51 million acres), well above the 10-year average for the same period, as burn bans, evacuations, and localized disruptions continued in several states. Wildfire activity across the United States remained elevated in late March 2026, with NIFC reporting 51 uncontained large fires burning about 399 800 ha (987 989 acres) as of March 27. Since January 1, the agency has recorded 15 436 fires that burned about 611 000 ha (1.51 million acres), above the 10-year average of 9 195 fires and about 269 000 ha (664 792 acres) for the same period. Fire activity is concentrated across the Great Plains and parts of the Southeast. NIFC data show Oklahoma reporting 18 large fires, followed by Florida with 4, and Nebraska and Texas with 3 each, alongside multiple other states with active incidents. The agency raised the National Preparedness Level to 2 on March 20. Fuel conditions across the Plains are historically dry for March. NIFC advisories highlight fire behavior not typically observed at this time of year, with rapid rates of spread driven by dry fuels, strong winds, and low relative humidity. Forecast conditions continue to support elevated fire danger across large parts of the central and southern United States. In western North Carolina, firefighters continue to respond to multiple wildfires during a period of high fire danger. The Poplar Fire in Mitchell County has burned approximately 140 ha (350 acres) and reached about 80% containment, with crews transitioning to mop-up and patrol operations. The fire is burning in areas affected by debris from Hurricane Helene, where downed trees have increased fuel loads. The Tarkiln Ridge Fire in the Nantahala National Forest burned about 162 ha (400 acres), with containment improving from about 40% on March 27 to roughly 80% by March 28 as crews worked residual heat in smoldering fuels. Smoke effects continued in nearby communities, though conditions were gradually improving. A statewide burn ban remains in effect in North Carolina following its implementation on March 28, reflecting continued elevated fire risk under dry conditions.In Oklahoma, the Cedar Canyon Fire near Okeene reached approximately 251 ha (620 acres) and achieved about 70% containment by March 28. The fire previously exhibited extreme wind-driven behavior and prompted evacuations. Five firefighters were injured during operations, and improved conditions have allowed some evacuation orders to be lifted.In Colorado, the 24 Fire south of Colorado Springs burned approximately 2 990 ha (7 385 acres). Containment lines have been established, and mandatory evacuations have been lifted, with crews continuing to monitor hotspots and secure the perimeter. Nebraska remains one of the most affected states in terms of total burned area. Earlier in March, the Morrill Fire became the largest wildfire in state history, burning over 242 800 ha (600 000 acres) before reaching near full containment. Additional fires, including the Cottonwood Fire at approximately 52 200 ha (129 000 acres), the Ashby Fire at approximately 14 600 ha (36 000 acres), and the Minor Fire at approximately 5 700 ha (14 000 acres), have shown progress in containment following calmer weather conditions. Evacuations have largely been lifted in affected areas. One civilian fatality was reported earlier in the Morrill Fire.
Three Tornadoes Confirmed in Ohio from March 31 Storms - During severe storms on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, a total of three tornadoes were confirmed to have touched down across Ohio. The National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed these events, which caused damage to properties and trees in several counties, though no injuries or fatalities were reported. Initial reports from beaconjournal.com highlighted two tornadoes: an EF1 near Hicksville in Defiance County and an EF0 near Apple Creek in Wayne County. Subsequently, cleveland.com reported an additional EF1 tornado in Geauga County, bringing the total to three confirmed incidents from the same weather system. The EF1 tornado in Defiance County, located in Western Ohio, touched down at 7:09 p.m. on March 31. It remained on the ground for approximately two minutes, carving a path 2.71 miles long and 25 yards wide. This twister, with peak wind speeds of 95 mph, caused minor tree damage, destroyed a pole barn, and ripped the roof off a home, according to the NWS office for Northern Indiana. Meanwhile, the EF0 tornado in Wayne County, southwest of Akron, occurred at 9:56 p.m. on the same day. It was on the ground briefly for 0.11 miles with a width of 75 yards, featuring peak winds of 85 mph. This tornado, confirmed by the NWS office in Cleveland, uprooted or snapped several trees, caused roof damage, and led to a collapsed chimney across three residential properties near Apple Creek. A third tornado, an EF1, was confirmed in Geauga County in Northeast Ohio, as reported by cleveland.com. This tornado touched down at 5:49 p.m. on Tuesday and stayed active for about two minutes. It carved a 1.53-mile path through the Chesterland area with estimated peak winds of 100 mph. The Geauga County tornado began northeast of the Watt and Fairmount roads intersection, where a large barn's roof collapsed. It tracked east along Fairmount Road, causing several large pine trees to fall and snapping at least one power pole. At one location, large pine trees fell onto a house, though no obvious structural damage was noted by surveyors. Further east, another tree hit a house, resulting in roof and gutter damage. The tornado lifted just west-northwest of the Fairmount and Rockhaven roads intersection. This EF1 tornado, with its 100 mph winds, was notably stronger than the EF0 confirmed in Wayne County. Beyond the tornado paths, the March 31 storm system brought widespread damage across Northeast Ohio. Damaging straight-line winds, reaching up to 70 mph, torrential rain, and flash flooding affected areas including Geauga, eastern Cuyahoga, southern Lake, Medina, Summit, Portage, and Wayne counties. Thousands of residents in Northeast Ohio experienced power outages. As of Thursday afternoon, 2,326 customers in Cuyahoga County still lacked electricity, with scattered outages remaining in Medina, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Summit, and Ashtaboga counties, according to poweroutage.us.
Ice storm causes power outages across Wisconsin as multi-system winter event impacts northern U.S. - Freezing rain and heavy snow impacted the Upper Midwest on April 2 and 3, 2026, with significant ice accumulation leading to power outages across Wisconsin and hazardous travel conditions across multiple states. Forecasts indicate continued wintry precipitation through April 5 as additional systems move across the region. Freezing rain and heavy snow affected parts of the northern United States between April 2 and 3, as a series of low-pressure systems moved across the region, producing significant ice accretion and localized infrastructure disruption across the Upper Midwest. Power outages were reported across Wisconsin, where the latest available data show 36 131 customers without electricity out of 2 908 667 tracked. The highest concentrations were recorded in central and northeastern counties, including Portage with 14 773 outages, followed by Shawano, Marinette, Waupaca, Marathon, Menominee, Wood, and Kenosha. The spatial clustering of outages shows localized areas of heavier ice loading on trees and powerlines. Ice accretion developed as surface temperatures remained near or below freezing while precipitation persisted, allowing freezing rain to accumulate on exposed infrastructure. Reported ice amounts reached approximately 12.7 mm (0.5 inches) in parts of Wisconsin, sufficient to cause tree damage and powerline stress. Heavy snowfall accompanied the icing across parts of the northern Plains and Upper Midwest. Forecast totals exceed 30 cm (12 inches) in some areas, with localized higher accumulations possible. Snowfall rates in parts of the region may reach approximately 2.5 cm (1 inch) per hour, causing reduced visibility and hazardous road conditions.
Alaska analysis shows continued loss of Arctic landfast sea ice - Sea ice is sticking to Alaska's northern coast for less time each year, according to 27 years of data analyzed by University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists. Such landfast ice, which stays attached to the shoreline instead of drifting with winds and currents, also has covered less total area in recent winters. The work, led by research professor Andrew Mahoney of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. Former UAF graduate student Andrew Einhorn is a co-author. The new assessment extends the timeframe of a 2014 study by Mahoney that covered 1996–2008. It focuses on the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Landfast sea ice has been declining in the Chukchi Sea for decades. The new analysis found that the extent of Beaufort Sea landfast sea ice has also begun to decline in recent years after remaining relatively stable between the 1970s and early 2000s. "Landfast ice is the ice that is used by people," Mahoney said. "It has a much more immediate connection with humans." Residents travel across the stable ice to reach hunting and fishing areas. The oil and gas industry uses the frozen surface to build seasonal ice roads that connect to nearshore facilities. By remaining fixed in place, landfast ice also helps shield the shoreline from strong waves and allows river water to spread farther offshore. "The shortening of the landfast ice season may matter even more for coastal communities than any loss of ice area during that season," Mahoney said, "because it leaves shorelines more exposed to waves and makes hunting conditions much more uncertain." The landfast ice season has shrunk mostly because the ice is forming later in the year. Even after air temperatures drop below freezing in the fall, the ocean is staying warm longer, so it takes more time for solid ice to develop along the coast."Landfast ice is diminishing with the rest of the ice in the Arctic," Mahoney said. "In some ways it is following the same trends as we see in the rest of the Arctic, but we are also seeing some new changes."
Arctic sea ice at lowest recorded winter level as heat records smashed - The North Pole’s sea ice has reached its lowest level for the winter season as increasing temperatures break records across the continents, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), based at the University of Colorado Boulder, on Thursday. The center’s scientists “stress that the Arctic sea ice extent number is preliminary — weather conditions could change the annual maximum ice extent.”“This record low maximum gives a head start to the spring and summer melt season,” NSIDC senior research scientist Walt Meier said in the center’s report. “One or two record low years don’t necessarily mean much by themselves, but in the context of the significant downward trend that we’ve observed since 1979, it reinforces the dramatic change to Arctic sea ice throughout all seasons.” More sea ice would take in heat energy released by the sun and help keep temperatures across the globe in check. Less sea ice means more heat energy enters the oceans and affects wildlife like polar bears and seals that rely on the sea ice. The sea’s absorption of this heat from the sun will accelerate global heating, CNN reported. Jennifer Francis, a senior scientist at Woodwell Climate Research Center, told the outlet that the sea ice loss “is yet another symptom indicating the Earth’s climate is in big trouble.”Francis added that the gases released from burning fossil fuels trapped in the atmosphere is “warming the oceans, heating the air, melting the ice, and worsening weather extremes all around the world.”Meier told The Associated Press that the low sea ice level is “a climate change global warming signal.”The new reports come as temperatures broke March heat records across Mexico, Australia, Northern Africa and parts of northern Europe.The National Weather Service has tracked record-breaking temperatures for March in cities across the U.S., with the Southwest, Midwest and California seeing temperatures break past 90 and 100 degrees, resulting in the warmest March on record. Climatologist and weather historian Maximiliano Herrera listed 17 states that saw record temperatures this month in a post on X, with seven seeing temperatures over 100 degrees. He wrote in a separate post that the record temperatures were “extraordinary” and that they make up the “most extreme event in North American history” not seen in centuries.
Major X1.4 solar flare erupts from AR 4405, CME impact expected late March 31 - A major solar flare measuring X1.4 at its peak erupted from Active Region 4405 at 03:19 UTC on March 30, 2026. The event started at 02:47 and ended at 03:44 UTC. It produced a large partial-halo CME, with a glancing blow to Earth expected around 18:00 UTC on March 31. A Type II Radio Emission with an estimated velocity of 1 872 km/s was associated with the event, suggesting a coronal mass ejection (CME) was produced. Coronagraph imagery subsequently confirmed a very large, wide CME propagating eastward. A partial Earth-directed component remains possible. Further analysis is underway. A 10cm Radio Burst (Tenflare) with a peak flux of 1 800 sfu was detected from 02:54 to 03:42 UTC. A 10cm radio burst indicates that the electromagnetic burst associated with a solar flare at the 10cm wavelength was double or greater than the initial 10cm radio background. This can be indicative of significant radio noise in association with a solar flare. This noise is generally short-lived but can cause interference for sensitive receivers, including radar, GPS, and satellite communications. Radio frequencies were expected to be most degraded across East Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, and the western Pacific.
Impulsive M7.5 solar flare erupts from Earth-facing Region 4409, geomagnetic conditions remain elevated - A strong solar flare measuring M7.5 erupted from Active Region 4409 at 01:17 UTC on April 4, 2026. The event started at 01:07 and ended at 01:23 UTC. No radio signatures indicating a coronal mass ejection (CME) were detected, despite the region’s position near the center of the solar disk, where any CME produced would likely be Earth-directed. Forecast conditions indicate solar activity will likely remain at moderate levels through April 6, with a slight chance of X-class flares, while geomagnetic conditions are expected to reach G1 – Minor to G2 – Moderate storm levels on April 4 under the combined influence of the April 1 CME and a negative polarity coronal hole high-speed stream. However, this event was impulsive in nature, and there were no radio signatures detected that would indicate a CME was produced. The region maintains a ‘beta-gamma’ magnetic configuration and is capable of producing more strong eruptions on the Sun. Earth-directed CMEs from AR 4409 will remain a possibility in the days ahead.
Solar geoengineering startup sets its own rules - With few rules governing efforts to cool the planet, the world’s most well-funded solar geoengineering startup is proposing some of its own.On Thursday, Stardust Solutions released guidelines for projects that aim to limit global warming by reflecting sunlight away from the Earth. The 14-page white paper called for researchers to use materials that are safe for humans and the environment, design systems that can be scaled up or down and develop precise monitoring tools.The American-Israeli company said it hoped the proposal would “serve as a basis for further discussion and consideration.” Stardust also elaborated on its guiding principles, which it said would act “as a voluntary code of conduct guiding Stardust’s policies and activities.”Stardust is seeking to develop a proprietary sunlight-reflecting particle, along with systems to spray and monitor millions of tons of the particles about a dozen miles above the Earth’s surface. But the company’s leaders have consistently said they would only allow that technology to be used if a national government decided it was safe and necessary to prevent extreme warming.
Insurers warn about climate lawsuits against fossil fuel industry - As extreme weather rattles property-insurance markets across the U.S., lawmakers in several states are trying to encourage lawsuits that hold the oil and gas industry responsible. But insurance officials, instead of being supportive, are warning that legal efforts to make the fossil fuel industry pay for rate increases won’t work — either in court or to fix the national insurance crisis. The latest example comes from Hawaii, where a powerful insurance trade group urged lawmakers to avoid “litigation-driven approaches” to address the spiraling cost and declining availability of home insurance. Lawsuits against fossil fuel giants would become “complex, lengthy and expensive,” the American Property Casualty Insurance Association wrote in comments to the Hawaii Legislature. APCIA represents home, auto and business insurers.
Trump EPA punished dissenters despite ‘legal risk‘ warning - A top EPA attorney warned of considerable blowback if the agency dished out discipline to employees publicly critical of the Trump administration.Political leaders at EPA punished those staffers anyway.Internal emails shed more light on last summer’s episode when the agency was rocked by an open dissent letter that castigated the administration’s disrespect for science and intimidation of staff. EPA suspended many and removed some who signed the letter — a move being appealed by fired staffers. Yet before the agency sanctioned those employees, one of its own lawyers advised EPA to stand down.Nate Nichols, assistant general counsel of the employment law practice group at EPA, said “my legal advice” was the agency should not take “personnel actions” or make any move that could be considered “retaliatory” or have “a chilling effect” on other staff. “Taking any such action would present significant legal risk, as the letter is likely protected speech under the First Amendment,” Nichols said in an email sent July 2 last year. He cited Pickering v. Board of Education, a Supreme Court decision reached almost 60 years ago that found the government has an interest in regulating its employees’ speech. But that ruling established “a balancing test” to protect First Amendment rights, which was if the workers speak as private citizens about “a matter of public concern” and it doesn’t interfere with their government jobs. “The document appears to meet the Pickering test and the Agency would be prohibited from retaliating against employees who signed the document,” Nichols said, noting the signatories said the dissent letter was produced on their own time.He added the letter was “unquestionably” about public concerns and courts have found, depending on a government employee’s job, their private speech has minimal impact on agency operations.“If the agency retaliates against the employee signatories, we should expect a litigation with significantly increased publicity surrounding the letter,” Nichols said.The letter, called EPA’s “Declaration of Dissent,” was emailed to Administrator Lee Zeldin and posted online on June 30, 2025. Stand Up for Science, a nonprofit group, helped organize the dissent letter, which initially had names and job titles for some of the employees who signed on.Despite Nichols’ advice, EPA on July 3 placed close to 150 employees on administrative leave.“We have a ZERO tolerance policy for agency bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging, and undercutting the agenda of this administration as voted for by the great people of this country last November,” Zeldin said in a statement at the time. By summer’s end, EPA suspended many and fired some of those employees after they spent weeks on leave.
DOE drops lawsuit appeal, effort to cap energy grants - The Department of Energy is rescinding an effort to cap funding for state energy programs and dropping its appeal of a court verdict that found the move was illegal.The move Thursday came as a victory to the 19 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia who sued the agency last fall over the move to limit the use of its grant funding for “indirect costs” such as buildings, equipment and personnel.A federal judge last September sided with the states, finding the DOE policy violated the Administrative Procedure Act.DOE had appealed, but its decision to drop the appeal preserves the states’ win and brings the case to a close, said New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Ohio blocks big solar farm, despite apparently fake public comments - Great Lakes Now --Ohio regulators have blocked yet another major solar project because of local pushback, even though a significant number of public comments opposing the array appear to be fabricated. It’s the latest blow to solar in a state that defers to local governments on renewable energy, but not on fossil fuels.The Ohio Power Siting Board decided last Thursday to deny a permit for the 94-megawatt Crossroads Solar Grazing Center, which would combine solar panels with sheep grazing in central Ohio. Although the project otherwise met all legal requirements, the board concluded that it “fails to serve the public interest.”Regulators acknowledged that Crossroads Solar would have statewide benefits, create jobs, and increase local tax revenue. But they said the project’s merits are outweighed by the existence of “consistent and substantial opposition” from local governments and nearby residents.Critics of the decision are troubled that the regulators basically shrugged off the fact that a substantial number of public comments filed in opposition to Crossroads Solar were duplicative, anonymous, or seemingly faked. A recent Canary Media review found that dozens of comments contained apparent lies about people’s names or residence in Morrow County, where the project site is located. The board acknowledged those concerns in its ruling but asserted that substantial public opposition existed regardless of the potentially fabricated comments.The controversy about those false comments, along with anonymous or multiple submissions, feeds into broader criticism that the board has reduced renewable energy siting to a local popularity contest. “When the volume of public input is prioritized over its substance, it weakens trust in the process and makes it harder to build the energy system Ohio needs,” said Nathan Rutschilling, managing director of energy policy for the Ohio Environmental Council.Like many states, Ohio faces soaring electricity demand and rising power bills. Clean energy could help address those challenges — provided it can get built.“If we’re going to deny solar the ability to compete in Ohio’s marketplace, I think that’s going to result in an artificially high price for Ohio consumers,” said Democratic state Sen. Kent Smith, who is a nonvoting member of the siting board. He described the board’s Crossroads Solar denial as “a dangerous thing for the state in terms of both affordability and reliability.”An uphill battle for Crossroads SolarState and local restrictions on renewable energy have proliferated across the country in recent years, and Ohio is no exception. The state’s wind and solar developers face hurdles that fossil fuel companies do not, thanks to a 2021 law that lets counties ban renewable energy developments — an authority they do not have over oil, gas, and coal projects.Morrow County instituted such a ban across half its townships last year. But because Crossroads Solar was in the regional grid operator’s queue before the 2021 state law took effect, it is exempt from the blanket prohibition.However, for the past few years, the Ohio Power Siting Board and its staff have denied or recommended against permits for solar farms when all nearby local governments have been against a project. The Ohio Supreme Court has not yet ruled on a legal challenge to that practice, even though oral argument was held more than a year ago.Initially, it seemed as if Crossroads Solar might escape this fate. Although Morrow County commissioners and the boards of trustees in two townships where parts of the project would be built were against it, the board in a third township — Cardington — remained neutral. Since opposition wasn’t unanimous, the siting board’s staff recommended in early December that regulators deem the project in the public interest.But shortly after that recommendation, meeting minutes show that one Cardington township trustee changed his position because the staff report “did not set well with him.” That led the Cardington trustees to pass a 2–1 resolution opposing Crossroads Solar. The switch-up ultimately resulted in the siting board staff reversing its stance, filing testimony in January that encouraged regulators to rule against the project.
Solar installations fell 22% in 2025: FERC - Solar developers installed 26.5 GW last year, down 22% from the 33.8 GW they installed in 2024, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.Despite this decrease, solar still led all other generation sources in 2025 installations. As of December, solar now makes up 12.2% of installed generating capacity in the U.S., according to FERC — trailing only natural gas, at 42.2%, and coal, at 14.3%.In 2025, the U.S. solar industry “navigated unprecedented change, ranging from numerous trade actions to the reversal of renewable energy tax credit policy,” the Solar Energy Industries Association said in a March 9 report. “Many projects stayed on track, but the market and policy uncertainty took a toll, leading to project delays and cancellations across all segments.”The decline in solar installations took place despite the ongoing rush to bring projects online in order to qualify for the Inflation Reduction Act tax credits, which had their timelines curtailed by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. SEIA noted that in the first three quarters of 2025, solar installations remained largely the same year over year, “but in the fourth quarter, volumes fell by nearly 40% year-over-year. By the end of 2025, installations totaled just under 35 GW as many utility-scale projects were delayed into 2026 and 2027.” “As developers shifted their focus towards safe harbor strategies, there was less urgency to bring late-stage projects online by year end,” SEIA said. “This weakened fourth quarter deployment but created a more robust near-term pipeline for 2026 and 2027.” FERC’s data shows that natural gas added fewer units in 2025 — 84, compared with to 122 the previous year — despite a 1.5 GW increase in installed capacity. Wind capacity also grew as developers added 5.7 GW in 2025 compared with 4.5 GW the previous year. No new nuclear capacity came online in 2025. U.S. nuclear capacity increased 1.1 GW in 2024, when Plant Vogtle Unit 4 came online in April that year.
Biofuel lobbies crank up efforts to change EU green jet fuel regs - - Producers of sustainable aviation fuel made from biological products are launching a lobbying campaign to get the EU to water down its green fuel rules. Pressure is growing for the EU to review the rules later this year. But that’s angering climate campaigners, who worry that increasing the use of fuels made from waste oils, fats and agricultural residues — known as bioSAF — will harm the bloc’s climate efforts, increase its dependence on China, and potentially cause problems with the agriculture sector. BioSAF producers sense an opening because of the problems with making enough synthetic aviation fuel (eSAF) — a rival fuel produced from hydrogen and made with renewable energy and CO2 stripped from the atmosphere.
What's next for Ohio's former green steel project? More coal, it seems. - Cleveland-Cliffs appears poised to lock its Middletown Works steel mill into using fossil fuels for at least the next two decades.The steel manufacturer had already abandoned its plan to replace a coal-based blast furnace at the southwest Ohio plant with cleaner, hydrogen-ready technology and electric furnaces. That project, which won a $500 million federal grant during the Biden administration, was meant to mark America’s entry into the global race to make greener steel. Now, Cliffs seems ready to refurbish its old Middletown blast furnace so that it can keep running on coal, and to add a cogeneration plant that makes electricity and steam from waste gas. The company has not ruled out the possibility that it might pay for part or all of the work using money from the grant — which Congress required the Department of Energy to spend for the purpose of accelerating industrial decarbonization.Cliffs described the project in an air-permit application submitted in late February to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, though the steelmaker hasn’t yet publicly announced the initiatives.The filings represent the latest twist for the Middletown steel mill, the longtime economic engine of Vice President JD Vance’s hometown. Cliffs’ plans have been murky ever since the company ditched its hydrogen ambitions last year. In a July earnings call, CEO Lourenco Goncalves said only that Cliffs was working with the DOE to develop a new scope for the federally funded project, in a way that will “preserve and enhance” Middletown’s use of coal and fossil gas. Goncalves later confirmed that Cliffs’ grant remained intact, having been spared from the Trump administration’s sweeping cancellation of other DOE-backed efforts to decarbonize U.S. industrial facilities.It is unclear whether the company and energy agency will come to any agreement on revamping the project, and if they do, how much of the federal funding the company might use for the work now planned at Middletown. The DOE has not responded to Canary Media’s repeated requests for comment.Cliffs received its award in 2024 through the $6.3 billion Industrial Demonstrations Program, which was primarily funded by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. In appropriating those dollars, Congress stipulated that the DOE should help companies deploy “advanced industrial technology” that is “designed to accelerate greenhouse gas emission reduction progress to net zero” at U.S. manufacturing facilities.The steelmaker’s plan to adopt hydrogen-ready technology could have eliminated roughly 1 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year from Middletown Works. It was also expected to create 170 new permanent jobs, in addition to safeguarding 2,500 positions at the facility. Cliffs’ latest proposal, which focuses on energy-efficiency improvements, is unlikely to deliver anywhere near the potential emissions reductions that would have resulted from the original project.
No one wanted to redevelop this polluted property. Then came AI. -— A contaminated, abandoned parcel of land in this southern Wisconsin city of Janesville is all that remains of a General Motors plant that, a half century ago, was a proud symbol of American auto manufacturing. But it could soon be home to a new industry: artificial intelligence.A Colorado-based real estate and investment company has proposed to buy the 250-acre site, clean it up and build a massive $8 billion data center campus.It’s a test case for a plan hatched by the Trump administration to entice this generation’s industrial titans to clean up the mistakes of the last one.The administration is pitching the idea of redeveloping blighted manufacturing sites as a win-win for hollowed-out cities in need of jobs and the AI industry it is seeking to boost. But it remains to be seen whether it can create enough goodwill to overcome the wave of local opposition that has stymied data center projects from Ohio to Virginia to Arizona and is being seized on by Democratic candidates in the midterm elections.With data center developers scrambling to find low-priced land with access to water and power infrastructure, former industrial properties — broadly classified as brownfields — and even heavily contaminated Superfund sites with those amenities look increasingly appealing.The hope is that even costly environmental cleanups can pencil out when developers are pouring billions into hyperscale projects. For those willing to take the risk, EPA is pledging to expedite environmental reviews and provide guidance on the remediation and redevelopment process.“There really is no greater demand for industrial properties than data centers right now,” said Bruce Rasher, who works on cleanup and redevelopment of auto manufacturing sites at the Racer Trust, which oversees other old GM properties. “The larger the data center, the smaller the total percentage cost [is] comprised by cleanup, and then the more feasible it becomes.”
MP, ratepayer advocates oppose ROE, rates proposed for $1.1B AEP-FirstEnergy transmission project - American Municipal Power and the ratepayer advocates for Maryland and Ohio are challenging the proposed return on equity for a roughly $1.1 billion transmission project by Grid Growth Ohio, according to protests filed at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Grid Growth Ohio is a joint venture of Transource Energy — a partnership between American Electric Power and Evergy — and FirstEnergy Transmission.Data centers are driving the 765-kV and 345-kV project in Ohio, but about 60% of the project’s cost will be paid for by Ohio ratepayers, according to the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel. Ohio has enacted legislation and adopted policies that aim to protect consumers from the costs of serving new data centers, but the proposed formula rate from Grid Growth Ohio lacks similar protections, the OCC said in a Friday filing at FERC. The proposal includes incentives that would lead to an “impermissible transfer of risk onto ratepayers,” the Maryland Office of People’s Counsel said. The competitively selected project, expected to start operating by 2032, is part of the PJM Interconnection’s most recent regional transmission expansion plan. The plan is designed to bolster grid reliability that is strained by load growth in areas across its Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern footprint. PJM’s board approved the $11.8 billion plan in mid-February. Earlier this month, Grid Growth Ohio asked FERC to approve formula rates and transmission incentives for the project, including a 10.8% return on equity. The forward-looking formula rates are used to determine how much revenue Grid Growth can collect from ratepayers for the project and would be adjusted each year to reflect the company’s actual expenses. Grid Growth Ventures — parent to Grid Growth Ohio — asked FERC to allow it to use this set of rates and incentives for transmission projects its other subsidiaries develop as well. The proposed rates are similar to other ones FERC recently approved and address the financial risks Grid Growth faces as a new entrant in the field of competitive transmission, according to the company. In separate protest filings, AMP, the OCC and the Maryland OPC said Grid Growth’s proposed ROE appears excessive. “Grid Growth’s own filing indicates that following the Commission’s preferred approach for establishing base return on equity produces a return on equity of 10.66%,” AMP said. Also, Grid Growth’s methodology for determining an ROE differs significantly from FERC’s preferred approach, the wholesale power provider for municipal utilities said. Grid Growth’s analysis “significantly departs from Commission precedent and norms,” the Maryland OPC said. “Grid Growth seeks a treasure trove of risk-reducing incentives — [construction work in progress] and Project Abandonment Incentives — plus regulatory asset treatment for pre-commercial costs,” the OPC said. “Redundancies and overlaps in risk mitigation efforts, either already in place or being proposed undermine Grid Growth’s requests.”Grid Growth failed to adequately support its proposal for a 60% equity/40% debt hypothetical capital structure that it would use until the project comes into service, according to the OPC.“Regulated utilities can afford to take on more debt than other industries because they have large amounts of fixed assets, stable earnings, and lower risk levels,” the OPC said.Also, the proposed incentives aimed at easing Grid Growth’s new-entrant status are misplaced given its utility company parents, according to the OPC.“The start-up risk for Grid Growth is minimal, and the requested incentives are unwarranted,” the OPC said.If FERC doesn’t reject the filing, it should suspend the proposed effective date of May 6 by five months as allowed under the Federal Power Act, subject to refund, and hold hearings on it, according to the proposal’s challengers.
Expect retail electricity prices to rise further: LBNL/Brattle | Utility Dive -- U.S. electricity prices have risen significantly in recent years, though “national trends mask stark differences” in state prices, according to an April 1 analysis by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and The Brattle Group.Whether you take a “crisis” or “more nuanced view” of the increases — the analysis offers both — one thing is likely, according to the report: “Record levels of [investor-owned utility] rate increase requests & regulatory approvals suggest additional near-term price increases absent policy/market actions.”There were $18 billion in rate increases proposed last year, according to the analysis, and about two-thirds of utility rate proposals were approved from 2021-2025.IOU revenue increase requests in 2025 “exceeded any point since the mid-1980s, suggesting continued price increases in near term as regulators consider the requests,” the analysis said.In the “crisis view” of electricity price drivers, national prices have surged since 2019 through 2025, up 33%. There are larger increases in California, the Northeast and parts of the Mid-Atlantic. A third of U.S. households spend more than 5% of their income on electricity, according the report.The “nuanced” view notes that price increases have largely tracked inflation, and 29 states saw a decline in inflation-adjusted prices from 2019-2025. In most areas, electricity burdens are lower than they were in 2019.Residential customers “have faced larger recent retail electricity price increases than have commercial and industrial customers,” the analysis said. From 2019 to 2025 the nominal price of a kilowatt-hour rose 33% for residential customers, 26% for commercial and 27% for industrial. All-sector average retail electricity prices increased 5.3% in 2025 compared to 2024, they said.“Residential retail electricity price increases have been significant: broadly in line with some other household expenditures but higher than others,” researchers said. The average U.S. residential price of electricity, in nominal dollars, went from 13 cents/kWh in 2019 to 17.3 cents/kWh in 2025. Commercial customers saw prices increase from 10.7 cents/kWh to 13.4 cents/kWh. And industrial prices went from 6.8 cents/kWh to 8.6 cents/kWh.The primary drivers of recent price increases include fuel and wholesale supply, distribution costs, the cost of new generation, transmission costs, storm recovery and capacity prices, the report said.LBNL and Brattle’s analysis is a data update to 2025 work they did on factors driving electricity prices.
Large load tariffs proliferate as states take more active role in data center regulation - State policymakers are increasingly looking to large load tariffs as a way to shield ratepayers from the surge in interconnection requests from artificial intelligence data centers, with 77 such tariffs pending or in place across 36 states, according to the Smart Electric Power Alliance, which recently updated its Database of Emerging Large Load Tariffs. In 2025, state regulators approved 29 large load tariffs, compared to 14 between 2018 and 2024, SEPA said. The database, which is jointly maintained with the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center, has added 12 entries and 3 additional states since its last update in November. Experts say it’s too soon to know whether the tariffs are working as intended, and broader reforms to utility planning and power markets are likely needed. “We’ve seen the tariffs that set the initial agreements and the kind of frameworks, and they have these really important safeguards, but in a lot of states, we haven’t yet gotten to that process of cost allocation, which is complicated,” Louisa Eberle, a senior associate with the nonprofit Regulatory Assistance Project, told Utility Dive. “There are several reasons why rates might still go up for other customers if cost allocation isn’t done effectively.”The growth of large load tariffs comes amid rising retail power costs that are increasing pressure on elected officials, regulators, utilities and tech companies to justify an estimated trillion-dollar grid buildout to meet demand growth projections from data centers and, to a lesser extent, manufacturing and electrification.“I think the properties of that growth at a regional level are what drives the increased look at how we could build upon the longtime commercial and industrial tariff structures and principles to shore up guardrails for this new growth era that we’re in,” Ann Collier, SEPA’s director of grid strategy, said in an interview. “The growth is coming at a much faster pace than we have seen in decades, and it’s much denser.”In particular, the definition of “large load” has evolved as the size of projects have grown. A few years ago, utilities defined “large loads” using a threshold of five, 10 or 25 MW, Collier said, but more recently-approved tariffs are defining large loads at 50 MW and above.Other common features of these tariffs include asking loads to pay more of the upfront costs for engineering studies or power delivery infrastructure, minimum contract terms, minimum load guarantees, defined load ramp schedules, exit fees and financial security in case a project falls through. Some have also introduced incentives, such as reduced load guarantees or faster interconnection, for customers that bring their own capacity or agree to flex their power demand during times of grid stress.Collier said while utilities are still originating many of their own large load proposals, she’s noticed that states are taking a more active role in regulating large loads, either through regulatory bodies or legislation. Oregon, Minnesota, Indiana, Texas and Virginia are among the states that have passed laws governing how large load customers are treated by utilities. State regulators in Pennsylvania are developing a model large load tariff that could be applied to all utilities there. Collier said “time will tell” if the tariffs and other rules for large loads are effective, and the needs of each territory are different. But some early evidence appears to show that the tariffs can weed out speculative requests from the large load pipeline. AEP Ohio cut its large load forecast by more than 50%, from 30 GW to 13 GW, after regulators approved a new large load tariff last year, though manufacturers in the state say data center demand is still inflated.
New rules could make data centers grid assets - -Rising electricity prices are prompting more states to threaten moratoriums on new data centers. But utilities, tech companies and grid operators say there’s an easier solution: turn down the power. Demand response measures are popping up in utility contracts, state legislation, business deals and even public statements from the biggest U.S. tech companies. Google, for example, recently announced that it has agreed to turn down power use at its data centers across the South and Midwest when the grid is stressed, building in 1 gigawatt of demand response.But actionable agreements are still few and far between. And with as many as 50 gigawatts of data centers expected to come online by 2030, policymakers are figuring out how to turn what they consider a good idea into a de facto part of data center operations.“The price signals clearly are not enough to drive the investments on demand-side responses,” said Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner Judy Chang, speaking on a panel last week at the CERAWeek by S&P Global conference.
Framing for 4.5-GW Gas-Fired Plant in Homer City Under Construction -- Marcellus Drilling News --Homer City Redevelopment, LLC has reached a significant milestone with the commencement of vertical construction, known as “first steel,” at the Homer City Energy Campus in Pennsylvania. Following extensive foundation work, the project has transitioned to above-ground construction, starting with the Gas Insulated Switchgear building. This facility is currently the largest natural gas-powered energy project under construction in the United States, replacing a decommissioned coal plant.
PA Democrats Go Local with Opposition to $92B in Data Center Deals -- Marcellus Drilling News - Anti-progress and anti-fossil energy Democrats in Pennsylvania are doing their darndest to try to block new AI data centers from getting built in the state. Just last week, the Democrat-controlled House passed a bill to block new data centers (see PA House Dems Pass Bill Aimed at Banning New Data Centers). However, even the most hardened radicals in the Democrat Party, such as State Senator Katie Muth (from the Philly suburbs), who have been pushing a “three-year moratorium” on building new data centers, admit the state legislature is unlikely to pass any of these hairbrained bills in both chambers. So they’ve changed tactics, taking the fight local, town by town, to block new data centers.
Va.’s Energy Czar Spent Months Trying to Block Gas-Fired Plant - Marcellus Drilling News -- Last year, MDN warned readers that the newly elected, incoming governor of Virginia, Abigail Spanberger, is a radical left Democrat (see Va. Dems Jazzed to Push Unreliable Renewables, Block Data Centers). And indeed, she’s proven to be exactly how we described her. Not only is she pushing to re-enroll the state in an obscene carbon tax (the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI), but she just appointed Josephus Allmond as her Chief Energy Officer. Who is Allmond? An attorney with the uber-radical Southern Environmental Law Center. Allmond has led the opposition to the proposed Tenaska Expedition Generating Station (gas-fired power plant) in Fluvanna County, Va., speaking against it at local planning commission meetings and conducting community-activist training seminars. He essentially calls the project racist
Off-grid data centers will help protect ratepayers, but codifying ARC-ES would do even more -- Between the war in Iran, the controversies involving the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and other developing national and world events, a pledge made in early August by our biggest AI companies did not get the attention it deserved.In communities big and small across the U.S., emerging data centers have been a source of controversy. The headlines keep coming. As NPR reported, “The large-scale facilities are necessary to match the electricity demand required for AI, but high energy costs come with them, angering residents.”In reality, the relation of new data centers to higher electric costs in the communities in whichthey are built are more complicated than the notion of a simple direct correlation. But it is beyond dispute that data centers need a huge amount of electricity and an endless supply of water to cool the facilities.The Trump administration reacted to those concerns by taking the first step in ensuring that AI companies acknowledge the issue and do their part to mitigate the impact, a move Trump mentioned during his February State of the Union address and finalized a few days later.“Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge,” the White House announced on March 4, a pledge that means the companies agreed to “build, bring, or buy new generation resources and cover the cost of all power delivery infrastructure upgrades required for their data centers, ensuring such expenses are not passed to American households.”In accordance with the plan, “…these companies will negotiate separate rate structures withutilities and State governments, and commit to pay these rates for the power and related infrastructure brought online to service their data centers, whether they use the electricity or not.”“We’re telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs,” Trump said in his State of the Union remarks. “We have an old grid. It could never handle the kind of numbers, the amount of electricity that’s needed. So I’m telling them, they can build their own plant. They’re going to produce their own electricity. It will ensure the company’s ability to getelectricity, while at the same time, lowering prices of electricity for you.” While many data center operators did not originally intend to build their own off-grid gas plants,the reality of their needs are leading an increasing number of them to change their minds.“Power plants have bloomed in New Albany, Ohio, near Columbus, as if overnight,” the NewYork Times recently reported. “It was little more than a year ago that Sloan Spalding, the mayor, learned that a data center developer wanted to build the town’s first gas-fired power plant. Now, three are under construction, all meant to exclusively power data centers, and at least one other is planned.”Plants like those “will not affect the price of electricity for Ohio residents because the facilitiesare not connected to the grid,” the Times reported. The same is true elsewhere.And once again, natural gas is king.“Companies are gravitating to gas because it can theoretically generate electricity all day, unlikethe wind or sun. And smaller gas generators and engines can be installed much faster than nuclear power plants,” the Times noted.The only downside is that the pledge made by the data center companies is for now voluntary,with little enforcement outside deals negotiated with state regulators. That's why it’s more important than ever to codify the Affordable, Reliable, Clean Energy Security Act (ARC-ES), introduced in Congress late last year by Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH). ARC-ES “would require relevant federal agencies — such as the Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency — to review any actions relating to affordable, reliable, or clean energy within 90 days and submit a report to Congress. The bill guarantees that our most affordable and reliable energy sources, including nuclear and natural gas, remain part of the energy mix – a crucial requirement to guarantee affordable and reliable energy for American households and businesses.”Regardless of any controversies surrounding artificial intelligence and the data centers needed to generate the growing demand, what everyone should agree on is the importance of the U.S. being the world leader in the AI boom. Allowing China or other countries to control AI technology would spell disaster for Americans and other freedom-loving nations. Natural gas will be the leading source of electricity generation for decades to come. Protecting its production beyond President Trump’s term should be the highest priority for the president and for lawmakers who want to ensure America’s place as the world leader in technology.
Pressure grows for nuclear power to get steel in the ground - -Technology companies are signing electricity contracts today for data centers coming online in 2028. That puts nuclear projects on the clock, say analysts and industry executives.“Let’s write the obituary for nuclear in a year if you can’t actually build projects right now,” Landon Derentz, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center, said last week in Houston.Google, Microsoft, Meta and other giants of the artificial intelligence boom say nuclear power can meet their needs for stable, 24-7 power. It also has a carbon-free footprint. The tech industry has invested more than $8 billion across at least 12 advanced nuclear companies since 2018, according to S&P Global. Still, even if tech companies are ready to bite, timing remains an inescapable challenge. Data center planning and construction are outpacing any reasonable timeline for deploying new nuclear technology.
California’s nuclear plant gets 20-year extension from federal regulators - Federal officials on Thursday approved a 20-year extension for California’s only nuclear power plant, capping a remarkable turnaround for a facility that was previously slated to retire and bolstering the ongoing resurgence of American nuclear energy. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Acting Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Jeremy Groom signed off on Pacific Gas & Electric’s license renewal application to extend operations of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant through 2045. That opens the door to the plant staying open for another two decades, but to do so, it will also need permission from the state, which has so far only authorized operations through 2030. “As California advances its clean energy and reliability goals, Diablo Canyon remains a stabilizing force on a dynamic grid,” Groom said during the signing ceremony. “It provides a steady source of carbon-free power during a period of rapid transition, supporting climate objectives while ensuring that the lights stay on in homes and businesses across the state.” The NRC decision sets the stage for a major debate in the California Legislature over whether to extend the state’s current permissions for the plant. The contours of that conversation, which have largely focused on grid reliability and energy affordability, illustrate how dramatically views of nuclear power have shifted in recent years.
More than 8500 acres of Ohio's public land approved for fracking - More than 8,000 acres at Egypt Valley Wildlife Area and more than 500 acres at Salt Fork State Park were approved to be fracked during Friday’s Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission meeting, which lasted less than 20 minutes. Four different bid selections were approved for parts of Egypt Valley Wildlife Area in Belmont County — 3,846 acres, 2,792 acres, 849 acres, and 746 acres. One bid selection was approved for 513 acres in Salt Fork State Park in Guernsey County. The leases will be put out to bid next calendar quarter. Advocates for protecting Ohio’s public lands from exploitation and degradation slammed the approvals. “The poisonous fruits of fracking will now grow in everyone’s backyard,” Save Ohio Parks said in a statement. Several people booed and shouted in opposition when the commissions voted to approve the bids. “We do consider all of the factors required by the statute and public comments are certainly one of them,” commission Chair Theresa White said when asked how much public comments are taken into consideration. Fracking is the process of injecting liquid into the ground at a high pressure to extract oil or gas. Texas-based EOG Resources Incorporated was chosen to frack about 3.6 acres in Valley Run Wildlife Area in Carroll County and less than an acre of the possible right-of-way along Ohio State Route 151 in Harrison County. EOG Resources was the only bidder for both. The commission is required to pick the “highest and best bid” per Ohio law. The lease bonus is $12,754 for Valley Run Wildlife Area and includes a 12.5% royalty, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The lease bonus is $2,446.50 for the land in Harrison County and includes a 12.5% royalty, according to ODNR. Less than an acre of land in the right-of-way along Ohio State Route 513 in Guernsey County was also approved for fracking. People opposed to fracking protest in front of the Ohio Department of Public Safety building before a Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission meeting. (Photo by Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Journal). A bid selection containing 18.71 acres of the possible right-of-way along Ohio State Route 513 in Guernsey County was denied. “Part of the nomination had parcels that included federal highways, and based on the coordination between the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, part of their requirements are that the federal government must give permission in writing and give that express written consent,” White said. ODOT did not get federal approval, so White said the commission did not think they had the authority to move forward with leasing the land. There were approximately 2,000 incidents associated with oil and gas wells in Ohio from 2015-2023, according to FracTracker Alliance — a nonprofit that collects data on fracking pipelines. There’s evidence that shows increased exposure to fracking impacts health, in particular children’s health, including low birth weight, preterm births, congenital anomalies, and asthma, according to Yale School of Medicine.. “There will be more early childhood cancers and respiratory illnesses from increased natural gas methane emissions,” Save Ohio Parks said in a statement. “Our freshwater lakes, rivers and creeks, even groundwater and soils will be even more depleted and contaminated from toxic, radioactive gas and oil wastewater brine.” Before Friday’s meeting, about 20 people gathered outside the Ohio Department of Public Safety building to protest fracking. “Parks weren’t meant to be silent and vacant industrial zones,” said Mary Huck, board member of Save Ohio Parks. “Without the connection with nature our wild spaces give, we become less human. … Mental health suffers in a society without natural green spaces, as does physical health and safety of living in peace.”
Ohio OKs Fracking Under 8,236 Acres of Egypt Valley Wildlife Area - Marcellus Drilling News -The Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC) voted on Friday to open more than 8,700 acres of public land, including an additional 513 acres under Salt Fork State Park and 8,236 acres under Egypt Valley Wildlife Area, for shale fracking. This move makes Egypt Valley the largest fracking project *under* (not on) state-owned land, despite vociferous public opposition from citizens and left-wing environmentalists. The next step in the process is to put the parcels out for bid.
Belmont County Injection Well Owner Case Against ODNR Dismissed - Marcellus Drilling News -- In a March 25, 2026, decision in the Omni Energy Group, LLC v. Ohio Department of Natural Resources court case, Judge Algenon L. Marbley from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio dismissed Omni’s amended complaint regarding Class II injection well permits. Omni alleged that the ODNR unlawfully set injection pressures too low, rendering its multimillion-dollar investment in two injection wells inoperable. This case goes back to events that began in 2019, events we previously covered in a 2024 post (see OH Injection Well Owner Wins Case Against ODNR, Potential Restart). Read that post for important background.
UAE Investment Firm Buys U.S. Midstream Gas Assets for $2.25 Billion - 2PointZero, an Abu Dhabi-based investment company focused on energy infrastructure, has signed a deal to buy 100% in U.S. firm Traverse Midstream Partners, owner of minority stakes in natural gas pipelines, for $2.25 billion.2PointZero, led by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi, entered in the deal through its subsidiary E Point Zero Holding RSC LTD, 2PointZero said in a statement to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.The agreement – subject to regulatory clearance – is yet another investment from the Middle East in U.S. energy assets as companies from the Arab Gulf continue their deal-making abroad even amid the war. Traverse Midstream Partners, a portfolio company of The Energy & Minerals Group, holds a portfolio of high quality non-operated midstream assets, including strategic minority stakes in the Rover Pipeline LLC and Ohio River System LLC. Rover Pipeline is a large scale, interstate natural gas pipeline that provides critical takeaway capacity from the Utica and Marcellus shale basins to key demand markets in the Upper Midwest, U.S. Gulf Coast, and Eastern Canada.Ohio River System, for its part, is a recently constructed, dry natural gas header system strategically positioned to gather natural gas production from core Utica and the emerging Ohio Marcellus production areas. ORS plays a key role in enhancing regional connectivity and system flexibility across key energy corridors.Last year, the United Arab Emirates pledged a 10-year, $1.4 trillion investment framework in the United States.In the energy sector, Abu Dhabi’s national oil and gas company ADNOC has moved some of its natural gas and green energy assets in the United States into its newly-created energy investment arm, XRG.Saudi Arabia is also investing in U.S. energy. At the end of 2025, Saudi Aramco, the world’s biggest crude exporter and the largest oil company by production and market capitalization, announced 17 new agreements and memoranda of understanding with American companies worth more than $30 billion, including in LNG, supply-chain procurement, advanced materials, and financial services.
Abu Dhabi's ePointZero buys US gas assets in $2.25 billion deal - Gulf News - Dubai; Abu Dhabi-based ePointZero is moving to deepen its presence in global energy infrastructure with a $2.25 billion acquisition of US-based Traverse Midstream Partners.The deal gives the company full ownership of a portfolio tied to some of the most critical natural gas corridors in North America, strengthening its position in assets that underpin power generation, industrial demand and exports.m ePointZero, a subsidiary of Two Point Zero Group, is positioning the acquisition within a broader strategy focused on energy systems that support electrification, digital demand and long-term supply resilience. The transaction provides exposure to major midstream infrastructure, including stakes in Rover Pipeline and Ohio River System. Rover is one of the largest interstate natural gas pipelines in the US, linking production from the Utica and Marcellus shale regions to demand centres across the Midwest, Gulf Coast and Eastern Canada. Its scale and connectivity make it a key route for moving gas from production hubs to consumption and export markets.The Ohio River System complements this network by gathering gas from core production areas and improving flow flexibility across the region, helping balance supply and demand across multiple corridors.The acquisition reflects a broader push by Gulf investors into energy infrastructure that generates stable, long-term returns.Midstream assets such as pipelines tend to benefit from consistent demand and contracted revenues, even during periods of price volatility, making them attractive for investors seeking predictable cash flows.ePointZero said its investment focus remains tied to infrastructure that powers modern economies, including systems that support industrial growth and digital expansion.Natural gas continues to play a central role in global energy markets, particularly in balancing renewable energy systems and supporting industrial activity.By securing access to established pipeline networks, ePointZero gains a foothold in supply chains that connect production to end users across major markets.The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals, with completion expected once the required procedures are finalised.
UAE Buying Minority Stake in Rover Pipeline, Ohio River System - - Marcellus Drilling News - The Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) investment group 2PointZero, via its subsidiary ePointZero, has agreed to acquire U.S. natural gas infrastructure firm Traverse Midstream Partners for $2.25 billion. This acquisition includes stakes in the Rover Pipeline and Ohio River System, which connect the productive Utica/Marcellus shale region to major demand centers and export hubs. Despite escalating Middle East geopolitical tensions and global energy disruptions, the deal underscores the UAE’s commitment to commercial partnerships with the United States.
19 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Mar 23 – 29 - Marcellus Drilling News - The Marcellus/Utica region received a combined 19 new drilling permits last week, Mar. 23 – 29, up 8 from the 11 permits issued two weeks ago. Pennsylvania issued 4 of the permits. Ohio issued no new permits. And, West Virginia issued 15 new permits last week. The drillers who received new permits last week included EQT, Expand Energy, and Range Resources.Bradford County | EQT Corp | Expand Energy | Range Resources Corp | Washington County | Wetzel County
PA Loses 2 Rigs from Marcellus, Combined M-U Lowest Since Nov. 2025 - Marcellus Drilling News - Last week was not a good week for the national rig count nor the count in the Marcellus/Utica. The national count dropped by 9 rigs to 543, while Pennsylvania lost 2 rigs and now operates 18, a level it hasn’t seen since January of this year. Both Ohio and West Virginia maintained the same counts last week at 11 and 8, respectively. The combined M-U count was 37 rigs last week, the lowest number since the Nov. 18, 2025, rig count report. Yuck.
PA DEP Fines Eureka Resources $100K for Wastewater Violations -- Marcellus Drilling News - The ongoing saga of Eureka Resources’ now-closed frack wastewater treatment facilities in Pennsylvania — two in Lycoming County and one in Bradford County — continues to unfold. The PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently assessed two fines against Eureka for violations of cleanup deadlines at two of its facilities. One facility in Lycoming County was fined, and one in Bradford County. The fines were $60,000 and $40,000. We’re just not sure which facility got which fine! [UPDATE: We now know that the Williamsport facility was fined $60,000 and the Bradford County facility was fined $40,000. See the update below.] One thing we do know: Eureka was fined a total of $100,000.
Bill introduced to update oil, gas conservation laws - Pennsylvania Business Report - A bill is set to be introduced by Pennsylvania Sen. Gene Yaw. (R-Lycoming) that would update the state’s oil and gas conservation law to match current drilling practices.The bill will also speed up permit reviews for wells in Utica, Yaw said. The chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, Yaw said the measure would ensure wells are treated the same across the state.“The techniques used to develop Marcellus and Utica shale are the same and it makes no sense for our laws to treat them differently,” Yaw said. “Modernizing this statute will reduce waste, protect resources and ensure Pennsylvania can continue to responsibly develop natural gas, a critical asset that supports jobs, generates revenue and strengthens our energy sector.”Yaw’s office said the legislation would update laws passed in 1961 before modernized drilling. By bringing the law up to date, he said, the bill would reduce delays in permit reviews, improve well placement and limit unnecessary surface impacts. Curren rules do not reflect how wells are drilled today, he said, and applying old standards to new wells can lead to natural gas being left in the ground. That would undermine the original legislation’s intent to prevent waste.Because many Utica wells are on land managed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resource, the outdated rules can mean billions in lost revenue for the state that would otherwise support conservation work.Because Utica wells tap into Utica shale – rock formation that lies beneath the Marcellus Shale – well operators are able to use horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques which allow them to access large reserves of natural gas that would otherwise be unreachable.
SWPA Congresswoman Summer Lee Launches “O&G is Racist” Caucus - Marcellus Drilling News --- Southwestern Pennsylvania voters chose poorly when they elected a Communist radical as their representative to the U.S. Congress: Democrat Summer Lee. She and two other far far far far far left radicals, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (Democrat from Michigan), and Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva (Democrat from Arizona), together just launched what they euphemistically call the People’s Environmental Justice Caucus in Congress. A better name is the “oil and gas is racist” caucus, an attempt to smear the oil and gas industry with the label of racism, claiming that O&G projects only get built in communities of color or where the residents are poor—people who (says Lee & co.) can’t fight back against the industry.
Stalled W. Kentucky Pipeline Project Sues Landowners for Easements - Marcellus Drilling News -- In September 2022, MDN told you about a new 53-mile pipeline project in Western Kentucky — a 16-inch natural gas pipeline to feed natgas to the southern Pennyrile Region (see Kentucky Spending $30M on New NatGas Pipe to Expand Biz Growth). The $115 million project is partly being underwritten by a $30 million grant from the State of Kentucky. Half of the state money ($15 million) was distributed in 2022, and the other half was distributed in 2023 (see W. Kentucky 53-Mile NatGas Pipe Moving Forward with State Funding). Even though the seed money was distributed long ago, construction has not yet begun. There’s an ongoing squabble over who will regulate the pipeline and ensure ratepayers don’t get shafted.
Big Green Files Lawsuit to Block FERC Authorization of MVP Southgate - Marcellus Drilling News -- On Tuesday, seven radicalized Big Green groups filed a court challenge to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) authorization for Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC, to construct the MVP Southgate gas pipeline. The petition for review, filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), Appalachian Mountain Advocates, and Sierra Club in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (DC Circuit), asks the court to vacate the amended certificate of convenience and public necessity issued by FERC in December 2025.
FERC Issues DEIS for Boardwalk Pipe to Carry M-U Gas to Southeast - Marcellus Drilling News -- The Kosciusko Junction Pipeline Project, led by Gulf South Pipeline Company, LLC (a subsidiary of Boardwalk Pipelines), involves the construction of approximately 110 miles of 36-inch natural gas pipeline. The project has an estimated cost of $1 billion and is supported by a 20-year agreement with an anchor customer. It is designed to transport up to 1.16 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) initially, with the potential to expand to 1.58 Bcf/d. The pipeline aims to connect gas supplies from key basins, including the Marcellus/Utica, Haynesville, and Fayetteville, to power markets in the Southeastern United States. In December 2024, Boardwalk pulled the trigger and made a final investment decision (FID) to move forward with the Kosciusko Junction project (see Boardwalk FID on Pipe to Carry M-U, Haynesville Gas to Southeast). Yesterday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a positive Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the project.
Golden Pass LNG Nears Exporting First Commissioning Cargo -Federal regulators have granted Golden Pass LNG’s request to export its first cargo. The facility’s 6 million tons/year (Mt/y) Train 1 produced LNG for the first time last weekend. Golden Pass requested permission from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to export its first commissioning cargo on or before April 15.
Golden Pass LNG Hits First Production, Adding Demand to Gulf Coast Natural Gas Price Hubs -- Golden Pass LNG has achieved first LNG at the Texas export terminal, setting the stage for more Gulf Coast feed gas demand and additional LNG supply in the coming weeks. At A Glance:
- Facility adds incremental Gulf Coast demand
- Train 1 ramp boosts regional basis support
- Near-term flows remain below full utilization
Qatar-Exxon Golden Pass LNG plant in Texas starts production --The joint venture between QatarEnergy and Exxon Mobil Corp. has started liquefied natural gas production from the first of its three trains at a facility in Texas, marking a major milestone for U.S. exports of the fuel as global supplies dwindle.The move sets the stage for Golden Pass LNG to deliver its first cargo from its facilities located in Sabine Pass, Texas, QatarEnergy said in a statement Monday. Global exports from the 18 million tons per annum project are now expected to start in the second quarter of this year.Golden Pass, a terminal near the Texas-Louisiana border, is poised to be a critical source of supply after Iran strikes damaged Qatar’s giant Ras Laffan facility on the Persian Gulf. Traders had been closely following the project as it is one of a few gas export facilities on the U.S. Gulf Coast that are close to being completed. About 20 percent of the world’s supply of LNG is sidelined as Iran all but blocks the Strait of Hormuz, paralyzing the flow of commodities from the region. Most of that LNG went to Asia, where prices for the fuel have surged about 90 percent since the start of the war.
Venture Global and Edison Settle Calcasieu Pass LNG Arbitration - Marcellus Drilling News -- Venture Global (VG) and Edison S.p.A., an Italian electric utility company headquartered in Milan, have signed a commercial agreement to fully resolve their pending arbitration regarding the Calcasieu Pass LNG project. Expected to conclude by the end of Q2 2026, the settlement terminates all legal disputes between the companies. As part of the deal, VG will deliver additional LNG cargoes to Europe, specifically targeting the Italian market through the Adriatic LNG Terminal starting in May 2026. This agreement strengthens their long-term partnership and enhances Italy’s energy security amidst global geopolitical disruptions
Why natural gas bills aren’t rising like prices at the pump - - There is a place in the United States where gas prices are steady and trending downward: Erath, Louisiana. But what’s cheap isn’t gasoline — it’s natural gas. Erath is home to about 2,000 people and the Henry Hub pipeline, where the U.S. market price of natural gas is set.And U.S. natural gas has reacted very differently than oil to disruptions caused by the Iran war, holding steady around $3 per million British thermal units because of the country’s vast supply. In other regions of the world, natural gas prices have skyrocketed as Iran retaliates by bottling up energy supplies in the Persian Gulf and attacking production sites. Liquefied natural gas prices in Asia have risen more than 90 percent since the bombing started.When Iran bombed the Ras Laffan gas plant in Qatar earlier this month, a European benchmark price for LNG surged 13 percent. In the United States, the price at Henry Hub dropped 2 cents.“So, we’re on an energy island here in the U.S.,” said Karen Harbert, CEO of the American Gas Association, “and that’s good for the economy and good for customers.” That isolation has kept natural gas prices from joining gasoline as a headache for President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans in their effort to maintain control of Congress in November’s midterm elections. It’s also kept electricity prices — which have climbed in recent years — from becoming more of an issue. Natural gas is piped directly into homes to heat air and water, showing up directly in customer bills. It is also the primary engine of U.S. electricity generation, accounting for 40 percent of total generation in 2025.While U.S. customers are shielded, the gyrations in the price and supply are likely to have knock-on effects that fundamentally change markets for domestic gas companies. But it’s not clear how. The rippling price shocks could open up new markets for the export of liquefied natural gas, boosting prospects for new projects on the U.S. Gulf Coast and the Pacific Coast of North America. But the steep increase in price and volatility could also drive countries away from imported natural and toward coal or renewables.
How Does the Iran War Impact Global Natural Gas Markets and U.S. LNG Development? - Click here to listen to the latest episode of Hub & Flow podcast in which NGI’s Christopher Lenton, managing editor of Mexico, and Senior LNG Editor Jacob Dick speak with Anne-Sophie Corbeau of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University about how war in the Middle East is changing global natural gas market dynamics.
Cheniere Signals Continued Feed Gas Growth With Sixth LNG Train Startup --A look at the global natural gas and LNG markets by the numbers
- 210 MMcf/d: Cheniere Energy Inc. has begun commissioning activities on the sixth of seven trains at its Corpus Christi LNG Stage 3 expansion project just days after the fifth train reached commercial operations. The firm told Texas regulators in a filing that contractors with Bechtel Group could initiate startup operations on Wednesday. Each train can add up to 0.21 Bcf/d in feed gas demand from West Texas hubs at peak capacity. Bechtel has delivered trains for Stage 3 to Cheniere roughly 2-3 months after commissioning begins.
- 19.6 Bcf/d: LNG feed gas demand is forecast to remain near all-time highs despite multiple operational blips at Gulf Coast terminals. Wood Mackenzie estimated nominations could average 19.6 Bcf/d over the next seven days as production at Golden Pass LNG and Cheniere’s Corpus Christi expansion continue to ramp up. However, pipeline flows indicated outages at Freeport LNG and Golden Pass on Tuesday, leading to nominations being revised down in a later gas cycle.
- 11.58 Mt: U.S. LNG exports reached a new monthly high in March, according to Kpler data, driven by incremental gains in capacity and a significant boost in demand from Asia. U.S. terminals shipped 11.58 million tons (Mt) during the month, edging above the last record set in December. Europe remained the favorable destination for U.S. LNG, importing 7.4 Mt, while East Asia drove a 1.16 Mt year/year gain compared to the prior period. Demand from Egypt also contributed to a significant rise in demand as the country again shifted from a net exporter to importer amid the conflict in the Middle East.
- 20 Tcf: Shell plc is looking to progress plans to tap Venezuelan natural gas for LNG production, including an additional field that could boost potential reserves to 20 Tcf, according to Reuters. The wire service cited anonymous sources that indicated the firm was in discussion to finalize agreements for three fields in the Mariscal Sucre and reserves in the Loran-Manatee offshore field that shares a border with Trinidad and Tobago. Gas would be connected back to existing platforms and used to boost supply for Trinidad’s four Atlantic LNG trains.
Industrial Natural Gas Buyers Face Rising Price Risk as LNG Growth, Iran War Roil Markets - Industrial consumers of natural gas are facing a more global and volatile market as surging U.S. LNG exports, geopolitical risks and shifting demand across the power and manufacturing sectors increasingly influence — but do not replace — domestic price drivers, complicating fuel and feedstock costs. Chart showing NGI prompt-month Henry Hub and TTF natural gas futures prices alongside LNG feed gas deliveries from Jan 2024 to Mar 2026, with Henry Hub prices below $5/MMBtu, TTF prices rising above $20/MMBtu, and LNG feed gas flows increasing toward 18 Bcf/d. At A Glance:
Global prices influence U.S. gas
Export constraints cap gains
Industrial exposure increases
Polar LNG Proposing to Use Sanctioned Russian Equipment - Another project has been launched to revive LNG exports in Alaska, this time at Prudhoe Bay on the state’s North Slope. Map of northern Alaska highlighting key oil and natural gas regions, including NPR-A, ANWR, Prudhoe Bay, and the 1002 Area, with infrastructure such as the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) and resource estimates in billion barrels of oil and Tcf of natural gas. At A Glance:
Equipment designed for Arctic LNG 2
First LNG targeted for 2030
Ice-class vessels would be needed
LNG Canada Advances Coastal GasLink Expansion With New Design Contract --LNG Canada has selected a contractor to design and evaluate the potential second phase of the Coastal GasLink pipeline as the partnership weighs the next steps of the project and the future of Canada’s first export terminal. Map of British Columbia natural gas pipelines and LNG facilities showing operational, under-construction and proposed export terminals, including LNG Canada, Coastal GasLink, Prince Rupert Gas Transmission and Montney/Duvernay supply basins, with NGI price index locations and major import/export points. At A Glance:
Pipeline expansion could double capacity
Shell-led project evaluates expansion pathway
FID still pending
Western Canada’s AECO Prices Languish Near 5-Month Low Despite LNG Export Growth -Cash prices at Western Canada’s natural gas price benchmark are lower than last year as output continues to outstrip takeaway capacity and demand. Chart of NGI’s NOVA/AECO C daily natural gas prices from April 2025 to April 2026, showing volatility with prices dropping below $0/MMBtu in late September, peaking above $3/MMBtu in December, then easing near $1.50/MMBtu. At A Glance:
Spot AECO trails Henry Hub
Associated gas output high
May forwards hover near $1
Lowlands gas play could generate surge of jobs – (interview transcript) Interest in an unconventional natural gas play in the St. Lawrence Lowlands soared this spring when Denver-based Forest Oil Corp. announced promising results following a drilling program that probed the area's underlying shale formations. Preliminary estimates suggest there could be as much as 40 trillion cubic feet of natural gas there, handy to existing pipelines and major cities.The potential is so big, according to former Hydro-Québec CEO André Caillé, an adviser for one of the juniors in the area, that Lowlands gas could generate more jobs and economic benefits for the province than does the public utility. We asked oil and gas analysts Wendy Liu and Irene Haas of Canaccord Adams about the play. (All figures are in U.S. dollars.)
Supreme Court rejects Michigan sovereign immunity pipeline fight - - The Supreme Court has rejected Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s final effort to toss out Enbridge Energy’s federal lawsuit challenging her 2020 order revoking Line 5’s easement to cross beneath the Straits of Mackinac.On Monday, the high court issued an order rejecting Whitmer’s petition claiming the state was constitutionally shielded from being forced into federal court by the energy company.The decision comes after two lower courts found that the 11th Amendment, which limits when states could be sued in federal court, did not protect Michigan in this case.“We are disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision not to review this important issue of state sovereignty,” said Danny Wimmer, press secretary for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D), in a statement Monday.
Trump officials cite ESA threats to Gulf oil, but production is soaring - Trump officials have exempted oil and gas activities across the entire Gulf of Mexico from endangered species considerations, asserting that production in the region is under threat. But no court has so far turned off the oil spigot in the Gulf, and offshore oil production on federal waters is at near-records highs. Some analysts say that weakens the administration’s argument. Crude oil production from the Gulf, which President Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of America, rose to nearly 1.9 million barrels per day in 2025, the highest production since at least 1998 and 111,000 more barrels per day than in 2024, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Production from the Gulf could crest 2 million barrels per day this year, which would be a record, the EIA said in January. That amount could “decline slightly” next year “because of natural field declines.” Natural gas production since the late 1990s has dropped, according to the data, as many oil majors turn their focus to deepwater oil projects that release less natural gas. “I think that the national security argument is weak in light of the substantial production levels of fossil fuels being extracted from the Gulf,” said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond School of Law. The Trump administration’s war against Iran has steeply driven up the price of oil to over $100 a barrel, with the national average of gas prices for consumers topping $4 per gallon Tuesday. The U.S. is already the biggest oil and gas producer in the world, with Gulf activity amounting to about 15 percent of U.S. oil volume. Ed Hirs, an energy economist at the University of Houston, said that offshore oil projects require years of preparation from oil companies and that companies are unlikely to redouble their investments because the administration removes regulations. “These companies are risking shareholders money and they’re a lot more deliberate,” he said. During a 15-minute meeting of the Endangered Species Committee on Tuesday morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that ongoing litigation “threatened to halt” oil and gas production in the Gulf. “Considering this litigation, it is essential to our national security to exempt all Gulf oil and gas activities from the Endangered Species Act requirements,” Hegseth said. Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, who is one of six federal officials that comprise the committee nicknamed the “God Squad,” said at the meeting that Gulf oil disruptions would “force the army to rework its fuel supply chain.” Hegseth and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who chairs the committee, did not specify what litigation they meant. But a coalition of environmental groups last year sued NOAA Fisheries the same day the agency released a new environmental analysis of oil and gas activity in the Gulf, which it found could threaten the critically endangered rice’s whale. While the analysis recommended using technology to improve monitoring of the whales and develop a plan to reduce vessel strikes, it did not restrict oil and gas operations. The environmental groups — which include the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth, the Turtle Island Restoration Network and the Natural Resources Defense Council — have argued the analysis failed to consider environmental harms, particularly to the Rice’s whale, and have asked a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland to force the government to conduct further reviews. NOAA Fisheries “illogically concluded that oil and gas activity will not jeopardize the recovery of species even after citing species recovery plans finding that oil and gas activity will prevent recovery,” the groups said in an October court filing. But the demands from environmental groups are unlikely to prompt court-ordered stoppages of oil production.
Texas oil and gas industry reporting job losses – The Texas oil and natural gas industry reported job losses in January prior to a Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas report pointing to uncertainty in the industry because of geopolitical conflicts. Despite President Donald Trump pledging during his campaign that the U.S. would increase domestic production and “drill baby drill,” that has not materialized in Texas. In March, there were 49 fewer rig counts in the U.S., according to Baker Hughes. That number has fluctuated and remained above negative 40.Lower rig counts mean less extraction jobs and less investment in drilling new wells. Many exploration and production (E&P) firms have said they are going to “wait and see” on new drilling due to increased costs and instability in the market the conflict has created, according to the Dallas Fed, The Center Square reported. That is reflected in job losses reported in January. Overall, Texas added jobs but also reported losses and high unemployment rates in January, The Center Square reported. Based on an analysis of the latest employment data by the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO), Texas upstream sector jobs decreased over the month in January by 600 for a total of 64,300. Support activities jobs remained flat totaling 128,600. “The escalation of tensions with Iran into broader conflict in early 2026 has introduced significant global energy market vulnerabilities,” TIPRO said. “Early January geopolitical risks contributed to modest price premiums, but subsequent military actions and disruptions, particularly the near-complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which handles roughly one-fifth of global oil and LNG flows, triggered the largest supply shock in modern history. “As a result, Brent and WTI prices surged dramatically, exceeding $100 to $120 per barrel by March 2026. For Texas operators, the higher price environment alleviates margin compression, improves cash flows, and could catalyze renewed investment in drilling, completions, and midstream infrastructure. This in turn supports workforce stability and potential job growth in upstream and related sectors, reinforcing Texas's role as a reliable domestic supplier capable of quickly responding to global signals. However, the volatility also highlights risks of prolonged uncertainty, reinforcing the need for disciplined capital allocation.” By mid-March, oil futures hit $120 a barrel on the West Texas Index. On Thursday, oil futures surpassed $112 a barrel, The Center Square reported. “Even if the conflict were to end tomorrow and the Strait of Hormuz were to reopen, oil prices would not return to pre-conflict levels of $67 per barrel,” Andrew Lipow, with Houston-based Lipow Oil Associates, said. “The damage to energy infrastructure is done and will take months, if not years, to repair the more extensively damaged facilities. The damage to Ras Laffan in Qatar will reduce LNG supplies while damage to area refineries will reduce gasoline and diesel availability.” Impacts on the Texas industry include higher oil prices that provide short-term benefit for producers and royalty owners and increased costs at major refineries, TIPRO president Ed Longanecker told The Center Square. This leads to higher costs for consumers, “which is simply a factor of market dynamics that we have no control over,” he said.
Trump wants the world to buy more US oil. He might regret it. - President Donald Trump wants the world to buy more U.S. oil, but he might regret the offer if it raises gasoline prices. In his televised address to the nation Wednesday night, Trump specifically called on countries dealing with fuel supply shocks brought by the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran to purchase more from America: “Buy oil from the United States of America. We have plenty.”But while the United States does have a lot of oil, it does not have enough to make up for the supply bottled up behind the Strait of Hormuz by Iran in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli attacks.U.S. crude prices jumped more than $11 on Thursday to land at $111.54 a barrel, their biggest gain in years. Global crude oil benchmark Brent closed above $108. The American Automobile Association said the average U.S. gasoline price rose 2 cents to $4.08 per gallon.In Asia, countries like Thailand have begun fuel rationing and curbing gasoline demand with measures like school closures and four-day work weeks. Several Asian airlines have announced they will reduce flights, and Australia has reported fuel shortages at service stations. In Europe, airlines are warning of cuts if the crisis drags on. And in the United States, United Airlines plans to cut about 5 percent of its capacity to deal with rising fuel prices. “If we supply certain amounts to the rest of the world, you will see an outcry,” said Tom Kloza, chief energy adviser for U.S.-based fuel retailer Gulf Oil. “If we’re exporting gasoline during hurricane season and people are paying $5 a gallon, do you think they’ll tolerate that? I don’t think so.”The war in Iran and higher gasoline prices are already proving unpopular with voters as midterm elections come into view.The GOP is already struggling to retain control with Trump’s approval rating on the economy sitting at a career low 31 percent, according to a CNN poll released Wednesday. A Reuters/Ipsos poll Tuesday found two-thirds of Americans think the U.S. should work to end its involvement in the Iran war quickly, even if that means not achieving the goals set out by the Trump administration.In his Wednesday speech, Trump told the countries with oil shortages they should find some “delayed courage” and reopen the strait themselves. Robert McNally, an energy and national security adviser during the George W. Bush administration and now the head of consulting firm Rapidan Energy Group, said that comment from Trump showed he was “implicitly recognizing” that his demand for the countries to buy U.S. oil won’t fully fix the problem.The White House noted that oil production has continued setting records since he took power in January 2025.“Thanks to the President cutting unnecessary red tape and unleashing American energy, the Administration expects domestic production to continue to grow rapidly, while also tapping into newfound markets,” said White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers. The world is already buying up American oil, said Andrew Lipow, head of oil market consulting firm Lipow Oil Associates. But for as much oil as the United States now has, there’s not enough to fuel the world. The United States is the world’s biggest producer, but it remains a net importer of crude oil by about 3 million barrels of oil a day.“The world searches around for oil,” Lipow said. “They go to the location that has it available. And that’s actually what we’re seeing in the oil market today.” If the price signals are right, U.S. shale drilling operations can scale up relatively quickly, said Bridget Payne, head of oil and gas forecasting for Oxford Economics. But that would still take three to six months to happen. In that time frame, the U.S. might be able to add about 1 million barrels of oil a day, she said. “That comes nowhere near the [roughly 10 million bpd] of supply currently lost through the Strait of Hormuz,” Payne said in an email. Beyond ships being unable to pass through the strait, widespread damage to energy infrastructure in the Middle East is likely to crimp supplies even once hostilities pause.Still, U.S. production of oil and its exports of liquefied natural gas serve as a stabilizing force in a chaotic energy environment, according to the American Petroleum Institute, the industry’s largest trade group.“The U.S. remains the most reliable and secure supplier of energy — including LNG — strengthening energy security for allies and partners around the world,” spokesperson Andrea Woods said in a statement. There were times in the previous decade when America’s shale oil producers might have rushed to ramp up production in a geopolitical crisis. Shale companies were valuing production over profits then. More volume brought extra revenue to the companies, and served to tamp down U.S. prices at the pump. But more recently, oil companies, chastened by big losses in the late 2010s, have grown reluctant to quickly ramp up production, for fear the price would fall before the oil they pump gets to market. “They’d only commit to a real ramp-up if the conflict clearly drags on,” Payne said. “But that scenario probably means even greater Middle Eastern supply losses, widening the gap further.”There’s also logistical and technical problems. The oil that comes from U.S. shale plays is, in industry parlance, light and sweet crude oil that’s best suited for making gasoline, but not as good for diesel and jet fuel. And refineries on the Gulf Coast are built specifically to process the kind of heavier, sour crude.Still, Trump was right Wednesday night when he said the United States doesn’t actually get much oil from the Middle East. According to data from the Energy Information Administration, the statistical arm of the Energy Department, the U.S. imports about 646,000 barrels per day from the Middle East — about one-tenth of all U.S. imports, and a small fraction compared to the more than 13 million barrels it produces daily.Trump has often bragged that the United States has the largest petroleum reserves of any country. It actually ranks ninth in proved reserves, according to the 2024 Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy.
Gulf of Mexico oil spill spread hundreds of miles, killed wildlife and polluted Mexican reserves (AP) — An oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in early March spread more than 600 kilometers (373 miles), including to seven nature reserves, and originated from a vessel yet to be identified and two “natural seepages,” Mexican authorities announced Thursday. Authorities, however, ruled out the possibility of severe environmental damage from the spill off coast of the eastern state of Veracruz. The release of the preliminary findings came after weeks of controversy surrounding the lack of transparency in the case. Navy secretary, Admiral Raymundo Morales, said satellite image analysis and inspections of the area identified three sources of the spill: a vessel anchored off the coast of the port city of Coatzacoalcos, in the eastern state of Veracruz; a geological site where crude oil naturally seeps, known as a “chapopotera,” located 8 kilometers (5 miles) from that port; and another natural seepage located in the Bay of Campeche. Morales said at a press conference that the vessel has not yet been identified because, as of early March, there were 13 ships sailing in the area that had not yet been inspected. He also admitted that the source of the spill “remains active,” and that one of the main sources is estimated to be the “natural seeps in Cantarell, in the Bay of Campeche.” “These oil seeps have a constant, natural emission; however, there has been a greater flow of contaminants in the last month,” he said. Five months earlier, heavy rains and flooding caused a pipeline rupture and a spill, also in Veracruz, that extended for 8 kilometers (5 miles) along the Pantepec River. In the March spill, Morales reported that the oil covered an area of about 600 kilometers (373 miles) including 200 kilometers (125 miles) of coastline in the southern states of Veracruz and Tabasco. To date, “430 tons of hydrocarbons” have been collected. Secretary of the Environment Alicia Bárcena reported that the spill affected seven protected natural reserves in the states of Veracruz and Tabasco, but insisted that “we have not detected severe environmental damage.” Environmental authorities have identified six species, including sea turtles, birds and fish, that were contaminated by the spill. The National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp) reported Wednesday in a statement that hydrocarbons have been collected in the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, the Veracruz Reef System National Park, the Lechuguillas Sanctuary, the Totonacapan Beaches Sanctuary, the Lobos Tuxpan Reef System Flora and Fauna Protection Area, and south of the Rancho Nuevo Beach Sanctuary in the state of Veracruz. Cleanup efforts were also carried out in the Centla Wetlands Biosphere Reserve in the state of Tabasco.
Mexico Pacific Coast LNG Becomes Strategic as Global Energy Tensions Mount - Surging geopolitical instability is driving a wave of LNG offtake demand toward Mexico’s West Coast, as global buyers scramble for de-risked energy supplies.Proposed expansion of LNG export infrastructure along the U.S. Gulf Coast, highlighting key pipelines, storage hubs and connectivity to major shale basins. At A Glance:
Offtake interest surges
Waha needs outlet
Qatar risks reshape buyer strategy
Shell Strengthens Caribbean LNG Position with Venezuelan Gas Ambitions - Energy major Shell is methodically expanding its footprint in the Caribbean region. The company is reportedly in negotiations to secure access to offshore natural gas fields in Venezuela. This strategic move is aimed at significantly boosting utilization rates at its liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Trinidad. A central facility in Shell's regional strategy is the Atlantic LNG plant in Trinidad, in which the company holds a 45% stake. Currently, the plant is operating below its potential, producing only about 12 million tons per year against a total capacity of 15.5 million tons. This shortfall is primarily due to a lack of sufficient feed gas. Shell's plan involves tapping into Venezuelan gas reserves to fill this production gap and, looking ahead, potentially push output beyond the plant's original design capacity. The primary targets are the Dragon field, estimated to hold 4.2 trillion cubic feet of reserves, and the Mariscal Sucre project. The latter encompasses four separate fields with a combined resource estimate of approximately 12 trillion cubic feet. Furthermore, Shell is evaluating opportunities in the cross-border Loran field, shared by Venezuela and Trinidad, which holds combined reserves estimated at around 20 trillion cubic feet. Shell already operates the Loran-Manatee field on the Trinidadian side of this resource. A notable development adding momentum to Shell's strategy is the apparent withdrawal of Chevron from its Venezuelan interests. Should this exit materialize, Shell could substantially expand its operational control over the Loran field. Such a consolidation would represent a significant strategic advantage, enabling a more unified management of the region's gas infrastructure under a single operator.
Oil spill from Exxon’s 8th project could spreads to 12 other Caribbean islands -- An oil spill that could occur during the eight planned oil project in the Stabroek Block will hit Trinidad and Tobago the hardest, potentially affecting sensitive resources such as mangroves, manatee habitats, beaches, and forest reserves. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) conducted by Exxon’s Consultant, Acorn International outlines a detailed description of the possible transboundary impacts from the proposed development, Longtail. According to the study, “Owing to its unique location at the southern end of the Lesser Antilles and relatively close proximity to the PDA (Project Development Area), Trinidad and Tobago would have the highest potential to be affected by the transboundary impacts of any unmitigated loss-of-well-control event in the wet season. Stochastic modelling indicated a maximum 60 to 70 per cent probability of condensate stranding on at least a portion of the coast of Trinidad and Tobago for both the most credible WCD (Worst Case Discharge) and maximum WCD scenarios in the wet season, depending on location.” The document warns that sensitive coastal resources within this zone are likely to be affected, including “all of Trinidad’s eastern and southern mangroves, manatee habitat, marine turtle nesting beaches, and forest reserves from Redhead in the north to Guayaguayare in the south.” Further, it said the beautiful coastlines of Tobago could also be hit, causing damage to “numerous marine turtle nesting beaches and coral reefs, as well as several large seagrass meadows in the south near the Mount Pleasant area.” According to the EIA, Tobago’s coastline records the highest probability of condensate reaching the shore (60 to 70 percent in the wet season) across the country’s shorelines. Meanwhile, it notes that in the dry season scenarios, the highest probability of condensate stranding is consistent across the country’s coast at less than 10 per cent. Oiling of the shoreline can happen within five days during the wet season and about 10 days after in the dry season. Exxon has indicated to the Government of Guyana (GoG) that numerous fishing areas are located east of Trinidad and could potentially be impacted if condensate from a large spill reaches them. In addition to Trinidad and Tobago, the study has highlighted a dozen other Caribbean islands that could be hit by a spill that occurs during the eight project; these include Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, St. Lucia, Martinique, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Barthélemy, Saba, and United States Virgin Islands. Meanwhile, the oil company said that implementing the Oil Spill Response Programme (OSRP) would significantly reduce transboundary impacts. With regard to working with respective countries, it noted that the communication protocol for country-to-country engagement is through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the direction of the Government of Guyana. Presently, ExxonMobil is before the Court of Appeal in Guyana fighting against citizens who previously secured a ruling from the High Court, which ordered an unlimited parent company guarantee document be signed by the oil giant to protect Guyana from any additional oil spill costs not covered by the limited insurance. Currently, the company has a US $600M oil spill insurance policy in place per event and a U.S.$2B guarantee to cover costs above the insurance. Two citizens, through their lawyers, headed by international lawyer, Melinda Janki argue that the company must pay for all damages caused by a spill. In the absence of the unlimited parent company guarantee, they say Guyana will be left to pay for damages not covered by the US$2.6B. The Longtail project is expected to produce 250,000 barrels of condensate per day (bpd) with a gas production capacity of 1,200 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/day). BlackRock Midstream describes condensate as extremely light oil. The FPSO is being specially designed to accommodate future gas export capabilities. The EIA explains, “The FPSO will be designed to separate the recovered reservoir fluids into water and gas phases. The condensate will be treated to remove impurities (e.g., sulphate and other salts) and then sent to storage tanks in the hull.” Exxon plans to drill approximately 24 to 60 development wells, with development well drilling scheduled to begin in 2027 and possibly extending as late as 2031 and beyond. The company said installation of subsea components is slated to commence in 2028 with installation of the Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO), commissioning and startup planned to occur from 2028 to 2031. Longtail is expected to continue for at least 30 years according to the project schedule. Unlike previous developments focused primarily on oil, Longtail will focus on gas production. It will produce hydrocarbons from the non-associated gas fields and potential proximal resources according to the EIA.
Brazil’s oil and natural gas production hits record in February - - Oil and natural gas production in Brazil reached a record high in February 2026, according to a report released this Wednesday (1st) by the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP). A total of 5.304 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) were produced, a metric that includes both oil and natural gas. The previous record was set in October 2025, at 5.255 million boe/d. Considering oil alone, production reached 4.061 million barrels per day (bbl/d) — an increase of 2.7% compared to the previous month and 16.4% higher than in the same month of 2025. Natural gas production in February totaled 197.63 million cubic meters per day (m³/d), representing a 2.3% increase compared to January and a 24.5% rise compared to February 2025. Production came from 6,079 wells, including 582 offshore and 5,497 onshore. Offshore fields accounted for 98% of oil production and 87.8% of natural gas output in the country. Fields operated by Petrobras, either alone or in partnership with other companies, were responsible for 89.46% of total production. The pre-salt layer accounted for 80.2% of Brazil’s production, totaling 4.243 million boe/d in February. This represents a 2.3% increase compared to the previous month and a 20.1% rise compared to February 2025. From 181 pre-salt wells, 3.264 million bbl/d of oil and 155.56 million m³/d of natural gas were produced. The Tupi Field, in the Santos Basin, was the country’s largest producer of both oil and natural gas, with 865.98 thousand barrels per day and 42.87 million m³/d, respectively. The facilities with the highest output were the FPSO Almirante Tamandaré, in the Búzios Field, for oil, with 197,903 bbl/d; and the FPSO Marechal Duque de Caxias, in the Mero Field, for natural gas, with 12.37 million m³/d.
European natural gas prices jump over 6% to $58 amid Iran war jitters --European natural gas prices jumped on Thursday, with the benchmark Dutch TTF contract rising more than 6% to over €50 ($58), as markets reassessed supply risks after fresh remarks by US President Donald Trump on the Iran war. The TTF price rose to trade near €50.4 ($58.1) per megawatt-hour as of 0655GMT on Thursday. The jump came after natural gas prices had eased in recent sessions amid hopes for a ceasefire, which initially increased after some reports of diplomacy between Iran and the US. However, Trump’s remarks late Wednesday that signaled US attacks on Iran would continue reversed hopes for signs of a near-term ceasefire or diplomatic breakthrough. “We’re going to hit them extremely hard. Over the next two to three weeks. We’re going to bring them back to the Stone Age, where they belong,” Trump said. The front-month TTF contract, regarded as Europe’s benchmark for natural gas trading, saw a historic high of $78 last month. Traders continued to monitor developments in the Middle East, particularly risks to critical oil and gas transit routes, while also assessing the potential impact on liquefied natural gas flows to Europe. European gas markets have remained highly sensitive to geopolitical shocks since the energy crisis triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war, with supply concerns often feeding into sharp price swings across the region.
Global Warmth Curtails LNG Demand, Providing Buyers Flexibility Amid Price Volatility - A wave of warm weather over key global natural gas hubs is pushing down LNG demand, giving buyers breathing room to weigh geopolitical risk on rising benchmarks. Charts of trailing 365-day mean temperatures for Northwest Europe, Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo, comparing daily averages to normal levels, showing seasonal swings and recent temperature trends impacting global natural gas demand.
At A Glance:
Narrowing spreads reshape LNG trade flows
Europe drives bearish demand outlook globally
U.S. demand mixed but overall softer
Cyclone Cuts Australian LNG Production, Tightening Supply Outlook and Pushing Prices Higher - Global natural gas prices swung higher on Monday after another day of mixed signals over the Middle East war and a cyclone disrupted operations at several export terminals in Western Australia. Map of Australia natural gas liquefaction facilities showing major LNG export projects including Gorgon, Wheatstone, Pluto, Ichthys, Prelude, and Gladstone hubs across Western Australia and Queensland. At A Glance:
Two Australian terminals still offline
JKM outpacing TTF
U.S. supply grows
Trump promoted fossil fuels. His war is pushing the world away from them. --President Donald Trump spent much of the last year cajoling the world into using more oil and gas. But the war he started is causing some countries to contemplate burning less of them.Asian countries are mandating work from home policies, fuel rationing and other energy conservation measures. European gas stations have already imposed fuel rationing amid shortages. Major airlines are considering canceling peak summer season flights if the war drags on.Those moves could represent just the beginning of an unprecedented period of demand destruction, as governments worldwide wrestle with the sudden loss of oil and gas imports from the Middle East. The crisis has the potential to boomerang on Trump, driving countries away from fossil fuels and into the arms of cleaner technologies the president scorns.“If you have higher prices for longer periods of time, it is going to undermine demand for oil and gas,” said Ira Joseph, a researcher at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. Spot prices for Dated Brent, a gauge of real-time global oil prices, surged above $140 a barrel Thursday, the highest level since the 2008 recession. Trump has promoted American oil and gas relentlessly since returning to the White House and frequently admonished allies for attempts to green their economies. In a September speech at the United Nations, Trump argued clean energy and climate policies were destructive and that countries needed to purchase more “abundant, affordable energy” from the United States.“I’ve been right about everything, and I’m telling you that if you don’t get away from the green energy scam, your country is going to fail,” he said. But faced with a sudden shortage of fuel needed for transport, cooking and keeping the lights on, governments in Europe and Asia have started calling for a faster shift to clean energy.The Philippines is fast-tracking 1.4 gigawatts of renewables, in what would amount to a roughly 40 percent increase in the country’s wind and solar capacity. European leaders want to ramp up nuclear energy. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called for a rapid shift to renewable energy this week, saying, “Our future will be at serious risk if we continue to rely on fossil fuels.”European Commission energy chief Dan Jørgensen warned that the bloc of 27 nations “will not go back to normal in the foreseeable future” and called for building out more clean energy to “truly become energy independent.”“Going forward, these countries are no longer going to be looking at the current price of fossil fuels relative to renewables, which by the way, renewables are already competitive in a lot of cases,” said Mary Svenstrup, who served as an economics adviser on the National Security Council during the Biden administration. “They’re going to be factoring in potential choke points in fossil fuels and the potential risk and volatility that those energy sources create for them.”Some world leaders are already panicked. The fighting has resulted in the shutdown of oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and damaged energy infrastucture across the Persian Gulf, sending energy prices in much of the world soaring.“The war in the Middle East has caused the biggest spike in petrol and diesel prices in history,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a rare national address Wednesday. “Australia is not an active participant in this war, but all Australians are paying higher prices because of it.”The turmoil unfolding across the globe is largely absent at home. The advent of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling has turned the U.S. into one of the largest oil and gas producers in the world. Countries in Asia rely on the Middle East for around a quarter of their oil supplies and a fifth of their natural gas. While they’re competing with Europe for limited liquefied natural gas cargoes, U.S. natural gas prices Wednesday hit a six-month low.The U.S. is the country best insulated to the global oil and gas shocks now transforming the world, said Rory Johnston, an oil analyst who writes the newsletter “Commodity Context.” “The best thing to do right now is to sit pretty and say this is gonna suck, but we are in the best relative position in the world, particularly of major oil consuming regions, to handle this,” he said. The U.S. is not entirely immune to the economic fallout of the war. Prices at the gasoline pump have climbed steadily since the conflict began and now average slightly more than $4 a gallon nationally. Democrats are using the war to attack Trump on his affordability policies and polls show a growing unease among a public that is mostly experiencing the war through high gas prices. In a statement, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said the president’s “energy dominance” agenda put the U.S. in a position “to not rely on the free flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. other countries.” She argued other countries are now seeking to emulate his approach. “If anything, the ongoing military operations have actually underscored the importance of domestically producing reliable, affordable, and secure energy,” Rogers said. “Many of our allies that have tried transitioning to intermittent and unreliable renewable energy sources have predictably failed to break their reliance on foreign oil that goes through the Strait.”
Chevron resumes natural gas production at Leviathan - Chevron Mediterranean Ltd. restarted production at the Leviathan natural gas field 130 km offshore Haifa in the eastern Mediterranean after a suspension due to the Iran war, partner NewMed Energy said in a release. The operator had previously received clearance from the Petroleum Commissioner to proceed with preparations to resume operations at the Leviathan platform offshore Israel. Regular production from the reservoir was restarted on Apr. 2. Chevron is operator at Leviathan (39.66%) with partners NewMed Energy (45.34%) and Ratio Energies (15%).
India makes first Iranian oil purchase in seven years -Indian refiners have purchased Iranian oil amid the Middle East conflict that has disrupted supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, the oil ministry said on Saturday. The world’s third-biggest oil importer and consumer, India has not received a cargo from Tehran since May 2019, following U.S. pressure not to buy Iranian crude, but supply disruptions from the U.S.-Israel war have hit the South Asian nation hard. “Amid Middle East supply disruptions, Indian refiners have secured their crude oil requirements, including from Iran; and there is no payment hurdle for Iranian crude imports,” the oil ministry said on X. Last month, the United States temporarily removed sanctions on Iranian oil and refined products to ease supply shortages. India has secured its full requirements of crude oil for the coming months, the ministry added. “India imports crude oil from 40-plus countries, with companies having full flexibility to source oil from different sources and geographies based on commercial considerations.” India has also bought 44,000 metric tons of Iranian liquefied petroleum gas loaded on a sanctioned vessel. The ministry said the vessel, which berthed at the western port of Mangalore on Wednesday, is discharging the fuel.
OPEC Output Plunges by 7 Million Bpd as War Chokes Supply -- Crude oil production by OPEC members dropped by 7.2 million barrels daily last month, according to a Reuters survey using data from platform LSEG and analytics information providers, including Kpler, the publication reported.The biggest production cuts were made by Kuwait, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, for a total OPEC output of 21.57 million barrels daily for March. This is the lowest OPEC production rate since June 2020, Reuters noted in its report. Venezuela and Nigeria were the only OPEC members that saw their oil production increase in March.Iraq suffered the biggest production cut, from 4.15 million barrels daily in February to just 1.4 million barrels daily in March. Kuwait also had to slash production significantly, to just about half a million barrels daily from over 3 million barrels daily before the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran following U.S. and Israeli strikes.The UAE has had to reduce oil production by almost half, Bloomberg reported last month, from 3.56 million barrels daily to about 2 million barrels daily. Saudi Arabia has cut output by around 2 million barrels daily.“Although we have experienced disruptions in the past, this crisis is the largest ever faced by the oil and gas industry in this region,” Aramco’s chief executive Amin Nasser said last month, echoing the opinion of what seems to be a majority of industry leaders and analysts alike.Recovery from the oil and gas supply disruption resulting from the war would take quite a while, analysts are warning, so economists are now predicting a global recession, set to emerge in the middle of this year.“The speed and scale of this energy shock push us into uncharted territory, and it’s possible that diesel, jet fuel, and shipping fuel shortages could inflict greater damage to activity this year,” Ben May, the head of global macro research at Oxford Economics, warned recently, as quoted by City AM.
Iraq experiences OPEC’s largest fall in oil output - Iraqi News - Iraq saw the largest reduction in oil output among OPEC members, with an average of 1.6 million barrels per day in March, down from 4.15 million barrels per day in February, according to a study conducted by Reuters. In March, OPEC’s crude oil production decreased by 7.3 million barrels per day, bringing the total output to 21.57 million. This decline was mainly due to reduced production from Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Saudi Arabia and the UAE made modest cuts since they both have export routes that avoid the Strait of Hormuz. According to Reuters, among all OPEC member countries, only Venezuela and Nigeria increased output during March. In late March, Iraqi energy officials reported that storage tanks were at critical levels. They also indicated that the government faced challenges in transporting crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Oil production from major oil fields in southern Iraq decreased by roughly 80 percent, to approximately 800,000 barrels per day. Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdul-Ghani indicated in late March that crude oil produced by the state-owned Basra Oil Company (BOC) has been reduced to 900,000 barrels per day. Abdul-Ghani stated that oil production fell from 3.3 million barrels per day to 900,000 barrels due to the suspension of oil exports through the country’s southern ports, the state-run news agency (INA) reported. According to Abdul-Ghani, the current production volumes are being used to operate local refineries. Prior to the conflict, Iraq’s southern oil fields produced around 4.3 million barrels per day.
Iran’s daily oil revenue doubles amid US-Israeli aggression: Report -- Iran has reportedly doubled its daily oil revenue since late February, leveraging the ongoing US-Israeli pressure aggression into a strategic financial advantage. According to a recent analysis by The Economist, as the aggression enters its fifth week, the geopolitical landscape has shifted dramatically in the energy sector. The effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz—a chokepoint through which approximately 15% of the world’s oil supply typically flows—has led to a collapse in revenues for Persian Gulf monarchies while simultaneously swelling Tehran’s coffers. Data cited by The Economist indicates that Iran is currently exporting between 2.4 and 2.8 million barrels per day (bpd), comprising 1.5 to 1.8 million bpd of crude oil and the remainder of condensates. With global supplies tightening due to the instability, oil prices have surged, and Iran has capitalized on the shift. Analysts note that Tehran’s oil machine has demonstrated significant resilience, adapting to ongoing hostilities and sanctions to maintain operations. China remains the primary destination, absorbing over 90% of Iran’s exports. Small, independent “teapot” refineries are reportedly purchasing Iranian crude at prices nearing Brent crude benchmarks. In a notable shift from previous years when Iranian oil traded at steep discounts due to sanctions, the commodity is now being sold at premium rates. Economists suggest this dynamic has provided Tehran with unprecedented financial strength during a period of intense military and economic pressure from the United States and Israel.
Oil prices exceed $115 again on global markets - Oil prices in global commodity markets started the new week with an increase of nearly $10, APA-Economics reports. According to the report, May futures for U.S. WTI crude traded on the NYMEX rose by 1.71% or $1.70 to reach $101.34 per barrel. Meanwhile, May futures for Brent crude traded on the ICE exchange increased by 2.65% or $2.98, reaching $115.55 per barrel. It should be noted that Brent crude closed at around $105 per barrel at the end of last week. Market participants are currently assessing rising tensions in the Middle East, particularly potential supply risks around the Strait of Hormuz, which are directly impacting oil prices.
Brent Oil Prices See Monthly Rise As Houthi Attacks Widen Gulf Conflict - Oil prices extended gains on Monday, with Brent heading for a record monthly rise, after Yemeni Houthis widened the Iran war by launching their first attacks on Israel. Brent futures rose 66 cents or 0.6% to $113.23 a barrel at 1031 am ET (1431 GMT) after settling 4.2% higher on Friday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were up $2.2 or 2.2%, at $101.83 after gaining 5.5% in the previous session. Brent has soared by about 58% this month, the steepest monthly jump in LSEG data going back to 1988, exceeding gains made during the 1990 Gulf War. U.S. crude, meanwhile, has climbed by 51% for its biggest monthly gain since May 2020. The gains were driven by Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for about a fifth of global oil and gas supplies. The conflict, which began on February 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, has since spread across the Middle East, stoking concerns over shipping routes around the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea. Israel’s military said it intercepted two drones launched from Yemen on Monday, two days after Iran‑aligned Houthis fired missiles at Israel for the first time since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah also fired rockets at Israel on Monday. The Houthis have yet to target shipping in the Red Sea, which handles about 15% of global maritime traffic. “If the Houthis were to attack shipping and shut the southern entrance to the Red Sea, it would likely be a $5 to $10 event,” Adding to price pressures, U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday warned Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face U.S. attacks on its oil wells and power plants. “Great progress has been made, but if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island,” Trump wrote in a social media post. Previously, Trump said he would pause attacks on Iran's energy network until April 6. As more U.S. troops arrived in the Middle East, Trump said earlier that the U.S. and Iran have been meeting "directly and indirectly" and Tehran's new leaders have been "very reasonable". Iran, however, described U.S. proposals to end a month of war in the Middle East as "unrealistic, illogical and excessive" on Monday and unleashed more missiles on Israel. The Israeli military said on Monday that it was attacking Iranian government infrastructure throughout Tehran. "Trump's extended deadline of April 6 – when the U.S. could potentially resume attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure – has had no reassuring effect. The market is now asking for concrete signs of de-escalation, not just rhetoric," SEB Research said in a note. Separately, finance leaders from the Group of Seven countries said on Monday they stood ready to take "all necessary measures" to safeguard energy market stability and limit broader economic spillovers from recent volatility. Saudi crude exports redirected from the Strait of Hormuz to Yanbu port in the Red Sea reached 4.658 million barrels per day last week, data from analytics firm Kpler showed. That was a sharp increase from an average of 770,000 bpd in January and February. If exports from Yanbu were disrupted, Saudi oil would need to pivot toward Egypt’s Suez-Mediterranean (SUMED) pipeline to the Mediterranean, JP Morgan analysts said. Attacks in the region escalated at the weekend and damaged Oman's Salalah terminal despite efforts to start ceasefire talks. Separately, Vietnam's Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical said on Monday that it was in talks with Russian partners to buy crude oil. The company said it would also buy more crude from Africa, the U.S. and Southeast Asia. Colombia's oil production fell 2.74% year-on-year in February compared to a year earlier, the country's ANH national hydrocarbon agency said on Monday.
Oil Prices Rise on Fresh US Threats in Widening Iran War (DTN) -- Oil prices edged higher Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to "blow up and completely obliterate" Iran's energy infrastructure if a deal is not reached soon to end the Middle East conflict. Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz continued at a trickle as the month-long U.S.-Israel war against Iran widened over the weekend with Houthis in Yemen launching attacks on Israel. The Tehran-linked militia had in the past targeted ships near the Red Sea and could pose a threat to millions of bpd of crude exports Saudi Arabia has rerouted to its Red Sea port. The U.S. has mobilized tens of thousands of troops in what some observers deemed a possible preparation for a ground offensive. Trump on Sunday said that the U.S. could "take Iran's oil" and seize Kharg island, Iran's major oil export hub. The president had previously extended a moratorium on attacks on the country's energy infrastructure until April 6. While he has used tough language, Trump has also claimed significant progress in peace talks with Iran. Tehran has denied there were such talks, although it acknowledged an exchange of messages via Pakistan which has stated its willingness to be a mediator in talks proposed this week. Market participants are, meanwhile, awaiting evidence that a truce will be reached soon. Oil prices have risen sharply since the start of the conflict on Feb. 27, with Brent futures on track for their largest monthly increase on record. As of Monday morning, front-month Brent futures have appreciated by close to 60% so far in March. At 9:05 a.m. EDT, NYMEX WTI for May delivery was up $1 to $100.64 bbl, after a session high of $103.38. Brent for May delivery rose $2.30 to $107.62 bbl after a session peak at $116.89 bbl. On their penultimate trading day for March, ULSD futures for April delivery advanced $0.0568 to $4.5523 gallon, and front-month RBOB futures edged higher by $0.0267 to $3.2768 gallon. The contracts for May delivery rose by $0.1136 gallon and $0.0464 gallon, respectively. The U.S. Dollar Index strengthened by 0.153 points to 100.135 against a basket of foreign currencies.
Oil surges as Iran war escalates, Trump threatens Kharg Island - Oil prices have jumped up again as the war in Iran rages on and President Trump threatens escalations. On Monday morning, international benchmark Brent crude was trading at about $114 per barrel, up significantly from last week, when prices were floating closer to $100 or $105 per barrel. Prices have been elevated since the war began because of the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping lane. About a fifth of the world’s oil was previously moving through this strait on a given day. Prices have fluctuated amid changing expectations about the duration of the conflict. President Trump, in an interview published Sunday, suggested the U.S. could “take the oil” in Iran. “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” he told the Financial Times. The administration has also been increasing its troop presence in the region while refusing to rule out a ground invasion. Meanwhile, on Monday, the president threatened to target Iranian power plants, oil wells, and drinking water desalination plants. The conflict crossed the one-month mark over the weekend. Gasoline prices have risen along with the oil and were averaging about $3.99 per gallon in the U.S. on Monday.
Widening Middle East Conflict Pushes the Oil Market Back Above $100 - The crude oil market settled over the $100 level for the first time since 2022 after Yemeni Houthis widened the Iran war by launching their attacks on Israel and as more U.S. troops arrived in the region. The market gapped higher on the opening from $101.24 to $102.60 and traded to $103.38 as the conflict was no longer concentrated in the Persian Gulf and around the Strait of Hormuz but extended into the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb. The market later erased some of its gains and posted a low of $104.50 in early morning trading before it continued on its upward trend. The market was further supported as U.S. President Donald Trump issued another warning to Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or risk U.S. attacks on its oil wells and power plants as well as Kharg Island. The oil market rallied to a high of $103.86 and settled in a sideways trading range ahead of the close. The May WTI contract settled up $3.24 at $102.88 and later rallied to a high of $105.36 in the post settlement period. The May Brent contract settled up 21 cents at $112.78. The product markets ended the session in mixed territory, with the heating oil market settling down 13.12 cents at $4.3643 and the RB market settling up 10.14 cents at $3.3515. The White House said that talks with Iran were continuing and progressing well, adding that what Tehran says publicly differs from what it tells U.S. officials in private. Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said that he doesn’t want to “put a schedule on” the timeline for ending the war with Iran. U.S. Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, said that the global oil market is well supplied, with more boats traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran. The Post reported that whether President Donald Trump would approve plans for deploying ground troops remains uncertain. The AAA reported that the average U.S. retail gasoline price stood at $3.99/gallon as of Sunday. Sable Offshore said it has begun selling oil from its Santa Ynez Pipeline System offshore California to Chevron, after resuming crude transportation earlier this month. IIR Energy said U.S. oil refiners are expected to shut in about 886,000 bpd of capacity in the week ending April 3rd, increasing available refining capacity by 143,000 bpd. Offline capacity is expected to fall to 589,000 bpd in the week ending April 10th. The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rejected Colonial Pipeline’s request for a rehearing after the regulator rejected the company’s proposed changes to how the country’s largest U.S. fuel artery handles gasoline shipments.
Oil Prices Jump After Iranian Drone Strike Hits Kuwaiti Tanker - GreekReporter.com - Oil prices surged early Tuesday after an Iranian drone strike hit the fully loaded Kuwaiti tanker Al Salmi near Dubai. By 3:40 a.m., Brent crude had risen 2.05% to $109.59 a barrel, while U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) gained 2.96% to $105.93. As the session progressed, Brent extended its gains to $114.58 a barrel. A later Reuters global markets update put it at $115.50, underscoring how sharply the attack amplified fears of supply disruption in the Gulf. The attack targeted the Al Salmi, a giant crude carrier from Kuwait. According to the initial maritime security alert, the strike hit the vessel on its starboard side while it was sailing 31 nautical miles, or more than 57 kilometers, northwest of Dubai, near the Strait of Hormuz. The impact sparked a fire on board. Crew members remained safe, and officials reported no immediate casualties. Authorities also said they had not detected any environmental damage in the immediate aftermath, although the scale of the incident quickly raised concerns because of the ship’s cargo. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said the Al Salmi was fully loaded when the drone struck. The company said the attack damaged the tanker and ignited a fire inside the vessel, while teams continued to assess the full extent of the damage. Because the ship was carrying a full crude cargo, the incident also fueled fears of a possible oil spill in surrounding waters, even though officials had not confirmed any leak in the immediate aftermath. The strike has deepened anxiety over the security of shipping lanes near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important chokepoints for oil exports. Any disruption in or around the area can send immediate shockwaves through global crude markets. Monday had already marked a major moment for traders, with WTI settling above $100 a barrel for the first time since the current phase of the regional war began on February 28. Tuesday’s rally showed that investors now fear direct attacks on tankers and energy infrastructure could trigger a more sustained, risk-driven climb in oil prices.
Oil prices: Goldman Sachs research reveals the true impact of Strait of Hormuz blockade -- Brent crude has surged 13% in a week to trade above $110 a barrel, with WTI crossing $100 for the first time since June 2022, as the conflict with Iran shows no sign of resolution and the threat of a second major shipping disruption emerges in the Red Sea. Goldman Sachs, the US investment bank, estimates that flows through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly 20 million barrels per day of oil normally passes, have collapsed to just 5% of normal levels as fighting continues between US and Iranian forces. The net hit to global commercial oil stocks currently stands at 11.4 million barrels per day, according to Goldman Sachs, exceeding the 10 million barrel per day assumption underpinning the bank's 2026 annual average Brent forecast of $85 per barrel. Pipeline diversions via Saudi Arabia's Yanbu port on the Red Sea and the UAE's Fujairah terminal on the Gulf of Oman have partially offset the Hormuz disruption, redirecting 5.6 million barrels per day, with both routes now operating near full capacity. However, a new threat has emerged to that alternative corridor, with Houthi forces in Yemen launching ballistic missiles at Israel and threatening to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to unfriendly vessels, the key waterway through which rerouted Saudi crude must pass to reach European and Asian markets. Flows through the Bab el-Mandeb recently exceeded 7 million barrels per day for the first time since December 2023, when Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping first began, making any renewed closure particularly damaging. Diplomatic signals remain deeply contradictory, with President Trump claiming "great progress" in talks with Tehran while simultaneously threatening strikes on Iranian oil infrastructure, as the Pentagon reportedly prepares for weeks of potential ground operations. Global visible oil inventories have declined by 130 million barrels since the conflict began, OECD countries have begun releasing strategic petroleum reserves, and prediction markets now put only a 36% probability on the conflict ending by mid-May, down 18 percentage points in less than a week. Prediction market Polymarket shows traders pricing WTI crude oil hitting $120 per barrel by end of June at 62%, with an 83% probability of breaching $110 and a 92% chance of touching $105, reflecting the market's near-certainty that prices will hold elevated through the second quarter even if the conflict de-escalates modestly. At the more extreme end of the distribution, bettors place a 35% probability on $140 and 13% on $200, a level that would represent a near-doubling from pre-conflict prices and historically associated with severe global economic disruption. A separate Polymarket contract shows only a 36% chance of a US-Iran ceasefire occurring before crude hits $120, implying the market believes the $120 threshold is more likely to be breached than peace is to break out first.
De-Escalation Hopes Weigh on the Oil Market Despite Ongoing Supply Risks - The oil market ended the session 1.46% lower following unconfirmed reports that Iran’s President said the country was ready to end the war, assuming some guarantees were put in place. The market traded mostly sideways in overnight trading following an initial rally to a high of $106.86 following the news that Kuwait Petroleum Corp’s fully loaded crude oil tanker Al Salmi, capable of carrying up to 2 million barrels, was struck by an alleged Iranian attack at a Dubai port. However, the market was pressured by the possibility of U.S. President Donald Trump ending the war with Iran. The market gave up its gains following a report by The Wall Street Journal stating that President Trump told aides he was willing to end the military campaign against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remained largely shut in, leaving its reopening for a later date. The prospect of a de-escalation pushed the market lower and kept it under pressure for much of the day. However, it held its support on fears that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would remain mostly shut in for a prolonged period of time. The crude market later sold off to a low of $99.62 on the unconfirmed reports of Iran’s readiness to end the war. The May WTI contract later settled in a sideways trading range and ended the session down $1.50 at $101.38, while the May Brent contract settled up $5.57 at $118.35. The product markets ended the session lower, with the heating oil market settling down 20.09 cents at $4.1634 and the RB market settling down 3.92 cents at $3.3123. According to GasBuddy, the U.S. national average retail price of gasoline crossed $4/gallon for the first time in more than three years on Monday. The $4 per gallon milestone was last reached in August 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and represents what some analysts have called a psychological barrier for consumers. U.S. national average retail gasoline prices have increased about $1.06/gallon or 36%, since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran at the end of February.The EIA reported that U.S. crude oil output fell the most in two years during January following a severe winter storm that shut in production in large areas of the country. U.S. crude oil output fell 410,000 bpd on the month in January to 13.25 million bpd, the lowest level since February 2025.Bloomberg reported that the number of vessels transiting Hormuz with their signals on is increasing, even as the waterway remains effectively closed to most commercial shipping without clearance from Iran. According to Bloomberg-compiled tracking data, weekly two-way transits increased to an average of seven vessels through Monday, up from five the previous week. While still a fraction of normal traffic, the increase suggests a small, selective fleet is continuing to pass through. The latest data show that at least six ships, mostly linked to China and Iran, were seen exiting the Persian Gulf between Monday and early Tuesday. Inbound traffic over the same period was limited to a handful of fuel tankers and bulk carriers, most of them also tied to the two countries.
WTI, June Brent crude futures settle down on reports that Iran may be ready to end war (Reuters) - Brent futures for June delivery settled down more than $3 on Tuesday following unconfirmed media reports that Iran's president said the country was ready to end the war, assuming some guarantees were put into place. The Brent May contract was on track for a record monthly gain but it expired on Tuesday, with liquidity dropping as investors move their exposure to the more liquid June contract. Traded volumes for May futures were 18,652 lots, some 30 times lower than June. The Brent June contract settled down $3.42 at $103.97 per barrel, dropping after media reports, including from Bloomberg, that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran is ready to end the war but wants guarantees. Brent crude futures for May settled up $5.57, or 4.94%, at $118.35 per barrel, while U.S. crude futures settled down $1.50 or 1.46% at $101.38. Front-month Brent futures hit a record monthly gain of 64% in March, according to LSEG data dating back to June 1988. U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate has gained around 52% in the month, its biggest jump since May 2020. "Once again the trap door under this market opened up with the alleged statement from the Iranian president, if there is an immediate end to hostilities then we know the Strait (of Hormuz) can be reopened and supply will come back on to the market, taking out a lot of the risk premium that has been built up in prices," The international benchmark has steadily risen over the last four weeks as the Iran war has escalated, with attacks across energy infrastructure throughout the Gulf that have resulted in the worst-ever oil-and-gas supply disruption. OPEC's oil output plunged in March by 7.3 million barrels per day on a month-over-month basis to 21.57 million bpd, its lowest level since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020, a Reuters survey found, amid forced export cuts. The market has vacillated throughout the month, with a series of dips each time U.S. President Donald Trump suggests the military operation may be de-escalated - only to resume its upward path due to the supply impairment caused by Iran's threats against vessels transiting the key Strait of Hormuz, the artery used to ship one-fifth of the world's oil and gas. Trump has suggested other countries should intervene to open the strait, a move European nations have not wanted to take until hostilities cease. The U.S. has removed sanctions on barrels from Russia and pledged reserve releases with a group of other nations, but those measures will only offset the supply loss for a limited period of time. "With the oil market's remaining buffers gradually being consumed, the market's vulnerability to a prolonged closure of (Hormuz) means that we are moving closer to physical oil shortages across a wider geographic scope, and the upward momentum for oil prices is likely to strengthen further," said Lin Ye, a vice president for commodities markets and oil at Rystad Energy. Trading on Tuesday was volatile, with front-month Brent futures swinging in a range of up 5.7% to down 1.3% from Monday's close. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that if Iran did not make a deal to end the war, the U.S. would continue the conflict with more intensity, telling a briefing on Tuesday that the next few days could be decisive. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hit back with a new threat, saying U.S. companies in the region will be targeted as of Wednesday in retaliation for attacks on Iran, listing Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM , Tesla and Boeing among 18 firms. On Monday the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump told aides he is willing to end the military campaign against Iran even if the strait remains largely closed, leaving its reopening for a later date. "While diplomatic signals remain mixed, the ground reality suggests that uncertainty will persist," s "Even in the event of de-escalation, restoring damaged infrastructure will take time, keeping supply tight." Kuwait Petroleum Corp on Tuesday said its fully loaded crude oil tanker Al Salmi, capable of carrying up to 2 million barrels, was struck by an Iranian attack at a Dubai port. Officials also warned of the risk of oil spills in the area. U.S. crude oil inventories jumped last week, while gasoline and distillate stocks fell, market sources said, citing American Petroleum Institute figures. Crude stocks rose by 10.26 million barrels in the week ended March 27, the sources said on condition of anonymity. Gasoline inventories fell by 3.21 million barrels, while distillate inventories fell by 1.04 million barrels from a week earlier, the sources said.
Crude oil prices rise 2% despite hopes of US-Iran war ending within weeks. What's near-term outlook? -Oil prices climbed nearly 2% on Wednesday, April 1, after a record monthly gain, even as optimism grew that the ongoing US-Iran war may soon come to an end following recent remarks from US President Donald Trump.Brent crude futures rose over 1.8% to $105.8 per barrel, after declining 3.2% on Tuesday. Meanwhile, WTI crude advanced nearly 1.7% to $103 per barrel on Wednesday. Oil prices have remained above the key $100 level for most of March, supported by the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint which accounts for a fifth of global crude oil passage.Back home, crude oil prices on Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) also witnessed a similar upward movement. MCX crude oil prices opened 1.34% higher at ₹9,697 per barrel on Wednesday.Trump told reporters that the US could withdraw from Iran within two to three weeks, adding that while a deal with Tehran could be reached, it may not be essential to bring the conflict to an end.He has repeatedly shifted his stance, at times suggesting an agreement with Iran is close, while also warning of an escalation in military action. The president is scheduled to address the nation at 9 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday to share an update on the situation, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, as quoted by Bloomberg.Even if the conflict ends within the indicated timeline, restoring normal movement through the vital Strait of Hormuz could take time, especially as some energy infrastructure has been damaged, which could keep oil prices higher. Meanwhile, a third US aircraft carrier strike group is en route to the Middle East, keeping marketsThe US President was quoted as saying by Bloomberg that the key military objectives had largely been achieved and that the US would withdraw once Tehran was no longer capable of acquiring nuclear weapons. He also claimed the current regime was an improvement over the previous leadership. In a social media post on Tuesday, Trump urged allies to take control of the Strait of Hormuz.According to The Wall Street Journal, the United Arab Emirates has called on the US, along with European and Asian military powers, to form a coalition to forcibly reopen the strait, citing a UAE official.Meanwhile, China and Pakistan jointly called for an immediate ceasefire on Tuesday and stressed the need to ensure safe passage for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The appeal was part of a five-point proposal aimed at restoring peace and stability in the Gulf and the broader Middle East, following talks between the two countries’ foreign ministers. Kaynat Chainwala, AVP - Commodity Research, Kotak Securities, believes that a key concern for oil markets lies in the diminishing buffer provided by strategic petroleum reserve releases by the US and its allies, which have thus far helped contain price volatility.“With Trump's April 6 deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait now days away and these reserves expected to run thin by mid-April, the absence of a resolution could expose the market to a sharper supply shock,” Chainwala said.She further noted that current prices reflect cautious optimism around a potential diplomatic breakthrough, the combination of military escalation, unresolved core disagreements, and a narrowing policy buffer continues to sustain elevated uncertainty and upside risks in global oil markets.Meanwhile, Kaveri More, Commodity Analyst at Choice Broking, said that Iran’s conditional openness toward ending the conflict and discussions around a potential U.S. exit eased immediate supply fears, while improving vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz further limited upside momentum.
Oil Falls to $111 as Trump Signals Iran Conflict Halt | EasternEye -- Oil price movements turned volatile on March 31, with crude slipping after reports suggested the US may be open to easing its military stance in the Iran conflict. The shift, even if tentative, has started to cool what had been an aggressive rally driven by fears of supply disruption. Brent crude, the global benchmark, fell $1.22 (£0.97) to $111.56 (£89.00) a barrel, reversing earlier gains of around 2 per cent during the session. The more actively traded June contract hovered lower at $105.76 (£84.20). US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude also dropped, down 98 cents (£0.78) to $101.90 (£81.20) a barrel, after earlier touching its highest level since March 9. The pullback comes even as oil price volatility, Strait of Hormuz disruption and global supply concerns continue to dominate market sentiment.The shift in prices appears to follow remarks linked to Donald Trump, who has reportedly told aides he is open to ending US operations against Iran without immediately reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The idea, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, suggests a possible attempt to de-escalate without forcing a quick resolution on the critical shipping route.That stands in contrast to his earlier warning on March 30, where he said the US would “obliterate” Iran’s energy infrastructure if the strait remained closed. The mixed messaging has left traders second-guessing the next move.Market watchers are also weighing how serious this potential shift is. Matt Gertken, chief geopolitical strategist at BCA Research, as quoted in a news report, said that the US appetite for a prolonged, large-scale conflict appears limited, describing recent threats as part of an effort to push negotiations forward rather than escalate fully.Even with signs of a softer stance, the risks around supply have not gone anywhere. Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz — which typically carries about one-fifth of global oil supply — continues to cast a long shadow over markets.The situation on the ground remains tense. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said its fully loaded tanker Al Salmi, carrying up to 2 million barrels, was struck in an alleged attack near Dubai port. Authorities later confirmed the fire had been contained, but concerns over potential oil spills linger.There are also fresh worries around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi forces launched missile strikes towards Israel. The route is a key link between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, making it vital for trade moving through the Suez Canal.Analysts say these overlapping flashpoints are keeping a floor under prices, even as short-term sentiment shifts. Ben Emons of Fed Watch Advisors reportedly said that the situation reflects a more “asymmetric” dynamic, with the US leaning towards an exit while Iran remains positioned to impose costs on global energy flows.Despite the dip, the broader trend remains striking. Brent crude has surged around 59 per cent over March, marking its strongest monthly gain on record, while WTI is up 58 per cent, its biggest rise since May 2020.For now, oil markets seem caught between two forces — signs of possible de-escalation on one side, and persistent threats to supply on the other. Which one takes the lead could decide whether prices cool further or resume their upward climb.
WTI Dips After Big Crude Inventory Build, US Production Slows - Oil prices are down overnight but playing headline roulette with every word that comes out of any leaders' (or non-leaders') mouth as ceasefire chatter (now denied) has WTI riding a roller-coaster (but below $100 once again as we write). “Flows and actions matter more than words,” said Giovanni Staunovo, a commodity analyst at UBS Group AG. And while inventory data may not be the market-moving event in this new regime, it is useful to see signs of stockpiling or demand. DOE:
- Crude +5.45mm (+10.3mm API, +2mm exp)
- Cushing +520k
- Gasoline -586k
- Distillates -2.11mm
A sizable crude build (the sixth weekly rise in total US crude stocks in a row) was mirrored by the seventh weekly drawdown in gasoline stocks... Stockpiles at Cushing, Oklahoma, also rose for the sixth consecutive week. A 520,000-barre- build takes inventories at the storage hub to the highest level since July 2024. Stockpiles at Cushing are now firmly above 30 million barrels. Stocks for all transport fuels in the US dropped this week with diesel falling 2 million barrels to the lowest level since mid-March. That fuel, alongside jet, is in the spotlight as the Iran war has had an outsized impact on the price of those fuels compared with gasoline. Interestingly, US crude production slipped lower again last week. Refinery crude runs fell for the first time in five weeks. Despite the drop, they remain at a multi-year seasonal high. Oil prices dipped after the data... The surge in market volatility has made intraday trading choppier, with many traders having to curb position sizes.
WTI, June Brent crude futures settle down on reports that Iran may be ready to end war (Reuters) - Oil prices settled lower on Wednesday after President Donald Trump said that the U.S. would end its war on Iran fairly soon. The front-month Brent contract for June fell $2.81, or 2.7%, to settle at $101.16 per barrel, bouncing off a session low of $98.35. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures for May slipped $1.26, or around 1.2%, to $100.12 per barrel, off a session low of $96.50. Trump, who plans to deliver a speech later in the day, told Reuters that the U.S. has ensured that Iran will not have nuclear arms and is ready to get out of the war "pretty quickly." On Tuesday, he signaled that the U.S. could wind down the war in two to three weeks even without a deal, remarks that sent oil prices down more than $3 a barrel in that trading session. Market participants are betting that Trump will not allow oil supply disruptions caused by the Middle East war to extend into mid-May, when U.S. gasoline demand is typically at its strongest, SEB analysts said. "The risk to U.S. gasoline prices, consumer sentiment and ultimately the November midterm elections makes a prolonged conflict politically costly," they said. In a social media post on Wednesday, Trump said Iran had asked for a ceasefire, but he will consider it only after Tehran stops blocking the Strait of Hormuz. Iran denied that it made any such request. Iran has stopped vessels from crossing the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on the country at the end of February. This disrupted Middle Eastern oil exports and drove fuel prices higher globally. Analysts expect that energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz would be slow to return to levels before the conflict even if a ceasefire is announced. "Odds appear to lean in the direction of a U.S. Iranian war exit but ... the status of the Strait of Hormuz remains highly uncertain and much deserving of some geo-risk premium even if global oil supplies slowly begin to loosen," Oil supply disruptions from the Middle East will increase in April and will hit Europe as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz hits exports further, International Energy Agency head Fatih Birol said on Wednesday. Illustrating the impact of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, crude oil output from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries dropped by 7.5 million barrels per day in March from the previous month, as producers were forced to cut output because storage is full. In January, U.S. crude oil output fell by the most in two years, after a severe winter storm knocked production offline, data from the Energy Information Administration showed on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia could raise its May official selling prices for crude to Asia to record levels, after Middle Eastern oil became the most expensive globally, a Reuters survey of industry sources showed. Meanwhile, U.S. crude oil inventories rose more than expected last week, data from the Energy Information Administration showed on Wednesday.
Oil Spikes As Trump Vows To Hit Iran "Extremely Hard Over Next 2-3 Weeks", Threatens To Send It "Back To The Stone Ages" (3 hour video, Trump speech at 1:53:30) After 48 hours of messaging triumphalism about US achievements, escalatory warnings tied to the Strait and energy targets, frustration with allies, and signals of de-escalation with a shortened timeline for reduced US involvement... President Trump addressed the nation tonight about the war in Iran. Summary:
- Trump declares 'core strategic objectives met', threatens 2-3 more weeks of bombing, no mention of ceasefire
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has released an open letter to the American people, questioning whether Washington is truly putting “America First” or merely acting as a “proxy for Israel” willing to fight “to the last American soldier.”
- Air defenses have been activated in Dubai, taking out 5 ballistic missiles and 35 drones launched from Iran
- Iran's new Ayatollah tweets "I emphatically declare that the consistent policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, following on the path of Imam Khomeini and the martyred Leader, is to continue supporting the Resistance against the Zionist-US enemy."
- "Not true": Iran rejects Trump claim that the "new regime president" asked for ceasefire (which has been Pezeshkian since 2024)
- UAE mulls becoming first Gulf country to directly joint US-Israeli war against Iran, lobbies for firm UNSC security resolution.
- Trump to Reuters: will be "out of Iran pretty quickly" and could return for "spot hits" if needed. Also says he's open to exiting 'paper tiger' NATO after Iran war is over, angry over lack of help in Hormuz crisis.
- Oil tanker leased to QatarEnergy was struck by an Iranian cruise missile in Qatari waters Wednesday.
- IRGC has newly vowed to keep attacking with "full intensity and power" - suggesting this is far from over, as ceasefire talks remain theater lacking in much substance. Ayatollah praises Hezbollah in written statement.
Oil had been selling off heading into Trump's address, with traders looking for clearer signals on whether Washington will end the war in the coming weeks, but started to rally strongly as Trump began speaking as traders did not hear the 'mission accomplished' they were hoping for, erasing all of yesterday's ceasefire chatter... Not what many were expecting... " In a triumph of hope against experience, some oil traders had been looking for clarity from Trump’s speech. He has provided no direction, repeating past comments and mixing bravado and threats with the prospect of an imminent end. That has pushed Brent and WTI higher," said Bloomberg's Clara Ferreira Marques.. For crude traders, producers and users, the main takeaway from Trump’s remarks is that the global oil-supply crunch triggered by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz is probably set to persist through April. Each day the waterway’s been shuttered has translated into the loss of about 11 million barrels, according to an earlier Bloomberg tally.
Oil jumps 5% to cross $106/barrel after Trump's comments erase de-escalation hopes -- Oil prices soared around up to 5% to jump back above $106 per barrel on Thursday after US President Donald Trump’s address to the nation retriggered worries about heightened conflict in the Middle East, despite hopes for de-escalation yesterday that had briefly cooled down the rally in oil prices to drop below $100 per barrel. Brent crude futures surged nearly 5% to trade at $106 per barrel. WTI Crude, meanwhile, gained more than 4% to $104 per barrel in the early morning hours of Thursday. Oil prices crossed the crucial $100 mark in March after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Front-month Brent futures hit a record monthly gain of 64% in March, Reuters cited LSEG data dating back to June 1988.
Trump said that US forces will 'finish the job' in Iran soon as “core strategic objectives are nearing completion”. "We're now totally independent of the Middle East, and yet we are there to help," he said. "We don't have to be there. We don't need their oil. We don't need anything they have. But we are there to help our allies,” he added.He reiterated his claim that Iran’s “navy is gone, their air force is in ruins” and Tehran’s leaders are all dead. He claimed that joint strikes had "obliterated" the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, and “if we see them make a move, even a move for it, we will hit them with missiles very hard again”. The US President claimed that Iran’s ability to launch missiles and drones has been curtailed.His comments suggesting that the US might attempt to wrap up the war within the next two-three weeks may have spurred investor worries about heightened attacks on Iranian power and crude facilities, unless some deal is achieved, said Garima Kapoor Deputy Head of Research and Economist at Elara Capital. “The focus of the US has moved away from regime change and opening of Hormuz. We believe, as US Iran escalation ends, the cost of insuring vessels passing through Hormuz would come down too, allowing gradual movement of energy to resume in Hormuz.,” she added.“Uncertainty will prevail in the near term with crude oil prices remaining firm, even as hopes have been offered for closure or war within next 2 to 3 weeks. So far Iran doesn't seem to be buckling under any pressure of America, but America's degrees of freedom are reducing, suggesting limited ability to continue longer. We see a finality to war soon. Heightened Volatility is likely to persist in the short term,” she further said.Even if the war eases in the near-term, oil prices may not cool down soon. Ambit Institutional Equities, in it recentreport, said that even if geopolitical tensions cool off, oil prices will remain elevated, with $80 being the new normal for Brent due to infrastructure damage, geopolitical risk premiums, and inventory restocking.
US crude jumps more than 11%, Brent nearly 8% after Trump vows more attacks on Iran (Reuters) - U.S. oil prices settled more than 11% higher and Brent soared nearly 8% on Thursday in volatile trading, as traders worried about prolonged disruptions to oil supply the day after President Donald Trump said the United States would continue attacks on Iran. Brent crude futures closed $7.87, or 7.78%, higher at $109.03 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose $11.42, or 11.41%, at $111.54 per barrel, settling at their biggest absolute price rise since 2020. Both benchmarks remained below highs near $120 a barrel touched earlier in the conflict. Trump said military operations would be intensified, but did not specify a timeline for ending hostilities. He gave no details on any steps that could lead to a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz "We're going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks," Trump said. "We're going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong." Iran is drafting a protocol with Oman to monitor traffic in the strait, an Iranian foreign ministry official said, after a Bloomberg report. Iran has effectively shut down the narrow waterway through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas is shipped, in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes that began on February 28. Reopening it has become a priority for governments around the world as energy prices soar. "The real question on traders' minds is that if Iran's oil infrastructure is possibly now at risk, and with more damage in the area now very likely, even if left intact the restart of oil flows in the region (is) now looking to be delayed further," said Dennis Kissler, senior vice president of trading at BOK Financial. WTI, which typically trades below Brent, was pricing nearly $3 over Brent as the U.S. contract was trading for May deliveries, while the Brent contract was trading for June deliveries. WTI's premium over the global benchmark was the highest in a year. "Market's expectation is that if (the) Strait of Hormuz opens up in (a) couple of weeks this risk premium will immediately go down," Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Lorie Logan said on Thursday that a swift war resolution may mean economic impact could be pretty moderate, adding that the economic outlook was uncertain due to the crisis. The United States has some buffers to impacts from the war, Logan said. Brent crude prices could average $95 a barrel in the base case and $130 a barrel in the bull case in the second half of the year, Citi said, while oil prices could climb to between $120 and $130 a barrel in the near-term, JP Morgan said. Prices could rise above $150 if the Strait remains closed into the middle of May, JP Morgan added. U.S. oil rigs, an indicator of future output, rose by two to 411 this week, energy services firm Baker Hughes said. An increase in prices for oil to be delivered in future months has producers considering adding more rigs, but they have cautioned that they would like to see the higher prices hold for longer to do so. Front-month WTI traded at its largest-ever premium over the second-month and seventh-month contract on Thursday. Britain is hosting a virtual meeting of around 40 countries to discuss options for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The United States is not due to attend. OPEC+, meanwhile, is likely to weigh a further oil output increase on Sunday, sources said. This would position members to add more barrels should the Strait of Hormuz reopen but is not likely to meaningfully increase supply before then. In Russia, Ukraine's strikes on port infrastructure, pipelines and refineries have reduced export capability by 1 million barrels per day, or a fifth of total capacity, sources say, enough to set the stage for imminent production cuts. The head of the International Energy Agency also said that supply disruptions would start to affect Europe's economy in April, after the region had previously been shielded by cargoes contracted before the start of the war.
Oil Prices Just Added $11.42 a Barrel, One of Their Biggest Daily Gains Ever - WSJ-- U.S. oil futures notched their biggest daily gain since they were climbing back from the Covid crash six years ago to close out a whiplash, holiday-shortened week at $111.54 a barrel. Benchmark oil futures are now up 66% since the U.S. and Israel began bombing Iran at the end of February. In dollar terms, prices in March rose by $43.96 a barrel, more than in any other month since West Texas Intermediate futures began trading in 1983. In two trading sessions so far in April, they have added another $10.16 a barrel.Energy futures trading is closed tomorrow for Good Friday along with the stock market. Bond trading ends early, at noon in New York. Futures will resume trading at 6 p.m. Sunday. Oil executives and analysts say that futures prices need to climb further before they reflect how expensive actual barrels of crude have become. Some spot market prices around the world are at their highest since 2008, when U.S. futures hit their all-time high of $145.29. That would be around $215 a barrel in today’s dollars. Prices had declined during the two trading sessions leading up to President Trump’s primetime address Wednesday night, when he dashed the hopes for a prompt end to the Iran war that had been coursing through markets. Trump vowed to hit Iran “extremely hard” in the coming weeks and pummel the country “back to the Stone Ages, where they belong.” Thursday’s $11.42-a-barrel climb was only the third time prompt-month oil futures have ever added more $10 or more in a single session. One was the anomalous $47.64 daily bounce back from negative territory during 2020’s Covid lockdown. The other two instances—$16.37 and $10.75—were on the way to the 2008 peak. Thursday’s historically sharp move has traders pondering another opportunity for what has been dubbed on Wall Street as the “TACO trade,” short for “Trump Always Chickens Out.” “Some conciliatory gestures from Trump would appear likely over the upcoming holiday weekend,” trading advisory firm Ritterbusch and Associates wrote in a note to clients Thursday. “A deadline of next Monday has been set by the White House prior to an escalation of U.S. bombing activity and we expect another delay in this deadline as the TACO phenomenon continues to play out.”
Brent oil spot price for actual cargo soars to $141, highest level since 2008 financial crisis -- The spot price for current physical cargoes of Brent crude oil soared Thursday to $141.36, the highest level since the 2008 financial crisis, according to S&P Global, which tracks the data. The spot price reflects the demand for Brent oil that will be delivered in the next 10 to 30 days. The high price for more immediate oil deliveries points to the tightness of physical supply right now due to the huge disruption trigged by the Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The price was $32.33 higher than the Brent crude futures contract for June delivery, which closed at $109.03 on Thursday. The futures price is “almost giving a false sense of security that things are not that stressed,” said Amrita Sen, founder of Energy Aspects, in an interview with CNBC’s “The Exchange.” “You are seeing it but the financial market is almost masking the true tightness that everywhere else is showing up,” Sen said. The price for a barrel of diesel in Europe is almost $200 per barrel right now, she said. Chevron CEO Mike Wirth warned last week that the futures price is not reflecting the scale of the oil supply disruption to the closure of the Strait. Wirth said the market is trading on “scant information” and “perception.”“There are very real, physical manifestations of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz that are working their way around the world and through the system that I don’t think are fully priced into the futures curves on oil,” Wirth said at the CERAWeek by S&P Global energy conference in Houston on March 23.
Tankers Seized By US Carried 20 Million Barrels Of Iranian Crude To China -- Nine tankers seized by the US since it began taking direct action against the so-called shadow fleet that transport illicit oil around the world have delivered more than 20 million barrels of Iranian crude to China since 2013, according to the WSJ. The figures form part of a new report that provides an insight into the level of support China has given Iran by buying its sanctioned oil. Between 2013 and 2025, these nine vessels delivered 20.3 million barrels of Iranian crude to Chinese ports, the report said, citing data from Kpler. The vessels also carried 37.9 million barrels of Venezuelan crude and 11.1 million barrels of Russian crude to Chinese ports. U.S. forces taking control of an oil tanker in the Indian Ocean Altogether, that crude is worth at least $4 billion, according to the report, which is set to be released soon by Republicans on the House Select Committee on China, and seen by The Wall Street Journal. To be sure, the amount from the seized vessels represents just a small fraction of the oil China has imported from Iran, a process which has accelerated since the Iran was started, lifting Iran's output to the highest in years. Still, it underscores how China has been a major user of the shadow fleet, bankrolling Iran, as well as Venezuela and Russia. In 2025, China received a third of the crude oil carried by shadow and sanctioned tankers and 10% of heavy refined products such as fuel oil and crude residuals, the report said, citing Kpler data. Shadow fleet vessels carrying sanctioned cargo have also used China’s BeiDou satellite navigation in an effort to operate outside Western oversight, the report said. BeiDou is Beijing’s answer to the U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS, and offers positioning, navigation and timing data globally. China’s Foreign Ministry didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Kuwaiti loaded oil tanker ablaze in Dubai Port after Iranian attack, no casualties - Iran attacked a fully-loaded crude oil tanker at Dubai Port's anchorage on Monday (Mar 30), setting it ablaze and damaging its hull, Kuwait's state news agency reported, citing Kuwait Petroleum Corp, which warned of a possible oil spill. The apparent strike is just the latest in a string of assaults on merchant vessels by missiles or explosive air and sea drones in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb 28. US crude futures rose more than US$3 or 2.9 per cent to US$105.91 a barrel on news that the Kuwait-flagged Al-Salmi tanker had been attacked. Authorities in Dubai confirmed they were responding to a drone attack on a Kuwaiti oil tanker in Dubai waters and that maritime firefighting teams were working to bring the fire under control. No injuries have been reported, and the safety of all 24 crew members has been secured, they said. Work is underway to accurately assess damage to the tanker, said KPC, which according to Lloyd's List Intelligence data is the parent company of the vessel's registered owner and commercial operator. Iranian officials could not be immediately reached for comment. Earlier on Monday, a Greek-owned container ship located off the coast of Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura reported two separate incidents where projectiles hit water near the vessel, maritime security experts said. A representative from the Liberian-flagged Express Rome reported two unknown projectiles splashing into the water near the container ship approximately 40.7km northeast of Ras Tanura at 1.52pm GMT (9.52pm, Singapore time). The incidents occurred within one hour of each other and the crew was reported safe, British maritime risk-management group Vanguard said. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps previously claimed to have attacked the Express Rome on Mar 11, Vanguard said. The operator of Express Rome did not immediately comment. No group has claimed responsibility for the strike on the oil tanker or the projectiles.
Kuwaiti oil tanker was hit in Iranian attack at Dubai port, alerts raised for possible oil spill -Authorities in Dubai confirmed they were responding to a drone attack on a Kuwaiti oil tanker in Dubai waters and that maritime firefighting teams were working to bring the fire under control. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said a giant Kuwaiti crude oil tanker, Al Salmi, was directly targeted in what it described as an Iranian attack while anchored at Dubai port in the United Arab Emirates, causing damage to the vessel and a fire onboard, the state news agency KUNA said on Tuesday. The corporation said the tanker was fully loaded at the time of the incident and warned of a possible oil spill in the surrounding waters, adding that no casualties were reported and that an assessment of the damage was underway, KUNA added. Authorities in Dubai confirmed they were responding to a drone attack on a Kuwaiti oil tanker in Dubai waters and that maritime firefighting teams were working to bring the fire under control. No injuries have been reported, and the safety of all 24 crew members has been secured, they said. Work is underway to accurately assess damage to the tanker, said KPC, which, according to Lloyd's List Intelligence data, is the parent company of the vessel's registered owner and commercial operator. Iranian officials could not be immediately reached for comment. Authorities in the UAE's Sharjah region said on Monday that an administrative building belonging to Thuraya Telecommunications was targeted by a drone from Iran, the emirate's media office shared in a post on X/Twitter. No injuries were reported in the attack. The post came after earlier warnings from the UAE Defense Ministry that the emirate's air defenses were actively engaged in interception activities. According to the ministry's previous post, the overall attack involved both missiles and drones. Earlier on Monday, the UAE Defense Ministry shared an overview of Iranian missiles and drones engaged by air defenses that same day. The post additionally included a total count of Iranian missiles, drones, and cruise missiles intercepted by Emirati air defenses thus far in the Iran war. Gulf states faced multiple drone and missile attacks on Saturday, targeting critical infrastructure in Kuwait, Oman, and the UAE. On Saturday, a drone landed in Iraq's Majnoon oil field, but did not explode, according to the country's Defense Ministry. Also on Saturday, Kuwait International Airport was subjected to several drone attacks, according to KUNA. In addition, six people were injured on Saturday after three fires broke out in Abu Dhabi as a result of debris falling from a ballistic missile interception, the emirate's media office said.
Haifa refinery hit in latest Iranian missile barrage | The Jerusalem Post --An impact was reported in Haifa during the latest Iranian missile barrage on Israel on Monday, with initial indications pointing to a strike or falling debris in the city’s industrial zone.The impact area included infrastructure at the Bazan oil refinery, the company confirmed, which has been targeted in previous attacks.In earlier barrages, missile shrapnel struck the facility, causing localized damage and temporary power disruptions, though no casualties were reported."Search and rescue forces, both reserve and regular forces, are on their way to a site in northern Israel where reports of impact have been received," the IDF said in a statement. Fire rises from the Bazan power plant in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, June 15, 2025. The Environmental Protection Ministry told Ma'ariv that a gasoline tank is burning in the refinery complex, producing thick smoke, but with no risk to the population in the area from a hazardous materials incident.The Haifa municipality later confirmed that there was no suspicion of hazardous materials in the area, and no danger to the public.Residents near the complex were asked to close windows in their homes and not stay outside. On Sunday, an Iranian missile impacted in the industrial zone of Ne'ot Hovav, starting a fire and potentially causing a leak of hazardous chemicals.The Environmental Protection Ministry stated that the possibility of hazardous chemicals leaking was being investigated, but that at this stage, there was no expected risk to nearby towns in the Ramat Negev Regional Council. Israeli media reported that one person was lightly wounded by the shockwave.
US helicopter shot down while searching for pilot shot down in Iran (inconclusive video) 2 US helicopters were hit by Iranian fire while participating in a search operation for a fighter pilot shot down on April 3 (US time).
Yemenis stage massive march in solidarity with Iran, regional resistance amid US-Israeli aggression - The Yemeni capital, Sana’a, once again witnessed a million-man march in solidarity with Iran and the regional resistance against ongoing US-Israeli aggression. On Friday, massive crowds gathered in al-Sabeen Square, waving Iranian, Yemeni, Palestinian, Iraqi, and Lebanese flags. Demonstrators chanted slogans condemning US and Israeli warmongering and aggressive policies across the region. The protesters held banners and placards that read: “One axis, one front in the face of American-Israeli tyranny.” They hailed the Iranian armed forces’ ongoing operations, which have inflicted heavy losses on US military bases in the region and inside Israeli-occupied territories. “The Muslim Iranian people will not submit to the criminal Trump,” the demonstrators chanted. “From Sana’a to Tehran, one front like a solid structure.” They called for the continuation of these qualitative operations against US-Israeli forces until victory is achieved. The demonstrators emphasized that the Axis of Resistance, backed by Iranian support, has foiled the so-called “Greater Israel” project in West Asia. “With the steadfastness of the Iranian people, the satanic project has failed,” they said, adding, “The Greater Israel project is thwarted by the fronts of the Axis.”
Chechen Fighters ‘Ready to Deploy’ to Iran – What We Know - Palestine Chronicle - Chechen military units have announced their readiness to deploy to Iran to support the country’s armed forces in the event of a US ground invasion, Press TV reported on Monday. According to the report, the forces—loyal to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov—would intervene if US ground operations are launched against Iran. The development comes as tensions continue to rise following weeks of sustained US and Israeli military operations targeting Iranian territory. The Chechen units described the ongoing confrontation as a “religious war,” Press TV reported, portraying it as a struggle between opposing moral forces. They said that any direct intervention would constitute a “jihad,” defining it as a battle of “good versus evil” in defense of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This framing reflects how the forces themselves characterize their potential role, combining military positioning with ideological language. The reports come amid growing indications that the United States is considering a ground offensive after weeks of aerial operations. The war began on February 28 during indirect nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington, with the assassination of Iran’s leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, along with senior military figures and civilians, including more than 170 schoolchildren in Minab. In response, Iranian armed forces have carried out extensive retaliatory operations.
Iran's foreign minister calls on Saudi Arabia to 'eject U.S. forces' - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday that the Saudi Arabian government should “eject” U.S. troops from its country, three days after the Iranian military attacked a U.S. air base in Saudi Arabia. “Iran respects the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and considers it a brotherly nation,” Araghchi wrote on the social platform X. “Our operations are aimed at enemy aggressors who have no respect for Arabs or Iranians, nor can provide any security. “Just look at what we did to their aerial command. High time to eject U.S. forces.” In his post, Araghchi also shared a photo of a U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry with its tail broken off and its radar dome on the ground. Multiple outlets previously reported that the aircraft was destroyed in the attack. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have a longstanding partnership dating back more than eight decades. There are five U.S. military bases in the oil-rich country, according to Militarybases.com, and roughly 2,700 service members there, according to NewsNation. On Friday, an Iranian missile attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia, injured 12 U.S. service members, according to The Wall Street Journal. The paper reported that two service members suffered significant injuries, while 10 were concussed. The attack also damaged multiple U.S. refueling aircraft, and several unmanned aerial vehicles were hit, the Journal added. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told NBC News on Saturday that Russian forces took satellite images of the air base three times in the days before Iran attacked the site. “I think that it’s in Russia’s interest to help Iranians,” he said. “And I don’t believe — I know — that they share information. Do they help Iranians? Of course. How many percent? One-hundred percent.” A spokesperson for the Pentagon told The Hill on Sunday that they could not comment on intelligence matters.
Aluminum Supply Shock: Top Gulf Producer Halts Operations After Iran Strike, Price To Spike - Over the weekend, both Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA) - the largest aluminum producers in the Gulf - and Aluminium Bahrain (ALBA) reported drone attacks damaging smelting facilities after hits on Iranian steel infrastructure last week. Neither company (at the time) confirmed whether supply will be impacted, but this morning the worst case appears to be confirmed with Reuters reporting that according to a Wednesday note by consultancy Wood Mackenzie "EGA's Al Taweelah facility in the United Arab Emirates halted operations after an Iranian missile and drone attack on Saturday damaged a power plant." A subsequent report from Bloomberg confirmed the report, writing that "Emirates Global Aluminium, the Middle East’s top producer of the metal, halted operations at its Al Taweelah smelter after the site was struck by Iranian missiles and drones over the weekend, according to a person familiar with the matter." At the same time, the smelter belonging to Aluminium Bahrain – Alba – which was also targeted on Saturday, “sustained significant damages and is expected to operate at an estimated utilisation of 30 percent”, Wood Mackenzie said. “The ongoing Middle East conflict is triggering a critical supply crisis in the global aluminium market, with disruptions potentially removing 3 to 3.5 million tonnes of output in 2026,” Wood Mackenzie said. For context, the world produced just under 74 million tonnes of primary aluminum last year. Wood Mackenzie’s press office said its information was sourced from the consultancy’s contacts in the Middle East, but declined to provide further details. As a reminder, the aluminum smelter in Al Taweelah, in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, has a capacity of roughly 1.5 million metric tonnes per year, and an alumina refinery. Alba’s capacity of 1.6 million tonnes per year in Bahrain makes it the world’s biggest single-site aluminium smelter. The Middle East as a whole produces about 9% of global supply, with EGA and others playing a key role in supplying manufacturers across Europe, Asia and the US. Even before the industry was directly targeted, the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz had already left the region’s major producers short of critical inputs, with the sector anticipating a cascading wave of production cuts unless the strait reopens soon. As Goldman commodity specialist James McGeoch writes, it's "hard to think of a bigger metal supply shock: High degree of expectation this was where it was heading, but the initial reaction was to fade the uncertainty yesterday, that should be replaced by fresh length if history is a guide." This is how the Goldman trader does the math on lost output: Lost ALBA 1mm + EGA 1.6mm + Qatalam 0.3mm + Mozal 0.6mm = 3.5m on a 74mt mkt = 4.7% impact to supply, and 7.7% of ex china supply Balance this with Oil price demand destruction ~1mm, assume China overproduce and ship 500k - need to price demand destruction to balance ~2mt (inventory we see at ~1.5mt but majority of that is China link). McGeoch says that in light of the shut downs, some traders have been eyeballing a significant surge in the aluminum price to $4500 (15% premium to LME for China is a clear starting point).
Iran puts Europe on notice with ‘game-changer’ Diego Garcia missile incident - Iran’s firing of two missiles toward the joint U.S.-U.K. base in the Indian Ocean is putting Europe on notice that Tehran appears able to levy attacks previously considered beyond its reach. In the March 20 incident, one intermediate-range ballistic missile fell into the water and the other was shot at. Still, while unsuccessful, it attests to a long-held belief by national security officials that Iran’s agreement to the self-imposed range ceiling of 1,240 miles on its missiles is a political, not a technical cap and that Tehran could pose a danger far beyond its borders. Analysts said it should force Western officials to rethink some of the underlying assumptions about Iran’s missile threat and how far Tehran could reach if left unchallenged. “While America has been defanging its missile program, an entirely new missile has been, in essence, revealed, and that is a game changer,” said Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) Iran Program. He noted that Europe would be in striking distance “if Iran even develops an IRBM, an intermediate range ballistic missile, rather than an intercontinental ballistic missile, which is what the regime would need to target the U.S. homeland.” Nicholas Carl, a fellow with the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), said in a recent interview that “we now need to, I think, rethink some of the underlying assumptions people have long had about the Iranian missile threat and where Iran could plausibly reach.” Hudson Institute senior fellow Can Kasapoğlu said Iran has for years maintained the “convenient fiction” that its missiles had a self-directed range of 1,240 miles, serving its diplomatic interests while “masking the true pace of its development” program. “That fiction is now operationally obsolete. A strike profile extending into the Indian Ocean demonstrates not merely extended range, but Iran’s deliberate abandonment of strategic ambiguity,” Kasapoğlu wrote in his analysis. “Iran is no longer signaling restraint. It is signaling reach, and doing so under live warfighting conditions.”
Did Iran Shut Down Ukraine’s Gulf Role in a Single Blow? – Analysis - Palestine Chronicle - Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Saudi Arabia on March 26 as part of a multi-country Gulf tour aimed at securing military and economic support at a time of growing pressure on Ukraine’s war effort. A defense cooperation agreement with Riyadh followed on March 27, marking the beginning of a series of deals focused on long-term military coordination, technology sharing, and energy support. By March 28, Zelensky had moved to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, where additional agreements were announced. These included cooperation on missile defense systems, drone warfare, and broader security coordination, alongside efforts to secure fuel supplies critical for Ukraine’s military operations. On March 29, Zelensky arrived in Jordan for “important security talks,” confirming that the visit was part of a broader regional push rather than a symbolic stop, as reported by Reuters. The visit was driven by urgency, as Ukraine faces sustained battlefield pressure and increasing uncertainty over Western military aid. Kyiv has therefore sought to diversify its partnerships, turning to Gulf states that can provide both financial backing and strategic flexibility. Zelensky framed the agreements as long-term partnerships centered on joint defense production, counter-drone systems, and air-defense capabilities. Ukraine also offered its expertise in intercepting drones and missiles—experience gained through years of war with Russia—while securing diesel supplies essential for both military and economic stability. At a deeper level, this outreach reflected Ukraine’s attempt to reposition itself within a changing geopolitical landscape, where regional wars are increasingly interconnected and technological expertise has become a form of currency. It was in this context that a dramatic claim emerged. On March 28, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had destroyed a Ukrainian anti-drone or air-defense depot in Dubai, stating that the facility was linked to US military operations. The timing raised immediate questions, as the claim surfaced within hours of Zelensky’s presence in the UAE becoming public. Ukraine rejected the allegation outright, with its Foreign Ministry stating: “This is a lie. We officially refute this information,” describing it as part of a broader pattern of disinformation, as cited by The Kyiv Independent. The wider geopolitical context makes the episode more significant. The Washington Post had recently reported, citing officials familiar with the intelligence, that Russia has been providing Iran with targeting information, including the locations of US warships and aircraft in the region. Zelensky stated that Ukraine has “irrefutable evidence” that Russia is sharing intelligence with Iran, a claim reported by Reuters on March 25, 2026. The assertion points to a deepening level of coordination between Moscow and Tehran that extends beyond previously known military cooperation. He also suggested that this intelligence-sharing should be understood within the broader context of Russia’s response to Western military support for Ukraine, indicating that Moscow is adjusting its strategic posture accordingly, though without framing it as a direct or explicit conditional exchange. This development does not exist in isolation. Iran has been a crucial partner for Russia throughout the Ukraine war, particularly through the supply of Shahed drones, which have played a significant role in Russia’s aerial campaign. That earlier phase of cooperation now appears to be evolving into a more reciprocal arrangement. What was once a one-directional flow of military support—from Tehran to Moscow—now increasingly appears to operate in both directions, with Russia potentially offering intelligence and strategic advantages in return.
Russian LNG ship attack, Ukraine warned of loss of control --The attack targeting the Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz in the Mediterranean Sea on March 3, 2026 is raising new concerns about the risk of escalating conflict, as a European military expert assessed that Ukraine's actions show signs of "becoming out of control" by the West. Speaking to TASS news agency on April 4 in Geneva, Mr. Ralph Bosshard - former Lieutenant Colonel of the Swiss army and former military advisor to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe - said that the attack on the Arctic Metagaz ship is a sign that the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is acting in an increasingly uncontrollable direction.According to Mr. Bosshard, what is noteworthy is not only the incident itself, but also the "inexplicably silent" reaction of the Western media. He commented that the lack of public analysis or criticism may reflect the confusion in the approach of European countries to new developments.This expert believes that in the context of global oil and gas supplies being under great pressure, expanding attacks targeting energy tankers is a risky step.He emphasized that even the US has been forced to ease some restrictions, allowing Russian oil to continue flowing to markets such as Cuba to avoid supply disruptions.For Europe as a whole, the Kiev government is gradually becoming like an'unguided bullet' - which could cause unexpected consequences," Bosshard warned. He used the image of a "loose cannon" on the deck - when uncontrolled - that could damage everything around it, to describe the risk of widespread military action today.The incident also raises questions about the limits of the strategy of attacking energy infrastructure and sea transport - a direction that is said to be able to have a direct impact on the global economy. The Mediterranean is an important shipping route, where large volumes of oil and gas and goods circulate between Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.If attacks on merchant ships continue to increase, the risk will not stop at regional conflict. According to Mr. Bosshard, the worst-case scenario is that European countries - which are playing a supporting role in Ukraine - may be dragged deeper into a spiral of tension, even facing direct security risks.In the event of the conflict expanding throughout Europe, Kiev may unintentionally turn its back on many countries," he said, while warning of the risk of forming a large-scale confrontation related to international maritime security.There is not yet much detailed information widely announced about the attack on the Arctic Metagaz ship, but this event is being closely monitored by analysts.
EU confused by Ukraine's decision on the Druzhba oil pipeline --The European Union (EU) called Ukraine's decision to temporarily suspend the inspection of the Druzhba oil pipeline "incomprehensible".Euractiv quoted an EU diplomat as saying: "We do not have a clear picture of Ukraine's calculations on this issue".Some other diplomats believe that Kiev's efforts to prevent the inspection of this oil pipeline are "unwise" and "unclear". According to Euractiv, an EU delegation coordinated by the European Commission has been present in Ukraine for weeks, waiting for Kiev to allow access to the territory to inspect the damaged pipeline.If Druzhba is reopened, all parties benefit" - a diplomat noted.Ukraine has stopped the transit of Russian oil to Slovakia and Hungary since January 27. The Slovak government has declared a state of emergency related to oil supplies. By March 28, the Slovak Prime Minister threatened to block new EU sanctions against Russia if oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline have not been restored.Previously, on March 19, the European Commission sent a delegation to Ukraine to inspect the pipeline, but experts from Hungary and Slovakia were not allowed to participate.In developments related to Druzhba, on March 31, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that the European Commission should stop politicizing the Druzhba pipeline issue. I want to ask why they don't reopen the Druzhba pipeline? That's unreasonable, because we have a simple way to ensure adequate oil supplies for Europe. This oil will help stabilize the situation not only in Slovakia and Hungary, the countries most heavily affected by supply disruptions, but also throughout Central Europe. I once again call on the European Commission to end the political games" - Mr. Fico said after consultations between the Slovak and Czech governments.The head of the Slovak government also called on the European Commission to "stop pretending to be powerless" in persuading Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to allow the expert group to access the Druzhba pipeline to restore the operation of the pipeline.Mr. Fico said that the European Commission "should not prioritize the interests of non-EU member states".According to him, the Slovak-Czech intergovernmental consultations have particularly focused on energy security issues in Central Europe. He also emphasized the need to maintain peace and combat illegal immigration.
Iran Relaxes Restrictions on Hormuz Strait - - The Iranian government has allowed a number of foreign vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, with some reports stating that a one-month permit had been granted to certain ships. Once a conduit for much of the world’s oil supply, the strait was effectively closed by Tehran in response to US and Israeli attacks. At least six Bangladeshi cargo ships and two Chinese vessels have reportedly passed through the key waterway this week, while Turkey’s Anadolu news agency noted that a one-month permit was issued for “certain vessels” on Wednesday, though offered few details about the move. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed to a trickle since Washington and Tel Aviv launched their war on Iran in late February. Though some 129 vessels transited the strait each day between February 1 and 27, daily averages have since dropped by 95%, according to the UN’s Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Of nearly 300 commercial vessels that passed through the waterway between February 28 and March 31, nearly half carried no cargo, Anadolu reported. Just three carried crude oil, while another 32 were transporting other petroleum products and 20 carried liquefied petroleum gas. Around one-fifth of the global oil supply previously passed through the Strait of Hormuz each year, making it one of the world’s most important commercial waterways. The ongoing US-Israeli war has rocked world oil markets, disrupting output and driving major price spikes. However, Tehran has permitted the vessels of some nations to transit the strait. Last week, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi noted that ships from Russia, China, Iraq, India, and Pakistan had been allowed to pass in recent days, while Maritime Executive reported that vessels from Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and several other countries had “received agreements” to transit the strait. Ships flagged to the Marshall Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and Liberia have also been permitted to pass, according to tracking data cited by Anadolu. Throughout the war on Iran, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded that the strait be reopened, threatening to bomb Tehran “back to the Stone Age” earlier on Wednesday.Though Trump has also pressured US allies to assist with reopening the waterway, some have pushed back, with France’s deputy defense minister, Alice Rufo, insisting that NATO forces were “not meant to” carry out operations in the Strait of Hormuz, as that “would not respect international law.”“Let me recall what NATO is: it is a military alliance concerned with the security of territories, of the Euro-Atlantic area,” Rufo said on Wednesday.While the United Kingdom has allowed Washington to use some British airbases to launch strikes on Iran, other NATO allies have been more reluctant to get involved in Trump’s war, among them Spain, Italy, and Poland.On Tuesday, Warsaw’s defense chief, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, stated that his country had “no plans” to relocate any Patriot air defense systems to the Middle East to assist the war effort, saying that “Poland’s security is an absolute priority.” The Italian government, meanwhile, has reportedly denied the use of an airbase in Sicily to US forces, while Spain has similarly barred American warplanes from using its bases or airspace to launch attacks on Iran, with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez slamming the war as “dangerous” and “unjustifiable.”
World leaders bypass Trump to tackle Strait of Hormuz crisis -- Countries heavily reliant on the energy exports from the Strait of Hormuz are troubleshooting plans to reopen the critical maritime trade route amid the chaos and uncertainty around the U.S.-Israel war against Iran. The United Kingdom convened 41 countries on Thursday to discuss plans to reopen the Strait, pinning the blame on Iran for holding the global economy “hostage” by hijacking the international shipping route. While not publicly addressed at the meeting, allies are deeply frustrated with Trump, who launched the operation in Iran on Feb. 28 without a plan to keep the Strait open, and without consulting the countries he is now telling to take charge of resolving the crisis. French President Emmanuel Macron has taken a hard line against the U.S. war against Iran, rejecting Trump’s pleas to European nations to join offensive operations to open the Strait. “They cannot then complain about not being supported in an operation they decided on their own. It is not our operation,” Macron told reporters on Thursday, on the sidelines of his visit to South Korea. Macron was responding to a question about Trump’s announcement on April 1 that he was preparing for major strikes against Iran. The U.S. president on Thursday said the U.S. has Iran’s bridges and electricity plants on a target list. At the United Nations, Bahrain has authored a United Nations Security Council Resolution to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait, but is facing opposition from veto-wielding China, Reuters reported. The resolution is expected to go to a vote next week. Trump has lashed out against European nations who have rebuffed his requests for assistance, ranging from the petty — taking personal jabs at Macron’s marriage — to the existential, threatening to withdraw the U.S. from NATO.
First Western European Vessel Transits Hormuz Since War Began - A container ship owned by French shipping giant CMA CGM, has just transited the Strait of Hormuz in what appears to be the first vessel linked to Western Europe to have successfully braved the critical chokepoint since the war in the Middle East began.The Malta-flagged CMA CGM Kribi, which openly broadcasts its French ownership, transited the Strait of Hormuz between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, according to vessel-tracking data monitored by Bloomberg.Data on MarineTraffic showed that CMA CGM Kribi was in the Oman Gulf as of 12 p.m. CET.The container vessel departed from offshore Dubai toward Iran on Thursday afternoon local time and stuck close to the Iranian coast. The ship moved through the Iranian islands Qeshm and Larak in the Strait of Hormuz and its signal on Friday indicated it was offshore Muscat in the Gulf of Oman. T?he vessel has indeed transited the Strait of Hormuz, two sources with knowledge of the situation told Bloomberg. French shipping giant CMA CGM, majority-owned by the Saade family, is understood to have coordinated the transit with Iranian maritime authorities, Euronews reported. Approached by reporters from the Financial Times, France's foreign ministry declined to say if France had played a role in facilitating the passage of the CMA CGM Kribi. Iran selectively allows certain ships to transit the world's most critical oil chokepoint, through which 20% of daily global oil and LNG passed before the war. Most vessels that have transited the Strait of Hormuz so far have been bound to India, China, Thailand, Pakistan, and other countries in Asia, and have owners in Asia.
Iran Launches Three Missile Salvos on Tel Aviv, 100+ Injured as War Expands - Palestine Chronicle -- Iran’s armed forces launched a new batch of missiles toward Israel on Wednesday, marking the third such attack within one hour, according to Iranian television. Israeli media reported that a fragmentation missile struck multiple buildings in Tel Aviv, while projectiles caused injuries in nearby Bnei Brak, where at least 14 settlers were wounded, including one in critical condition. Additional reports indicated that explosive missile fragments fell across the Gush Dan area, with loud explosions heard throughout Tel Aviv. According to Israeli admissions, at least 17 sites in and around Tel Aviv were damaged by falling fragmentation projectiles. Ambulance crews were reported to be responding to numerous impact locations across the greater Tel Aviv area. Sirens sounded across large parts of occupied Palestine, from the Galilee in the north to the Negev in the south, reflecting the widening geographic scope of the attacks. Early warnings were also activated in areas including Ben Gurion Airport, the coastal plain, and settlements across the West Bank. Israeli media reported that attacks were also detected from Lebanon, with Hezbollah launching drones toward northern areas, indicating coordinated pressure across multiple fronts. The Israeli Ministry of Health said that 106 people were injured in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of injuries since the start of the war on Iran on February 28 to 6,286. Other figures cited the cumulative number of injuries at 6,638, reflecting discrepancies across official reporting. The missile barrage comes amid one of the most intense phases of the confrontation, with both sides exchanging large-scale attacks. Iranian sources reported that the Revolutionary Guard launched multiple missile salvos within a short period, while earlier statements confirmed the use of suicide drones targeting “strategic and sensitive centers” inside the occupied territories. At the same time, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard issued warnings that American companies involved in information technology, communications, and artificial intelligence could be targeted for their role in “assassinations and espionage operations.” In response, the Israeli army announced it had carried out a wide wave of airstrikes on Tehran, targeting what it described as infrastructure linked to the Iranian state. Iranian media reported explosions across several parts of the capital, including northern, eastern, and central districts, while additional strikes were reported in Isfahan and near Kerman. Air defenses were also reported to have downed an American drone in Khorramabad. The continued exchange of missile strikes, drone attacks, and air raids indicates a sustained escalation, with Iran expanding the scale and frequency of its attacks while Israel intensifies its operations inside Iranian territory. The widening scope of strikes — from Tel Aviv to Tehran — reflects a confrontation that is no longer contained to isolated exchanges, but unfolding as a multi-front regional conflict involving simultaneous pressure from Iran and allied forces.
Yemen’s Houthis Launch Missile Strikes on Israel in Coordination With Iran, Hezbollah - A week after announcing they were entering the ever-growing regional war on the side of Iran, Yemen’s Houthi movement has launched missiles at southern Israel, saying the operation, the third such flurry of missiles, was done in coordination with Iran and Hezbollah. The Houthis firing missiles at Israel is nothing new, but direct coordination with both Iran and Hezbollah, their primary allies in this conflict, suggests deeper cooperation among the factions. The Houthis said the attack had “successfully achieved its objectives.”Israel reported sirens sounded in Sderot, Ashkelon, Beersheba and Dimona, and that their interceptors were activated over a missile fired from Yemen, and later confirmed that the missile was successfully intercepted. The coordination seems to have been primarily the timing of the launch, as Iranian missiles were launched at Tel Aviv and Bnai Brak at the same time, wounding 14, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah fired rockets at the northern city of Kiryat Shmona, announcing it as the start of the “Khaybar 2″ operation in defense of Lebanon. The Houthis had previously targeted the resort city of Eilat with missile strikes, and there were missiles that hit that city, though Israeli media has continued to maintain that all the missiles and drones fired by the Houthis were successfully intercepted, so it’s not clear where the Eilat missile actually came from.While the Houthis retain a substantial number of missiles from the old Yemen government’s arsenal, their primary involvement in the war could be controlling the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the route through the Red Sea leading into the Gulf of Aden which has been suggested as an alternative route for ships since the Strait of Hormuz has been shuttered by Iran since the start of the war.
Yemen Fires Ballistic Missiles as Hezbollah Launches 40+ Rockets - The Yemeni Armed Forces, affiliated with the Ansarallah movement, announced on Wednesday the launch of their third military operation targeting Israel. In a statement, military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the operation involved a salvo of ballistic missiles targeting “sensitive targets” in southern Israel. He stressed that the attack came “in continuation of supporting and backing the fronts of Resistance” and as part of a “religious, moral, and humanitarian duty toward the free people of the Islamic nation in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine.” Saree confirmed that the operation was carried out “in conjunction with the mujahideen brothers in Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon,” adding that it “successfully achieved its objectives.”On Tuesday, the Israeli military said it had detected a missile launch from Yemen at 6:25 am, as sirens sounded across southern areas from Dimona in the Naqab to Asqalan (Ashkelon) on the coast.The Yemeni Armed Forces warned that continued Israeli escalation across the region would be met with further action, stating that “the enemy’s move towards escalating its aggression… will only push the free and proud Yemen toward further escalation in the coming period.”They added that operations will continue until “the aggression stops and the siege is lifted.”The statement also included a broader warning that Yemeni forces are prepared for direct intervention, declaring that “the armed forces’ hands are on the trigger” in the event of further escalation or expanded alliances involving the United States and Israel.Meanwhile, the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah announced on Wednesday the launch of Khaybar 2 operations, marking what it described as a new phase of escalation within its confrontation with Israeli forces.The group said the operations are part of Operation Eaten Straw, carried out “in defense of Lebanon and its people” following intensified Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory. According to Hezbollah statements, eight coordinated operations targeted sites in and around Haifa.The group said it struck the Stella Maris naval monitoring base with rockets, while also targeting the Nasherim base southeast of Haifa using rockets and swarms of drones.Additional strikes hit military-related infrastructure in the Krayot area north of Haifa, as well as the Tefen base east of Akka, using combined rocket and drone attacks.
US-Israeli Strikes in Tehran Damage Orthodox Church -- US-Israeli strikes in Tehran on Wednesday damaged a Russian Orthodox Church, the Russian Embassy in Iran has said, as the bombing campaign continues to have a devastating impact on civilians. “Two missile strikes on the morning of April 1st in the immediate vicinity of St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in Tehran caused damage to the main building and outbuildings (windows and doors were blown out),” the Russian Embassy said in a statement that included photos of the damage.The strike was also recorded by the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a US-based, US-funded NGO that’s very critical of the Iranian government.According to The Associated Press, the missile strike appeared to have targeted the nearby former US embassy compound in Tehran, from where the CIA coordinated the 1953 coup in Iran and where the hostage crisis started in 1979 following the Islamic Revolution that ousted the US-backed Shah. Part of the former embassy has been turned into a museum highlighting the US role in the coup, called the Den of Espionage Museum.The Russian Embassy said that a Russian nursing home was also damaged, though there were no casualties in either building. “The adjacent Russian Nursing Home, where elderly residents still live, also sustained significant damage (including a collapsed roof). Thankfully, there were no casualties,” the embassy said.“We note that St. Nicholas Cathedral was damaged during Lent and on the eve of Easter, one of the main religious holidays. Due to the military adventures of the United States and Israel, the Orthodox community in Iran is deprived of the opportunity to visit the cathedral,” the embassy added.
Senior Iranian Official Involved in Attempt at Peace Talks Severely Wounded by US-Israeli Strike - Kamal Kharazi, an 81-year-old advisor to the Iranian government and former Iranian foreign minister, was severely wounded by a US-Israeli strike on his home on Wednesday that killed his wife, Iranian media has reported. Kharazi, chairman of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, was seen as a potential negotiator and, according to Iranian officials speaking to Iran’s Mehr News Agency, he was overseeing engagement with Pakistan for a possible meeting between Iranian officials and Vice President JD Vance.The Iranian officials said they saw the attack on Kharazi’s home as an attempt to derail diplomacy. It’s unclear if the US or Israel launched the strike.While Israel is suspected of being behind the attack since it has an interest in keeping the US in the war, the Trump administration has engaged in deception campaigns when it comes to diplomacy with Iran, and could just be lying about its desire for a deal.President Trump has continued to insist that negotiations have been underway, but Iranian officials continue to deny that talks are taking place, and there’s no evidence of genuine diplomacy. Trump continues to threaten to escalate attacks on Iran and bomb more civilian infrastructure if a deal isn’t reached.
Israel Halts Arms Purchases From France In Rebuke For Iran War Stance - Israel on Tuesday took the drastic step of announcing that it will halt the acquisition of defense-related goods and services from France, according to an Israeli Defense Ministry announcement. "The Director General of the Israel Ministry of Defense. Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amir Baram has decided to reduce all defense procurement from France to zero, replacing it with domestic Israeli procurement or purchases from allied countries," a Defense Ministry spokesperson confirmed.The move is being done in direct rebuke to France's decision to not allow flights in its airspace which transport military items to Israel, or also American military flights which are directly connected to Iran war operations. A growing number of NATO and EU countries are doing this, also Italy, Spain, and Switzerland.The Israeli statement said further, "France has taken a series of actions that have harmed Israel's security and the operational capabilities of its defense industry.""The Israel Ministry of Defense views the French government’s policy with serious concern, as it undermines security cooperation with Israel, a country that is actively operating on the front line against Iran and protecting the security of the Western world," it added.Defense ties between France and Israel were already strained going back to the Gaza war:
Heavy Fighting, Israeli Airstrikes Killed at Least 50 in Lebanon in 24 Hours – Increasingly heavy fighting in the southwest and a growing number of Israeli airstrikes nationwide have caused the death toll in the Israeli invasion of Lebanon to surge, rising to at least 50 killed in the last 24 hours. Heavy fighting was reported in several areas along the southwest of the country, with the heaviest fighting reportedly along the coastal highway. Advancing Israeli troops have reportedly exchanged heavy fire with Hezbollah forces in the area. Israeli airstrikes against the capital city of Beirut and surrounding towns killed at least seven, including reportedly a top Hezbollah commander. A drone strike in Mansour killed two and another airstrike against a home in Houmine el-Tahta killed a family of four.The Health Ministry put the overall death toll so far from the war at 1,318, which is 50 higher than their number the day prior. They also added 185 to the wounded number, bringing that total to 3,935 since the war began on March 2. The bulk of Israeli strikes have targeted southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley in the east, along with persistent strikes against the Shi’ite suburbs of the capital city of Beirut. Today’s toll points to a similar concentration of the strikes, which have displaced an estimated 1.1 million civilians.Israel’s invasion of Lebanon was launched in the wake of the joint US-Israel attack on Iran, with Hezbollah having fired some rockets at Israel “in solidarity” with the Iranians. Hezbollah has continued to fire rockets at northern Israel throughout the war, and has engaged advancing IDF troops on the ground.
UN condemns killing of Indonesian peacekeepers in Lebanon | Israel attacks Lebanon | Al Jazeera -The UN has condemned the deaths of three Indonesian peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, who were killed by Israel in two separate incidents, including a vehicle explosion. They are the latest UN casualties since Israel expanded its ground invasion.Israeli DM Says All of South Lebanon Will Be Occupied, Villages Leveled ‘In Accordance With Gaza’ - - Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has declared that Israel would formally occupy the whole of Lebanese territory south of the Litani River, and will commit to a policy of totally leveling the villages along the border of the occupied territory and northern Israel.Katz had talked up an occupation in everything but name last week, talking of creating a “buffer zone” out of that territory, and saying no Lebanese civilians would be allowed to return to that part of Lebanon.The pretense of a “buffer zone” seems to be fading fast among Israeli officials, with Katz now talking of Israel simply gaining occupational control over the region, and destroying the southernmost villages “in accordance with the Rafah and Beit Hanoun model in Gaza.” Katz reiterated that the return of any Lebanese displaced into the occupied south will be “completely prohibited” and claimed this would effect some 600,000 Lebanese civilians. Israel has already destroyed all the bridges spanning the Litani River, so anyone who fled north earlier is effectively locked out of returning at any rate. Human Rights Watch noted that the policy amounted to both forced displacement and wanton destruction, which are considered war crimes under international law. The Israeli offensive continues, however, with the IDF reporting four of their troops were killed and two wounded in fighting.That Israel’s actions in Lebanon amount to war crimes appears to matter less and less, as Israel has openly deliberately attacked and killed journalists and health care workers repeatedly in the course of the war, rounding out the first month of the conflict by attacking and killed two UN peacekeepers. While there has been substantial criticism of the killing of the peacekeepers, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher expressed concern that the international community was ill-prepared for the unfolding humanitarian crisis.Fletcher cited the widespread destruction and death in Gaza, much as Katz did, asking at the UN Security Council meeting how the international community would protect the displaced civilians, given what already happened in Gaza. He further asked “given the intensity of the coercive displacement that we are seeing, how should we prepare collectively as the international community for a new addition to the list of occupied territories? “Israel began this latest invasion of Lebanon at the beginning of March, and Israeli orders have displaced some 1.1 million civilians, according to estimates. The Lebanese government itself was both unready and seemingly unable to provide for that level of displacement, leaving international aid groups scrambling and the displaced facing a very uncertain future.Given that Katz’s stated policy is to level many of their homes and ensure they’re not allowed to return to the south, that uncertainty is only growing.
'First Time in Centuries': Israeli Authorities Block Latin Patriarch From Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday - The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, was stopped by Israeli police from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in East Jerusalem to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass, which marks the start of Holy Week for Christians around the world. According to a statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land, the incident marked the first time in “centuries” that church leaders were prevented from entering the church, the holiest site in Christianity, for Palm Sunday Mass. Pizzaballa was on his way to the church with the Vatican’s Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, as well as two escorts, complying with Israel’s restrictions on the number of people allowed in the holy sites after the Palm Sunday procession was cancelled due to the US-Israeli war against Iran. “The two were stopped en route, while proceeding privately and without any characteristics of a procession or ceremonial act, and were compelled to turn back. As a result, and for the first time in centuries, the Heads of the Church were prevented from celebrating the Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” the joint statement said. “The Heads of the Churches have acted with full responsibility and, since the outset of the war, have complied with all imposed restrictions: public gatherings were cancelled, attendance was prohibited, and arrangements were made to broadcast the celebrations to hundreds of millions of faithful worldwide, who, during these days of Easter, turn their eyes to Jerusalem and to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” the statement added. The statement described the move as “manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure” and said that it “represents an extreme departure from basic principles of reasonableness, freedom of worship, and respect for the Status Quo.” The incident sparked widespread criticism of Israeli authorities, including from Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, who is extremely pro-Israel and believes the modern state of Israel has a divine right to swaths of land across the region. Huckabee said on X that blocking Pizzaballa from entering the church was “unfortunate overreach already having major repercussions around the world.”
Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem: Agreement Reached With Israeli Police After Cardinal Blocked from Holy Sepulchre - The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Vatican’s Custody of the Holy Land said in a joint statement on Monday that an agreement was reached with the Israeli police after the Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, was blocked from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in East Jerusalem. The joint statement said that “the matters concerning the Holy Week and Easter celebrations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre have been addressed and resolved in coordination with the relevant authorities.”Cardinal Pizzaballa meeting with Israeli police officials (via Israeli Police X account)The statement added that in an agreement with the Israeli police, “access for representatives of the Churches has been secured in order to conduct the liturgies and ceremonies and to preserve the ancient Easter traditions at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.”The statement said that the “existing restrictions on public gatherings remain in force for the time being. Accordingly, the Churches will ensure that the liturgies and prayers are broadcast live to the faithful in the Holy Land and throughout the world.”Pizzaballa, the Vatican’s Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, and two of their escorts were blocked from the Holy Sepulchre, despite their compliance with Israeli restrictions on crowds gathering at holy sites in East Jerusalem that were imposed following the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran.The Latin Patriarchate released a scathing statement in response to Pizzaballa being blocked from privately celebrating Mass at the church, the holiest site in Christianity, and said it marked the first time “in centuries” that church leaders couldn’t access the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday, and the incident sparked global outrage.After midnight in Jerusalem, once Palm Sunday was over, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on X that he was ordering the reversal of the measure to grant Pizzaballa access to the church, which is jointly owned by the Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, and the Armenian Apostolic Church.On Monday, Pizzaballa met with Israeli police officials, and the Israeli police shared a photo with the Latin Patriarch on X and said that a “mutual framework has been established for upcoming Easter ceremonies.”
Israeli Knesset Passes Death Penalty Bill for Palestinians - The Israeli Knesset passed a bill on Monday that mandates the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of deadly “acts of terror,” an effort that was led by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the Jewish power party, who was seen celebrating with champagne after the vote.The bill is designed to apply exclusively to Palestinians by mandating the death penalty for a “terrorist” convicted of killing a person “with the intent to deny the existence of the State of Israel.” According to Haaretz, the law is now applicable in any territory that Israel effectively controls, which includes the occupied West Bank and more than 50% of the Gaza Strip.In his remarks on the vote, Ben Gvir made clear that the bill was designed to execute only those convicted of killing Israeli Jews. “The State of Israel is changing the rules of the game today: whoever murders Jews will not continue to breathe and enjoy conditions in prison. This is a day of justice for the victims and a day of deterrence for our enemies,” he said.The bill was supported by 62 lawmakers in the Knesset, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Forty-eight Knesset members voted against the legislation, and one abstained.The Israeli rights group B’Tselem strongly condemned the bill and noted the high conviction rate in Israeli military courts where Palestinians who live in the West Bank are put on trial.“The penalty – execution by hanging – must be carried out within 90 days of sentencing, with no possibility of pardon. The death penalty will be determined in military courts where only Palestinians are tried,” B’Tselem said.“These courts have an approximately 96% conviction rate, based largely on ‘confessions’ extracted under duress and torture during interrogations. The law allows military judges no discretion and requires them to sentence Palestinians convicted of murder to death, except in ‘special circumstances,'” the rights group added.
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