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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
IRAN WAR
Israel targeted Iran’s Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, in a strike on Tehran last night, according to an Israeli source. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said today that Larijani had been “eliminated” and that the Israeli military has been instructed to “continue hunting down” Iran’s leadership. There has been no confirmation of Larijani’s death from Iran. Israel also said today that it killed the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ all-volunteer Basij force, Gholamreza Soleimani. The IDF said it carried out a wave of simultaneous strikes yesterday evening against Tehran, Shiraz, and Tabriz. Tal Shalev and Eugenia Yosef report for CNN; John Gambrell reports for AP News.
Iran renewed attacks on U.S. Gulf allies overnight. The UAE shut down its airspace this morning in response to missile and drone threats from Iran, but the authorities have now lifted the closure. Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said it intercepted a dozen drones. A fire broke out in an industrial area in Qatar after a missile was intercepted. AP News reports.
President Trump yesterday criticized U.S. allies who have responded coolly to, or outright rejected, his call to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to escort merchant vessels. “You mean 40 years we’ve been protecting you, and you don’t want to get involved in something that’s very minor?”, Trump said at a White House event. Trump also said, “I’m almost doing it in some cases not because we need them, but because I want to find out how they react,” saying it was really a loyalty test. Germany, Japan, Italy, and Australia said yesterday that their countries would not participate. France, Britain, and South Korea were noncommittal. Anton Troianovski, Erica L. Green, David E. Sanger, and Aaron Boxerman report for the New York Times.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have reopened a direct communications channel in recent days, according to a U.S. official and another source. This is the first known direct communication since the war started. Drop Site News reported yesterday that Witkoff had sent messages to Araghchi and quoted Iranian officials saying that the Iranian foreign minister was ignoring them. The U.S. official claimed it was Araghchi who was attempting to engage. Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo report for Axios.
U.S. intelligence assessments say that the Iranian regime is likely to remain in place for now, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps exerting greater control, according to two sources. Trump has been receiving “very sobering briefings” on the U.S. intelligence, said one of the two sources, adding that Trump was told of the likelihood of a more entrenched IRGC before he gave the go-ahead to jointly launch the war with Israel. “It wasn’t just predictable,” they said. “It was predicted. He was told in advance.” Ellen Nakashima, Warren P. Strobel, and Susannah George report for the Washington Post.
Trump was also warned that attacking Iran could trigger retaliation against U.S. Gulf allies despite his claims yesterday that Tehran’s reaction came as a surprise, a U.S. official and two other sources said. Pre-war intelligence assessments did not say that Iran’s response was “a guarantee, but it certainly was on the list of potential outcomes,” said one source. Six foreign diplomats in the Gulf and wider Middle East told Reuters Tehran’s attack on Gulf states was widely anticipated. Jonathan Landay, Phil Stewart, and Erin Banco report for Reuters; Alexander Cornwell and Jonathan Landay report for Reuters.
IRAN WAR – POLITICAL RESPONSE
Witkoff is planning to brief a small bipartisan group of senators on the war in Iran this afternoon, according to three sources. Hans Nichols and Marc Caputo report for Axios.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said yesterday that she had proposed to U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres a UN-backed plan, modeled on the Black Sea grain deal, to ensure safe passage for oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. A U.N. spokesperson acknowledged speculation about a possible U.N.-led initiative, but said the “stakes are too high,” saying the U.N. will continue to work “discreetly.” Reuters reports.
LEBANON
Katz said yesterday that Israel’s new offensive in southern Lebanon would be similar to the Israeli campaign in Gaza. Katz said Lebanese residents will be unable to return to the area until Israel determines it has removed the threat posed by Hezbollah. Anat Peled and Omar Abdel-Baqui report for the Wall Street Journal.
ISRAEL-GAZA WAR
Envoys from Trump’s “Board of Peace” met representatives of Hamas in Cairo over the weekend, three sources told Reuters. The meeting is the first publicly reported since the start of the Iran war. Following the meeting, Israel announced on Sunday that it would soon reopen the Rafah Crossing. One of the sources said he believed the announcement was a direct result of the Hamas meeting. The sources said the Hamas representatives warned the board that Hamas could back away from its previous promises under the Gaza ceasefire if Israel maintains new restrictions on Gaza imposed during the Iran war. Nidal al-Mughrabi and Rami Ayyub report.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi said yesterday that Kenya had reached an agreement with Russia that “Kenyans shall not be enlisted through the [Russian] Ministry of Defence – they will no longer be eligible to be enlisted” to fight in Ukraine. Guy Falconbridge reports for Reuters.
The International Monetary Fund yesterday warned that Ukraine’s access to an $8.1 billion aid program is at risk because the Ukrainian parliament has stalled on passing unpopular tax reforms required to unlock further funding. Volodymyr Verbianyi and Olesia Safronova report for Bloomberg.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
A Pakistani airstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul killed over 400 people and injured 250 overnight, the Afghan Taliban government said today. Pakistan rejected the claim as false and misleading, saying it “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure.” Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Ariba Shahid, and Asif Shahzad report for Reuters.
The beginning of 2026 ranks as the deadliest start to any year for people trying to cross the Mediterranean, with an unprecedented 682 people confirmed missing as of March 16, according to the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration. Human rights groups have said the death toll is almost certainly much higher, as Italy, Tunisia, and Malta have quietly restricted information on migrant rescues and shipwrecks. Renata Brito and Paolo Santalucia report for AP News.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The State Department is considering withholding lifesaving assistance to people with H.I.V in Zambia as a negotiating tactic to force the Zambian government to sign a deal giving the United States more access to its critical minerals. “We will only secure our priorities by demonstrating willingness to publicly take support away from Zambia on a massive scale,” a draft of a memo prepared for Secretary of State Marco Rubio obtained by the New York Times said. Stephanie Nolan reports.
Salvadoran nationals who were deported from the United States have been arbitrarily detained in El Salvador and have disappeared into the nation’s prison system, according to a Human Rights Watch report released yesterday. The report did not say exactly how many people are subject to arbitrary detention. The group interviewed 20 relatives and lawyers of 11 Salvadorans who were deported from the U.S. between March and October 2025 and immediately detained in El Salvador. Gisela Salomon reports for AP News.
U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS
“Taking Cuba in some form, yeah, taking Cuba — I mean, whether I free it, take it, I think I can do anything I want with it,” Trump said yesterday in the Oval Office. According to four sources, the Trump administration is seeking to push President Miguel Díaz-Canel from power while keeping the rest of the Communist government in place. When asked if a U.S. military operation would mirror January’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Trump said, “I can’t tell you that.” Patrick Oppman and Michael Rios report for CNN; Frances Robles, Edward Wong, and Annie Correal report for the New York Times.
The Cuban Ministry of Energy and Mines yesterday announced a “complete disconnection” of Cuba’s electrical system and said it was investigating, noting there were no failures in the units that were operating when the grid collapsed. Milexsy Duran and Danica Coto report for AP News.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian woman who was detained during Gaza war protests at Columbia University, was released yesterday after a year in immigration detention in Texas, Kordia’s lawyers said. Nardine Saad reports for BBC News.
Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino plans to retire in the coming weeks, he told the New York Times yesterday. Hamed Aleaziz reports.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts board of directors voted yesterday to shut down operations for two years following July 4 celebrations. Steven Sloan, Hillel Italie, and Darlene Superville report for AP News.
Sable Offshore announced yesterday that oil production through a pipeline near Santa Barbara, California, has resumed for the first time since 2015. Sable Offshore had been trying to restart the pipeline for more than a year, but had not been able to secure the required permits. State and local officials said that Sable had not sufficiently repaired damage that led to the 2015 spill. On Friday, Trump signed an executive order allowing Energy Secretary Chris Wright to resume the pipeline operations. Soumya Karlamangla reports for the New York Times.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
The Justice Department has waived a policy requiring newly hired federal prosecutors to possess at least one year of experience practicing law, according to two sources and several newly-posted online vacancy announcements. A DOJ memo, dated March 13, reviewed by Bloomberg said, “[The] suspension is in effect until February 28, 2027, and was implemented due to an exigent hiring need for attorneys across the Department.” Ben Penn reports for Bloomberg.
The Commerce Department yesterday announced that the Trump administration’s AI export program will enter a new phase on April 1, inviting industry groups to submit proposals for “full-stack” AI packages that bundle hardware, models, and infrastructure for allies. Ashley Gold reports for Axios.
Former Pentagon aide Dan Caldwell, who was fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after being publicly accused of leaking classified information, was recently hired by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, a U.S. official said. The Pentagon declined to comment on Caldwell’s hiring or the inquiry by the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations, which appears to have concluded but has not been publicly released. The administration official said Caldwell was cleared. Greg Jaffe and Julian E. Barnes report for the New York Times.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A federal appeals court yesterday allowed the Trump administration to continue, for now, summarily deporting immigrants to nations other than their home countries. The order blocked a lower court ruling that would have required the administration to prioritize deportees’ home countries as destinations and give deportees “meaningful notice.” Mattathias Schwartz reports for the New York Times.
A federal judge yesterday blocked the Trump administration from implementing sweeping changes to the childhood immunization schedule. The judge said the government undermined its history of recognizing “the importance and value” of involving independent experts in setting the national public health agenda and relying on “a method scientific in nature” to make such decisions. Lena H. Sun and Rachel Roubein report for the Washington Post.
The Supreme Court yesterday agreed to decide whether the Trump administration acted legally when it sought to end Temporary Protected Status for thousands of citizens from Haiti and Syria. The Trump administration had asked the Court to lift lower court orders blocking the effort to end TPS. However, the Court instead agreed to take up the cases on the merits. Josh Gerstein reports for POLITICO.
16 Democratic attorneys general from California, Illinois, the District of Columbia, and other states are suing the Department of Housing and Urban Development for a policy restricting state agencies from pursuing certain fair housing claims, including discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, criminal record, or English-language proficiency. Cassandra Dumay reports for POLITICO.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.
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