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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
President Trump said yesterday that the United States had no advance knowledge of an Israeli strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field that prompted Iran to retaliate against Qatar. However, Israeli and U.S. officials told Axios that the strike was coordinated with and approved by the White House. Trump also said there would be no more Israeli attacks on the South Pars gas field, while vowing to “massively blow up the entirety of the field” if Iran attacked Qatar again. The global oil benchmark price soared today to $118 per barrel, following tit-for-tat attacks on energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf. Aaron Pellish reports for POLITICO; Barak Ravid reports for Axios; Ephrat Livni reports for the New York Times.
At least three Palestinians were killed and several others wounded during an Iranian missile attack in the occupied West Bank yesterday, according to Palestinian officials and local residents. The missile hit a caravan that had been turned into a hair salon. The Israeli military blamed the attack on an Iranian missile, while Palestinian officials said the damage was caused by an errant Israeli aerial defense interceptor. Aaron Boxerman and Fatima AbdulKarim report for the New York Times.
The Pentagon has asked the White House to approve a more than $200 billion request to Congress to fund the war in Iran, according to a senior administration official. Noah Robertson, Jeff Stein, and Riley Beggin report for the Washington Post.
The Trump administration is considering deploying thousands of U.S. troops to reinforce its operations in the Middle East, a U.S. official and three other sources said. The administration has discussed options to send ground forces to Iran’s Kharg Island or deploy forces to secure Iran’s stocks of highly enriched uranium. Phil Stewart, Idees Ali, Erin Banco, and Gram Slattery report for Reuters.
IRAN WAR – POLITICAL RESPONSE
The foreign ministers of 12 Arab and Islamic states called on Iran to “immediately halt its attacks” and respect international law, in a joint statement released today after their meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The ministers also condemned Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and “reaffirmed support for the security, stability and territorial integrity of Lebanon.” Lex Harvey reports for CNN.
Three of Trump’s advisers told Axios that while Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are closely aligned over the war in Iran, Trump will want to end major operations against Iran before Netanyahu. “Israel doesn’t hate chaos. We do. We want stability. Netanyahu? Not so much, especially in Iran. They hate the Iranian government a lot more than we do,” a White House official said. Another official said, “Israel is going to try to kill [Iran’s] new leader. They’re much more interested in that than we are.” Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo report for Axios.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told the Senate Intelligence Committee yesterday that even though the Iranian leadership has been “largely degraded” in the war, the government still “appears to be intact.” Gabbard contradicted Trump’s previous assertions as she said that Iran does not have missiles capable of reaching the United States, but could begin to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile before 2035. When asked about Trump’s claim that no experts had predicted Iran would respond to U.S.-Israeli strikes by attacking its Gulf neighbours, Gabbard avoided directly answering the question. Gabbard was also asked whether the intelligence showed an “imminent nuclear threat.” To which she responded, “The only person who can determine what is and is not a threat is the president.” CIA Director John Ratcliffe answered, “I think Iran has been a constant threat to the United States for an extended period of time and posed an immediate threat at this time.” Ephrat Livni reports for the New York Times; Aaron Blake reports for CNN; David E. Sanger and Julian E. Barnes report for the New York Times.
U.S. officials detected unidentified drones above the Washington army base where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth live in recent days, according to three sources. Officials have not determined where they came from. The drones prompted officials to weigh relocation of Hegseth and Rubio, but a senior official said they have not moved. The military is monitoring potential threats more closely because of the heightened alert level since the war in Iran. Isaac Arnsdorf and Tara Copp report for the Washington Post.
Trump issued a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act, the White House confirmed yesterday. The 1920 law requires that cargo transported by water between U.S. ports be shipped solely aboard vessels that are U.S.-built and citizen-owned. The move is “another step to mitigate the short-term disruptions to the oil market,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Ben Geman reports for Axios.
A proposal submitted by Bahrain, Japan, Panama, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates at a meeting of the U.N.’s International Maritime Organization yesterday set out plans for a safe maritime corridor to free some 20,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf by war in Iran. “The purpose of the framework would be to facilitate the safe evacuation of merchant ships,” the IMO council said. Jonathan Saul reports for Reuters.
LEBANON
Israel has more than doubled the number of troops along its border with Lebanon since March 1 and they are searching homes in southern Lebanese villages that the military has ordered evacuated, a senior Israeli commander said yesterday. The Israeli military is advancing through southern Lebanon, aiming to completely clear the town of Khiyam as a first step before advancing toward the Litani River, according to a Lebanese security source and a foreign official tracking developments on the ground. Pesha Magid reports for Reuters.
WEST BANK VIOLENCE
Israeli settlers last week beat a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank, stripped him naked, tied his arms and legs and then zip-tied his penis, he, his family, and other witnesses said yesterday. The relatives and a U.S. citizen said they had been beaten too, adding that the assailants had kicked and slapped children during the attack on a Bedouin village. A police record showed that the episode was being investigated as a sexual assault, an attack on a helpless person and a crime motivated by racism, among other potential charges. David M. Halbfinger and Fatima AbdulKarim report for the New York Times.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Pakistan said yesterday that it would pause its campaign of airstrikes against Afghanistan for the five days of Eid al-Fitr celebrations. Afghanistan also announced a pause in its military operations. The announcements came two days after a Pakistani airstrike on a drug rehabilitation center in Kabul. At least 143 civilians were confirmed dead in the strike, a U.N. official said, adding that at least 119 others were injured and the death toll was likely to rise. Elian Peltier, Safiullah Padshah, and Zia ur-Rehman report for the New York Times.
The Syrian government yesterday launched a plan to destroy former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s large-scale chemical weapon program. An international taskforce backed by the United States, Germany, Britain, Canada and France, among others, will track down all remaining elements of the program and destroy them under the supervision of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. As many as 100 sites in Syria need to be inspected to determine what toxic munitions remain and how they should be destroyed. Reuters reports.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
U.S. envoy John Coale met Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk today to negotiate further prisoner releases. Previous talks between Coale and Lukashenko resulted in the release of dozens of political prisoners last September and a further 123 in December. In return, the U.S. removed sanctions on Belarusian potash – a key ingredient in fertilisers – and is discussing the possible reopening of its embassy in Minsk. Mark Trevelyan reports for Reuters.
U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS
Two vessels carrying Russian oil and fuel are due to arrive in Cuba as early as next week, according to maritime intelligence companies. The Hong Kong-flagged Sea Horse, believed to be carrying some 27,000 tonnes of Russian gas, is estimated to arrive on Monday. The Russian-flagged Anatoly Kolodkin, carrying some 100,000 metric tons of crude, is estimated to arrive on April 4. If the ships arrive, they will be Cuba’s first energy shipments in three months. Jude Webber and Joe Daniel report for the Financial Times.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
The family of 5-year-old Liam Conejos Ramos is appealing the Trump administration’s effort to deport them using an expanded “expedited removal” policy without a full hearing. Their lawyers yesterday asked the Board of Immigration Appeals to return the case to immigration court so the family can have their asylum claim properly considered. Jazmine Ulloa reports for the New York Times.
The State Department is adding 12 countries to the list of nations whose citizens must post bonds of up to $15,000 to apply for U.S. visas, according to a notice posted on the State Department website yesterday. After April 2, there will be 50 countries whose citizens are subject to the requirement. Matthew Lee reports for AP News.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
“The speed with which American democracy is currently dismantled is unprecedented in modern history,” the Varieties of Democracies Institute said in a report published earlier this month, citing “suppression and intimidation of media and dissenting voices” as the key reason for the “derailment of democracy.” Brian Stelter reports for CNN.
During a private briefing yesterday for members of the House Oversight Committee, Attorney General Pam Bondi declined to explicitly commit to a closed-door deposition regarding her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, saying only that she “will follow the law.” Democratic lawmakers walked out of the briefing before it ended, accusing Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche of avoiding their questions. Committee Chairman Rep. James R. Comer (R-KY) accused the Democrats of squandering their opportunity to ask questions. Comer also told reporters that he had issued Bondi’s subpoena reluctantly, saying “I, personally, don’t see any reason for her to do a deposition.” Alanna Durkin Richer and Stephen Groves report for AP News; Michael Gold reports for the New York Times.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is set to push for an 18-month “clean” extension of Section 702 surveillance powers before the April 20 deadline, relying on White House backing to overcome resistance from members like Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), who demands that intelligence officials seek judicial warrants before reviewing messages involving U.S. citizens. Meredith Lee Hill and Mia McCarthy report for POLITICO.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
The 2026 Annual Threats Assessment, compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, incorporates several Trump administration policies, refers throughout to the success of Trump’s peace deals, and concludes that China is unlikely to invade Taiwan next year. The report also warns of rising missile threats from China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan, stating that Iran is likely to seek revenge against the United States for the killing of its leaders. Maggie Miller and Jack Detsch report for POLITICO.
The FBI has opened an investigation into former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, following allegations that he improperly shared classified information, four sources told Semafor. One source said the investigation predates Kent’s departure this week, describing it as being months-long. Shelby Talcott reports.
The FBI is buying information that can be used to track people’s movement and location history, FBI Director Kash Patel said yesterday during a Senate hearing. “We do purchase commercially available information that’s consistent with the Constitution and the laws under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and it has led to some valuable intelligence for us,” Patel told senators. Alfred Ng reports for POLITICO.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) yesterday said he would revoke a policy under Kristi Noem that slowed federal disaster aid by requiring approval for contracts over $100,000 at his confirmation hearing for Homeland Security Secretary. Scott Dance reports for the New York Times.
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