Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here.
A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
IRAN WAR
Iran has received a 15-point plan for a ceasefire from the United States through Pakistani intermediaries, officials in Islamabad said today. The Pakistani officials described the plan broadly as touching on sanctions relief, civilian nuclear cooperation, a rollback of Iran’s nuclear program, monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency, missile limits, and access for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Mediators are pushing for a possible in-person negotiation in Pakistan later this week. Israeli sources said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has seen the plan and is concerned that Trump might strike a deal that falls short of Israeli objectives. Jon Gambrell, David Rising, Munir Ahmed, and Aamer Madhani report for AP News; Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
The United States is preparing to deploy about 2,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, two Defense Department officials said yesterday. The Pentagon is also in the process of deploying two Marine units that will add about 5,000 Marines and thousands of sailors to the region. Jon Gambrell, David Rising, Munir Ahmed, and Aamer Madhani report for AP News; Francesca Regalado, Eric Schmitt, Elian Peltier, and Adam Rasgon report for the New York Times.
Iranian officials have told Pakistani, Egyptian, and Turkish mediators that U.S. military movements and Trump’s decision to deploy major troop reinforcement have increased their suspicion that his peace proposal is a trick. “Can anyone believe their claims of diplomacy or mediation are credible when they started this war and continue attacking us?” a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry told reporters yesterday. Two regional sources said that Iranian representatives have told the Trump administration that they do not want to re-enter negotiations with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and would prefer to engage with Vice President JD Vance instead. The Iranians have not yet responded to the 15-point plan, and strikes on Israel and Kuwait continued this morning. Marc Caputo and Barak Ravid report for Axios; Todd Symons reports for CNN; Kylie Atwood reports for CNN.
Iran told the U.N. International Maritime Organization that “non-hostile” ships may pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a letter circulated yesterday. Iran’s letter also said “the full restoration of security and sustainable stability in the strait is contingent upon the cessation of military aggression and threats.” Peter Eavis reports for the New York Times.
IRAN WAR – POLITICAL RESPONSE
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been privately pushing Trump to continue the war in Iran in recent days, saying that the U.S.-Israeli military campaign presents a “historic opportunity” to remake the Middle East by removing Iran’s government, according to sources. Saudi officials rejected the idea that the Crown Prince has pushed to prolong the war. Julian E. Barnes, Tyler Pager, and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. yesterday declared a state of national energy emergency, warning there was an “imminent danger” to the “availability and stability of the country’s energy supply.” The declaration, which will be in place for one year, was made in response to the war against Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Helen Regan reports for CNN.
LEBANON
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said yesterday that Israel will retain control of the Lebanese territory south of the Litani River. “Hundreds of thousands of residents of southern Lebanon…will not return south of the Litani River until the security of norther residents [in Israel] is assured,” Katz said. Israeli Finance Minister said earlier this week, “The Litani must become our new border with the state of Lebanon.” Natan Odenheimer reports for the New York Times.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
The High Representative for Gaza on Trump’s Board of Peace, Nickolay Mladenov, yesterday presented progress on plans for disarmament and reconstruction in Gaza to the U.N. Security Council. Mladenov confirmed that the relevant armed groups had received the disarmament proposal, which outlined that it would involve collecting the most dangerous weapons first, monitoring compliance ahead of any reconstruction, and allowing fighters to return to civilian life. Mladenov did not outline a timeline. Ephrat Livni reports for the New York Times.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russian forces yesterday launched more than 550 drones across Ukraine, striking city centers, killing at least six people, and wounding around forty others, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The unusual daytime strikes followed a more typical series of overnight attacks in which Russian forces launched 34 missiles and 392 attack drones. Cassandra Vinograd reports for the New York Times.
Russian air defenses downed 389 incoming Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia’s defense ministry said today. This was the largest reported overnight attack on Russian regions since the war in Ukraine started. The drones were stopped over 13 Russian regions as well as the Crimean Peninsula. Dasha Litvinova reports for AP News.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
One in four Haitians live in areas controlled by criminal gangs despite intensified police operations, according to a report by the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights published yesterday. At least 5,519 people were killed and 2,608 injured between January 2025 and March 2026, when the government and private military contractor launched anti-gang drone operations. The report highlights high civilian casualties, widespread sexual violence, and a lack of accountability for security forces, calling for stronger protections and oversight. Aida Pelaez-Fernandez and Sarah Morland report for Reuters.
The Paris Court of Appeal has opened an investigation into former EU border agency chief Fabrice Leggeri over allegations of complicity in crimes against humanity, a judicial source told Reuters yesterday. Two rights groups accused Leggeri of encouraging Frontex’s agents to help Libyan and Greek authorities intercept migrant vessels to prevent migrants from entering the EU. On that basis, the appeals court ruled there were grounds to open the probe last week. Gianluca Lo Nostro reports.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with G7 foreign ministers in France on Friday for talks about Russia’s war in Ukraine, the war in Iran, and the situation in the Middle East, the State Department said. Reuters reports.
U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS
A New York Times investigation found that a military strike in Ecuador earlier this month appears to have destroyed a cattle and dairy farm, not a drug trafficking compound as claimed by the U.S. and Ecuadorean governments. Workers on the dairy farm told the Times that Ecuadorean soldiers arrived by helicopter on March 3, set several shelters on fire, and beat the workers with the butts of their guns. Village residents said Ecuadorean helicopters returned to the farm on March 6 and appeared to drop explosives on the remains of the farm. Luis Ferré-Sadurní, José María León Cabrera, Annie Correal, and Eric Schmitt report.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
A Cambodian man deported by the U.S. to Eswatini under the Trump administration’s third-country program has been released today after five months in a maximum-security prison and is being sent back to Cambodia, his lawyer said. Gerald Imray reports for AP News.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
A New Mexico jury determined yesterday that Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its social media platforms. The jurors found thousands of violations, each counting separately towards a penalty of $375 million – less than one-fifth of what prosecutors were seeking. Morgan Lee reports for AP News.
The Justice Department’s investigation of a $2.5 billion renovation project at the Federal Reserve did not find any evidence of a crime, a federal prosecutor conceded to a judge earlier this month, according to a transcript of a sealed hearing. Michael Kunzelman and Christopher Rugaber report for AP News.
Jeffrey Epstein’s lawyer, Darren Indyke, and accountant Richard Kahn told the House Oversight Committee that they were never interviewed as part of formal federal investigations into Epstein’s crimes, according to videos of their depositions released yesterday. Hailey Fuchs reports for POLITICO.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
The Agriculture Department is cutting hundreds of millions from the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program, which is aimed at helping farmers buy and retain land, three sources told POLITICO yesterday. The projects were especially targeted to address land access issues facing black farmers, immigrant farmers, indigenous farmers, and veterans. According to one of the cancellation letters shared with POLITICO, USDA determined that the program “involved discriminatory preferences based on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” as well as “wasteful spending.” Marcia Brown reports.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A federal judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to bring back a woman deported to Mexico last month despite her active protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Kyle Cheney reports for POLITICO.
A federal judge yesterday called the Pentagon’s treatment of Anthropic “troubling” as the AI company urged the court to pause the Trump administration’s designation of the company as a supply chain risk. “I don’t know if it’s murder, but it looks like an attempt to cripple Anthropic,” the judge said. Anthropic has asked for a decision by March 26, but the court is not bound by this. Maria Curi reports for Axios.
A Venezuelan man who was deported from the United States and detained in a prison in El Salvador last year filed a lawsuit yesterday seeking at least $1.3 million in compensation from the United States for false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Camilo Montoya-Galvez reports for CBS News.
Hines Immigration Law and Advocates for Human Rights yesterday filed a lawsuit alleging that the Justice Department has been fast-tracking the legal proceedings of Somali immigrants, effectively denying them the right to a fair hearing. Pooja Salhotra reports for the New York Times.
The state of Minnesota yesterday filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for access to investigation materials regarding the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Local and state investigators alleged that they have been stonewalled by federal officials. Gregory Svirnovskiy and Kyle Cheney report for POLITICO.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.
If you enjoy listening, Just Security’s analytic articles are also available in audio form on the justsecurity.org website.
ICYMI: Yesterday on Just Security
