Laura Rozen

Plan B?

This is telling: Dan Osborn out with a statement opposing a $200b request for Iran. He doesn’t have to weigh in this quickly. Fact that he chose to - while running in a red state - tells you what he thinks of the politics of it

Bessent talked about 140 million barrels of Iranian oil. That’s 70 VLCC tankers. Are you suggesting that the US is going to intercept 70 tankers before they arrive in China, commandeer the ships, and find willing customers for stolen oil? Even by FDD standards this is dumb.

DHS has been conducting new interviews with refugees who were already vetted & admitted into the US. According to a former USCIS source with knowledge, Stephen Miller handpicked lawyers to review the re-interviews because "too many people were being reaffirmed as refugees."

שיגור רביעי מאיראן בשעה האחרונה בלבד. מיליוני ישראלים מעבירים עוד לילה במקלטים. רק אני זוכר שסיפרו לנו שהשמידו 97% מהמשגרים והטילים האיראניים?

Quite a series of sirens & alerts & booms in East Jerusalem in past hour on 1st night of #Eid #IranWar

Japan’s PM said the conversation over dispatching naval vessels to the Strait of Hormuz was of “sensitive nature” and that “there are certain actions she can and cannot take within the scope of Japanese law.” We still don’t have a direct answer on if she is helping or not. But sounds like the latter.

Distrust of the US this bad👇will eventually hit the bond market. I wonder if Trump & co. get that. Foreigners aren’t going to keep lending to us if they think we’re wildly irresponsible, unpredictable, governed by clowns and imperialists, and so on.

Europe’s biggest naval powers don’t see a way of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping before the Iran war subsides bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

This is Kharkiv. 15 km from the frontline. Still one of the most alive cities I know.

@birdyluisa interesting, thx, missed that hearing

@lrozen Today Kash Patel told a committee that he knew more than a month ahead of the first strike about the plan to attack Iran so WHILE Kushner and Witkoff were meeting with Iranian counterparts. And Witkoff has the audacity to try and reach out to Iran to discuss ceasefire.

Araghchi trying to explain nuclear fuel production to Witkoff and Kushner at talks in Oman in February, because the US negotiators did not bring technical experts: Amwaj report: amwaj.media/en/article/ins… “Informed Iranian political sources familiar with the talks additionally highlighted that the lack of nuclear expertise on the part of Kushner and Witkoff, in addition to the absence of a technical team, caused consternation in the negotiations. According to the senior source, “Araghchi on several occasions explained the stages of nuclear fuel production and the difference between an enrichment facility and a reactor to Witkoff, yet the US negotiator still believed that the Tehran Research Reactor was an enrichment facility producing radio-medicines.”

@jmhansler congrats!!

Excited to share that I've been promoted to senior reporter at CNN! I'm still covering the State Department, foreign affairs & national security - reach out anonymously and securely with tips on Signal: jmhansler.202

Brutal numbers

This is the most troublesome sign I've seen for Trump & the GOP. Trump's now a record low 41 pts underwater on the cost of living per Yahoo/YouGov. He's 60 pts underwater on the issue with indies!! Wave adios to the House & maybe Senate cause you can't win with these numbers.

Doubtless hoping to get one particular judge.

Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs @MBA_AlThani_ : Iranian Attacks on Qatar a Dangerous Escalation, Unacceptable Violation Threatening Regional Stability Doha | March 19, 2026 HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani affirmed that the Iranian attacks on the State of Qatar, including the targeting of the Ras Laffan energy complex on Wednesday, represent a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable violation, amid the war between Iran and Israel and the United States of America, and ongoing Iranian attempts to drag the region into this conflict. His Excellency said, during a press conference held Thursday with HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkiye Hakan Fidan, that the State of Qatar condemned from the very first hour the attack on Iranian energy facilities and infrastructure by Israel; however, the Iranian response unfortunately came through directly attacking the State of Qatar, as part of an extended series of strikes that have targeted military and civilian objectives over the past two weeks, the latest of which was at the Ras Laffan energy complex. He explained that this act of sabotage reflects an aggressive and irresponsible policy and a dangerous escalation on the part of Iran, noting that Wednesday's attack targeted a natural gas facility in the State of Qatar, which is a source of livelihood for the Qatari people, and also affected millions of vulnerable people whom Qatar supports across various parts of the world. HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs added that a large portion of the attack was intercepted, but it succeeded in hitting some facilities, the damages of which are currently being assessed. He continued that there were no human casualties as a result of the precautionary measures taken since the first attack at the beginning of this war, stressing that material losses can be compensated, but human life cannot. He affirmed that this attack has significant repercussions on global energy supplies, noting that such attacks bring no direct benefit to any country, but rather cause harm to peoples directly. HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs also renewed the State of Qatar's rejection of ongoing Iranian claims that these attacks target American interests or US bases in Qatar or in the region, stating that this claim is rejected and cannot be accepted under any justification. He added that such hostile acts, their continuation, and the expansion of war will only lead to a greater escalation in the region, at a time when recent days have witnessed disruption to navigation and freedom of passage, and threats to ships and tankers in a vital corridor such as the Strait of Hormuz. He stressed that the security of the region is a collective responsibility, and that all countries must adhere to this responsibility and be worthy of it, emphasizing the importance of an immediate halt to Iranian attacks on countries in the region and a general de-escalation. Regarding the attack on the gas complex, HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani explained that a large part of the attack was intercepted; however, it succeeded in hitting some facilities, the damage to which is currently being assessed, reiterating that there were no human casualties. He stressed that targeting this facility, which is one of the sources of livelihood for the Qatari people and one of the main sources that fund Qatar's humanitarian efforts across the world, has a direct impact, expressing his hope that the Islamic Republic of Iran realizes that through these actions it has deprived vulnerable people of this support. His Excellency affirmed, at the conclusion of his remarks during the press conference, that the State of Qatar reserves its full rights to respond to this attack through legal means, and that all these actions will carry consequences under international law. For his part, HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkiye Hakan Fidan said the State of Qatar, while seeking to mediate to resolve the crisis, has been subjected to an unexpected attack, which is still ongoing. He added that attacks that disregard civilian life and target infrastructure are completely unacceptable and cannot be justified at any time or under any pretext, affirming that his country always stands by Qatar and will continue to support it. He explained that this ongoing war directly threatens the security of all countries in the region and undermines its stability at its core, noting that the meeting of regional countries in Riyadh on Wednesday, at the invitation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was an urgent necessity since the beginning of the war, as participants affirmed their support for the countries that have been attacked and the importance of halting attacks and finding diplomatic solutions to prevent the spread of clashes. He added that the primary cause of this war that is dragging the region into an unprecedented crisis is Israel, noting that the attacks came at a time when diplomatic talks were ongoing. He added that Israel incited escalation to expand its objectives and did not suffice with turning the region into a battlefield, but also threatened global stability. HE the Turkish Foreign Minister pointed out that Iran must remember its historical responsibility, saying that whatever the justifications, Iran's attacks on countries in the region deliberately target and undermine regional stability and cannot be accepted. He noted that Iran is wrong, just as the attacks launched against it were also wrong, stressing the need to avoid actions that hinder freedom of navigation and movement at sea, and not to allow Israel to benefit from instability to cover up its occupation and expansionist policies. He affirmed that his country's position is fully aligned with that of Qatar in keeping communication channels open to establish peace and address all concerns, warning that the current war may distract the world from the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, amid Israel's continued violations, as well as its ongoing occupation and destruction policies in Lebanon, calling on the international community to clearly assume its responsibilities. HE Hakan Fidan also stressed that a just and lasting peace with the Palestinian people is the key to stability. He noted that Turkish-Qatari relations have reached the level of a joint strategic partnership, and that Turkiye will continue its full solidarity with Qatar under all difficult circumstances, including cooperation in defense industries and their development through tangible steps. HE the Turkish Foreign Minister highlighted that Turkiye and Qatar face challenges together, and that support and solidarity between the two countries are firm and ongoing, with a clear will to enhance cooperation and confront any threats facing the region. #MOFAQatar

2 ex-FBI agents say in a lawsuit they were fired for their roles in Trump election investigation apnews.com/article/fbi-pa…

#BREAKING #EXCLUSIVE The US military has accelerated the deployment of thousands of Marines and sailors to help reinforce US troops in the Middle East amid the war against Iran. Four officials tell Newsmax the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and the embarked 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit is deploying ahead of schedule from the West Coast and is expected to sail through the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East region after the Navy was ordered to surge additional fire power. The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group includes the USS Boxer amphibious assault ship—which serves as a mini aircraft carrier—and USS Portland and USS Comstock amphibious landing ships. There are roughly 2,500 Marines--4,000 total service members aboard these three amphibs. Additional Ships, Marines Deployed to Middle East | Newsmax.com

US approves $16.5B in emergency arms sales to Arab partners, with Sec. Rubio waiving congressional review, citing emergency: • UAE: – THAAD-linked radar (LRDR) - $4.5B – FS-LIDS counter-drone system - $2.10B – AMRAAMs - $1.22B – F-16 munitions (GBU-39s, JDAMs) - $644M • Kuwait: Air & missile defense radars $8B • Jordan: Aircraft support & munitions $70.5M

@lrozen Nobody had asked for higher gas prices.

FT: “Regional officials say there is no movement on diplomatic efforts to end the war from either side. And Israel’s killing on Tuesday of Ali Larijani, a conservative but pragmatic regime veteran, is expected to further set back hopes of a resumption of talks. He would have been integral to any diplomatic process, a regional diplomat said. The diplomat said he expected Iran would stop its attacks on US targets if Trump withdrew from the conflict, enabling Tehran to claim it had forced America’s retreat.” giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/ac…