SOFX

President Donald Trump said on March 24, 2026 that the U.S. is pausing planned strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure for five days following “very good” talks. He said Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff met with a senior Iranian official, producing agreements including a commitment by Tehran to never develop nuclear weapons, while oil prices fell sharply.

Ukraine’s General Staff said Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s Primorsk oil port on March 24, 2026, damaging fuel tanks and loading infrastructure and sparking a fire, according to Gov. Alexander Drozdenko. Ukraine also reported a separate strike on an oil refinery in Ufa as Russia launched 251 drones overnight, 234 of which were shot down.

Gen. Gregory Guillot told the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 24, 2026 that the U.S. is seeking access to three new areas in Greenland and expanded operations with Denmark under a 1951 defense agreement. He said the plan would support missile defense, fighter and tanker launches, and new ports for special operations and naval forces.

On March 22, 2026, Iranian ballistic missiles struck Arad and Dimona in southern Israel, injuring 180 people, 116 in Arad and 64 in Dimona, about 13 km from Israel’s Dimona nuclear research facility. The IAEA reported no abnormal radiation. Israeli PM Netanyahu condemned the attacks, citing Iran’s targeting of civilians.

Iran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at the U.S.-U.K. base on Diego Garcia on March 22, 2026, according to Mehr; CNN sources said one was intercepted by a U.S. warship and the other failed mid-flight. Israeli officials said the missile used had a 2,500-mile range, while the U.K. Ministry of Defense condemned the strike.

A U.S. Marine Corps release on March 23, 2026 detailed how Lance Cpl. Eirick Schule developed a 3D-printed replacement for the MUOS antenna mast in April 2025, cutting costs from $5,644 per unit to about $10 and reducing delivery time from over 7 months to 10 hours, with 107 units produced and an estimated $600,000 saved.

The U.S. Air Force is seeking backpack-sized, one-way attack drones for special operations capable of striking targets up to 12 miles away with 3–6.5 lb warheads. AFSOC says the drones must launch in under three minutes, operate in GPS-denied areas, and integrate with handheld controllers and ATAK.

CENTCOM said March 20 a U.S. Air Force F-35 made an emergency landing at a regional base after flying a combat mission over Iran, with the pilot in stable condition. Officials are investigating, while sources told CNN the jet may have been hit by Iranian fire. The IRGC claimed it struck an F-35 with a surface-to-air missile, a claim not independently confirmed.

Reuters reported March 20 that Iranian strikes on Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City damaged two LNG trains and a GTL facility, cutting 17% of national LNG capacity. QatarEnergy CEO Saad al-Kaabi said 12.8 million tons of output could be offline for 3–5 years, forcing contract suspensions and impacting supplies to Europe and Asia.

U.S. forces struck Iranian anti-ship missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz on March 18 using 5,000-lb GBU-72 bunker-buster bombs, CENTCOM said. The strikes targeted fortified sites threatening international shipping, marking the first reported combat use of the GPS-guided 4,422-lb penetrator, amid halted vessel traffic and rising oil prices.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed March 19 that Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran, the third senior Iranian official killed in 48 hours. The IDF said Khatib directed crackdowns on protesters and operations against Israeli and U.S. targets, while Defense Minister Israel Katz said strikes on senior officials are preauthorized.

A CNN and Center for Countering Digital Hate investigation found eight of 10 AI chatbots, including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Meta AI, provided actionable assistance to simulated teen users planning violent attacks in tests conducted Nov. 5–Dec. 11, 2025. Perplexity and Meta AI assisted in 100% and 97% of cases, while Anthropic’s Claude most often refused and discouraged such requests.

The U.S. reportedly encouraged Syria to send troops into eastern Lebanon to help disarm Hezbollah, though Damascus expressed hesitation and Syrian officials later denied such talks. On March 18, 2026, Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel and the West Bank while the IDF continued strikes on command centers and weapon sites in Lebanon.

The Israel Defense Forces said it killed Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij paramilitary force, in strikes in Tehran. The attacks, confirmed by Iran, targeted Larijani’s hideout and Basij leadership amid ongoing U.S.-Israeli operations.

Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government said a Pakistani airstrike hit the Omid drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul on March 17, 2026, killing more than 400 people and injuring around 250. The attack occurred after border clashes; Pakistan denied targeting civilians and said it struck Taliban-linked military sites. International concern is rising as neither side shows signs of de-escalation.

The Israeli Air Force claims it destroyed Iran’s government Airbus A340-300, known as “Iran Force One,” at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran on March 17, 2026. The aircraft, registered EP-IGA, was used by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior officials. The IAF said the strike limits Iran’s leadership coordination and military capabilities, though the destruction has not been independently verified.

Cuba’s national electric grid collapsed on March 17, 2026, leaving nearly all 10 million residents without power after the shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras plant, the country’s largest generator. Unión Eléctrica said crews are working to restore electricity while President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed ongoing talks with the U.S. amid shortages and recent protests.

Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel arrived in Rome March 17, 2026, to deliver a four-part, invitation-only lecture series on the Antichrist, held at undisclosed locations with no recording allowed. Organized by Italy’s Vincenzo Gioberti Cultural Association and the Cluny Institute, the Catholic University of America and Pontifical Angelicum deny involvement. Thiel previously gave similar lectures in San Francisco, warning of an Antichrist using fear of AI, climate change, and nuclear threats to push a one-world state and halt scientific progress.

U.S. intelligence shared with President Trump and senior advisers indicates that Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei opposed his son Mojtaba succeeding him, viewing him as unqualified. Mojtaba, 56, was named Iran’s supreme leader last weekend after reportedly being injured in the Feb. 28 Israeli strike that killed his father and allegedly flown to Russia for medical treatment.

U.S. Central Command said U.S. forces conducted precision strikes on more than 90 Iranian military targets on Kharg Island on March 15, destroying naval mine storage sites, missile bunkers, and other facilities while leaving the island’s oil export infrastructure intact. Kharg Island handles roughly 1.1 to 1.5 million barrels of Iranian oil per day and sits about 300 miles northwest of the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route.