March 18, 2026

U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 19.

• The price of benchmark Brent crude oil spiked 4% to nearly $108 per barrel today after Iranian officials said that South Pars – the world largest natural gas field – and its neighboring refineries had been targeted in ongoing U.S. and Israeli military operations and that Iran now considers a number of energy assets around the Persian Gulf to now be "legitimate targets." [more]
• Iranian and Russian officials say the grounds of Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which is operated by Russian staff, were struck by a projectile yesterday evening. Officials blamed the incident on the U.S. and Israel and noted that no damage to the nuclear power unit occurred. [more]
• According to a new report from maritime data firm Lloyd's List Intelligence, at least 89 ships, including 16 oil tankers, passed through the Strait of Hormuz between March 1 and 15 – down from the approximately 100 to 135 that passed through the strait per day before the current war. The report further notes that more than 20% of the 89 successful passages were made by Iran-affiliated ships. [more]
• In the latest targeting of top Iranian government and military officials, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said today that Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib was killed in an overnight airstrike. Iran has not confirmed Khatib's death. [more]
• The Lebanese Health Ministry reports that at least 12 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in central Beirut and Lebanon’s western Bekaa valley today, bringing to 912 the total number killed in Israel's renewed operations against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,481 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• In an interview today with the BBC, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine will face a shortage of missiles due to the U.S-Israel-Iran war and suggested that Russia wants a "long war" in Iran because Kyiv would be weakened by allies' resources being directed to the Middle East. [more]

U.S. INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY | Top U.S. security, intelligence, and law enforcement officials, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. James H. Adams, are scheduled to appear before the House and Senate intelligence committees today and tomorrow. Among the main topics expected to be covered in the hearings are: the war in Iran and the intelligence assessments that led up to preemptive strikes against it and the prevention of terror attacks in the United States. [more]

U.S. FEDERAL FUNDING | President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week that establishes an anti-fraud task force to "fight fraud, close loopholes, enforce eligibility rules, and protect benefits for eligible Americans, while ensuring States administering Federal benefits programs do the same." Vice President JD Vance will head the task force. [full executive order] [more]

VOICE OF AMERICA | U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth yesterday ordered the U.S. Agency for Global Media to restore operations of the Voice of America, which was effectively shut down last year with the placing of 90% of its staff on administrative leave. Lamberth ruled last week that Kari Lake, who was appointed by President Donald Trump to run the agency, did not have the legal authority to shutter the Voice of America, which has transmitted news coverage and other media to countries around the world since its formation in World War II. [more]

U.S. COUNTERTERRORISM | National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent resigned from his position yesterday, citing his objections to the U.S. military actions in Iran, which he claimed were initiated due to pressure from Israel and its "powerful American lobby," as the reason for the move. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | Labor Department data released today indicates that U.S. producer prices, as measured by the Producer Price Index for final demand, rose a higher-than-expected 0.7% from January to February – up from a 0.5% monthly increase in January and a 3.4% increase over the past 12 months. [full report] [more]

FLORIDA | Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz announced a probe yesterday into Medicaid fraud in Florida, saying the state "has been a hotspot" for health care fraud for years and calling for state officials to share information on how they identify, prevent, and address potentially fraudulent claims. [more]

ARKANSAS | A federal judge on Monday struck down a Louisiana law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. Reports note that the ruling directly applies to only the six school districts named as defendants in the lawsuit that challenged the law, and that Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has indicated the state will appeal the ruling in order to "defend our state’s values." [more]

U.S. EPSTEIN INVESTIGATION | The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform yesterday subpoenaed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to appear for a deposition next month regarding the Justice Department's investigation into late financier and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and the agency's handling and release of millions of files related to him. [more]

U.S. AND CHINA | U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that he has postponed his planned diplomatic trip to China, which had been expected to take place later this month, for up to six weeks due to the demands of the war in Iran. Trump had suggested earlier that he wanted to know if China would assist in securing the Strait of Hormuz before traveling to Beijing. [more]

E.U. AND SOUTH AMERICA | Paraguay became the latest and final South American country to ratify the landmark trade deal establishing a free-trade zone between the European Union and the four founding members of the Mercosur trade bloc. Final E.U. approval of the trade deal has been delayed due to a legal challenge by European lawmakers, though the European Commission has indicated it will provisionally ratify the agreement. [more]

JAPAN | Reversing from a deficit in January, Japan recorded a trade surplus of 57.3 billion yen ($360 million) in February, with exports showing a better-than-expected growth rate of 4.2% for the month. The country's exports to the U.S. and China were down for the month, while those to Europe and Asia expanded. [more]

BASEBALL | Venezuela beat the United States, 3-2, last night to win the World Baseball Classic tournament. [more]

IDITAROD | Defending champion Jessie Holmes won the 2026 Iditarod sled dog race yesterday, becoming the third competitor to repeat as champion of the nearly 1,000-mile event the year after winning for the first time. [more]

SOCCER | Ruling on an appeal related to the Africa Cup of Nations championship game in January in which Senegalese players left the field in protest of a penalty, the Confederation of African Football yesterday declared Senegal to have forfeited the game and awarded the Africa Cup of Nations title to Morocco. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1766, the British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act of 1765 after violent protests by American colonists, including a group known as the Sons of Liberty. [more history]