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Mar 17, 2026 - World

High-profile attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz have epitomized Iran's hit-and-run response to superior American and Israeli firepower, but analysts warn that Tehran's asymmetric strategy isn't limited to guns, bombs or the physical geography of the battlefield.

Mar 17, 2026 - World

Larijani was killed by an Israeli airstrike and is the most senior Iranian fatality since Ali Khamenei on first day of warMiddle East crisis – live updatesIran’s supreme national security council has confirmed the death of its chief, Ali Larijani, after Israel said it had killed him in an airstrike.“The pure souls of the martyrs embraced the purified soul of God’s righteous servant, Martyr Dr Ali Larijani,” the council said on Tuesday evening, adding that his son and his bodyguards had died with him. Continue reading...

Mar 17, 2026 - World

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reversed her tune on Tuesday after previously saying there was "no imminent threat" from Iran — then five days later saying the complete opposite.Leavitt wrote a lengthy response on X to Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, the first administration official to speak out against the war and exit his role. Kent was a longtime MAGA ally of President Donald Trump, who appointed him to the job, and early Tuesday shared his decision on X. He described why he would not support the ongoing conflict, saying, "I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.""There are many false claims in this letter but let me address one specifically: that 'Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation,'" Leavitt wrote in rebuttal. "This is the same false claim that Democrats and some in the liberal media have been repeating over and over."MeidasTouch podcaster Adam Mockler pointed out Leavitt's words and how they had changed from days ago in an X post on Tuesday."You literally just said there was no threat," Mockler wrote, highlighting Leavitt's own words from March 12.Last week, Leavitt was critical of an ABC News report in a separate post on X, blaming the outlet for "providing false information to intentionally alarm the American people.""TO BE CLEAR: No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists, and it never did," she wrote.

Mar 17, 2026 - World

Russia has provided Iran with similar intelligence that the U.S. and Europe provide Ukraine, according to a new Wall Street Journal report published on Tuesday. Iran has received information from Russia about the locations of American military forces and its allies across the Middle East, including satellite images and improved Shahed drone technology, an officer and Middle Eastern diplomat told The Journal. "Russia is trying to keep its closest Middle Eastern partner in the fight against U.S. and Israeli military might and prolong a war that is benefiting Russia militarily and economically," according to The Journal. Moscow has also used its own experience in the war against Ukraine and offered Tehran advice on how it should operate its drones, giving insights on how many to use and what altitudes it should plan to strike its targets, sources said, including a senior European intelligence leader. Jim Lamson, a visiting research fellow at King’s College London and former CIA analyst who has focused on the Iranian military, described why the move would aid Tehran. “If there are details in those images that the Russians are providing, say, of specific types of aircraft, munitions sites, air defense assets, and naval movements, that have intel value to the Iranians, that would really help them,” Lamson told The Journal. Trump has said that Russia could be helping Iran "a bit," but his administration has denied that it was providing direct information on American drone strike locations. Last week, the Trump administration temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian oil at sea, allowing it to be shipped to buyers worldwide, in an effort to contain energy prices that have soared due to the Iran war.

Mar 17, 2026 - World

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard faced criticism for her response to the resignation of Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center.In his resignation letter, Kent said that he was quitting because he could not "in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran."Gabbard responded hours later by expressing tepid support for President Donald Trump. But she did not come out in favor of or criticize the war effort."The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is responsible for helping coordinate and integrate all intelligence to provide the President and Commander in Chief with the best information available to inform his decisions," Gabbard wrote. "After carefully reviewing all the information before him, President Trump concluded that the terrorist Islamist regime in Iran posed an imminent threat and he took action based on that conclusion.""Pathetic, craven, desperate for power, total and permanent drain of integrity," libertarian lawyer Glenn Greenwald replied. "This neither contradicts Joe Kent nor defends the President's Iran policy," former national security staffer Tommy Vietor noted."A statement clearly made in response to Kent, but one that actually never says if she supports the war!" the Bulwark's Sam Stein observed."The Director of National Intelligence says that an imminent threat is whatever the president says is an imminent threat," ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl wrote. "But nowhere in this statement, does she say that she agrees that Iran posed an imminent threat — or that the intelligence supports such a conclusion.""What a worm this woman is. It's amazing how little dignity she has," Richard Hanania remarked. "Of all the people who've grabbed on to the Trump train, she is the one who has done so with the least to show for it and the least plausible story of how it fits with her principles. And that's saying a lot!"