This Week in the World Affairs Brief
TRUMP DEMANDS IRAN’S UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER
After pummeling Iran for two weeks US President Donald Trump took to social media and called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” late last week. While correct that the US and Israel are winning the war from a military damage point of view, Iran doesn’t show any signs of giving up and letting Trump march in as the dictator/victor. Then on Monday Trump claimed that “the war is nearly complete,” and “will end soon.” These two extreme comments highlight Trump’s habit of bluster and exaggerating every success. He did have to backtrack a bit this week, by saying he’s not finished yet in Iran. Not a few commentators think Trump is looking for an “out” because the US is running low on munitions and anti-missile interceptors.
There is only one purpose in demanding unconditional surrender. The conqueror wants to take over and run the defeated country. And Trump clearly harbors such egotistical notions, as he does with Venezuela and Cuba. He wants complete control but with puppet leaders that will let him control the defeated nation, including their rebuilding and economic output. Such a demand is an offense to other cultures, and is sure to prolong the war, as it did with both Germany and Japan in WWII. It also results in many more civilian deaths as Israel and the US turns to bombing more and more of the cities and infrastructure in order to force that unconditional surrender. To receive a free one-time sample of the Brief, along with options on how to subscribe, click on Request a sample on the left.
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Some Gulf states want to ensure Iran's missile arsenal destroyed for good, as EU, Russia, China demand ceasefire; Beijing ignores Trump's Hormuz plea
Israel says Iran's intelligence chief Esmail Khatib was eliminated overnight as pace of top leadership killings accelerates.
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Trump Waives Jones Act to "mitigate the short-term disruptions to the oil market"; VP Vance will meet with Big Oil Execs on Thursday to discuss plan to combat surging gas prices at the pump
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Back then, Thursdays meant student assemblies. The administration brought outside activist speakers and led identity-focused sessions aimed at rewiring group identity into our community. Week after week, I saw my students become demoralized by assumptions that, by design, cast someone — themselves or a student sitting next to them — as the villain.
The US Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier is retreating from the Red Sea after a fire broke out in its laundry room, scuttling plans for the 100,000-ton nuclear-powered vessel to project power in the war with Iran.
Following the incident, which left at least two of the ship’s 4,000 crew members with non-life-threatening injuries, the USS Gerald R. Ford will travel to the Greek island of Crete
America's largest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is pulling away from the Middle East region as it nears a record-long deployment and after it suffered a major fire which damaged living quarters and other areas.
markets - seem wholly focused on the fast-moving events of the Iran war, and the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz.
While many pundits are essentially 'looking the other way' - Russia continues gobbling up territory, and this week has announced its forces captured 12 settlements in just the first half of March. This comes as its offensives intensify in the east and south.
Across both conflict theaters, the Russia-Ukraine war in Eastern Europe and the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran, there is one common denominator that stands out the loudest: the widespread use of cheap kamikaze drones.
Focusing on the Middle East, Iran's counteroffensive strategy of mass kamikaze-drone swarms, missile barrages, and electronic warfare has exposed the limits of expensive U.S. and allied air-defense systems, whose interceptor missiles can cost millions of dollars apiece.
Ecuador's geographical location - sandwiched between Colombia and Peru, the world's largest producers of cocaine - has turned it into a key transit country for the illicit drug.
Around 70% of the cocaine produced in Colombia and Peru is estimated to be shipped through Ecuador.
The U.S. president said he decided to not destroy the oil infrastructure on the island.
The elections integrity bill will go into effect next year and require Floridians to show photo ID at the polls and proof of citizenship when registering.
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Scientific debate faded. Physicians who questioned policies or explored treatments were treated as threats rather than colleagues. Instead of debate, there was enforcement.
Hospitals warned physicians to stay quiet. Medical boards hinted at disciplinary action. Social media platforms censored discussion of therapies that doctors around the world were actively studying. Media outlets portrayed dissenting physicians as reckless or dangerous. What had once been normal scientific discourse was suddenly labeled misinformation.
Last June, the US fired over 150 THAAD interceptors during the 12-day war with Iran, the Center for Strategic and International Studies found — believed to be around a quarter of US inventory at the time. The US is also believed to have used around $2.4 billion worth of Patriot interceptors in the first five days of this war, according to some reports.
Iranian retaliation accelerates, including use of cluster munitions, especially against Israel
Gulf countries reported new attacks Sunday morning, a day after Iran called for the evacuation of three major ports in the United Arab Emirates.
Iran says it targeted U.S. forces at Saudi base with missiles
Israel reportedly running low on missile interceptors
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Senior Israeli officials say Iran worked covertly after attacks on its nuclear sites during the Twelve Day War, to accelerate its ‘Weapon Group’ project.
The U.S. Navy confirmed that the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and her strike group transited the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. It joins the USS Abraham Lincoln, which is currently in the Arabian Gulf, having taken over the duty when the carrier Harry S. Truman left the region last year, and now there are reports that the USS George H.W. Bush is preparing to deploy to the region as well.
President Donald Trump said Thursday he wants to finish the war in Iran first, “but that will be just a question of time before you and a lot of unbelievable people are going to be going back to Cuba.”
America’s pressure campaign on Cuba is pushing the country to the breaking point, with President Trump and Republicans in Congress predicting the government’s imminent fall.
Venezuelan inflation soared to 475 percent in 2025, the highest in the world, driven by a tightening of US sanctions in the lead up to the ouster of leader Nicolas Maduro.
Full-year inflation far exceeded the International Monetary Fund's forecast of 269.9 percent, figures released by the central bank showed Friday.
Some companies that attempted to reclaim duties have already been denied refunds, the Financial Times reported Friday.
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The ruling states that the plaintiffs believe their religion can require abortion under certain circumstances, including situations involving mental, emotional, or physical wellbeing.
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Iran claims responsibility for shooting down US refueling plane, says US refueling plane was downed with all crew killed in Western Iraq.
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Northern Israel hammered by Hezbollah, "largest wave" of missiles since war began
IDF says it struck key Iranian nuclear development site
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Oman port operations halted
Trump proclaims "we won"
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“We’re fixing the problem through a major modernization initiative
Sea mines are simple weapons that could give Iran outsize power to wreak havoc with the global economy.
U.S. officials said Wednesday that Iran had laid mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that carries 20% of the world’s oil exports from the Persian Gulf to the rest of the world. The U.S. Institute for the Study of War estimated that 10 mines had been laid...
The law will ban the sale, import, manufacture, purchase, and transfer of what it describes as “assault firearms,” and it will treat high-capacity magazines that can hold 15 rounds or more in the same way. It will make any violations of the law a “Class 1 misdemeanor,” which could mean up to a year in jail and a $2,500 for a first offense.
While SB 749 does not explicitly ban AR-15 rifles, since the popular long rifle falls under the bill’s definition of assault weapons, it will be effectively banned.
FBI Director Kash Patel says agents are at the scene of what appears to be a vehicle-ramming attack and an active shooter situation at Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan.
The president’s comments came after reports first published by CBS News that Iranian small craft, capable of carrying two to three mines each, have been detected moving into the 100-mile waterway.
Saudi Arabia is set to buy a large order of Ukrainian air-defense equipment, as it and other Gulf countries face attacks from the same type of drones that Kyiv has been battling for years.
The Gulf state is negotiating to buy so-called interceptor drones and electronic warfare, according to two people familiar with the matter. The deal could be worth millions of dollars but has yet to be signed, they said.
Up until today, establishment poster boy Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) was a chief obstacle to killing the filibuster so that Republicans could pass the SAVE Act, which would require photo ID to be able to vote in US elections.
This morning, Bloomberg confirms that while mainstream Western shipping remains largely suspended through the Strait of Hormuz, recent 24-hour observations reveal a jump in Iran-linked traffic, specifically involving two sanctioned (read China-focused) VLCCs.
There were eight commercial transits on Tuesday and four more were identified early Wednesday, most of which have ties to Iran or have Chinese commercial links, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.
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