‘My silence ends here’: The heartbreaking burden of Dolores Huerta
At 95, labor icon Dolores Huerta made a shocking and heartbreaking revelation Wednesday, in the wake of a New York Times investigation into sexual abuse allegations against her fellow icon, Cesar Chavez.
She was raped by Chavez, she said. Twice — both times resulting in pregnancies.
“I have never identified myself as a victim, but I now understand that I am a survivor — of violence, of sexual abuse, of domineering men who saw me, and other women, as property, or things to control,” Huerta wrote in a statement Wednesday. “I have kept this secret long enough. My silence ends here.”
Like so many women who have carried the burden of their own attacks behind an iron curtain of guilt and shame, Huerta now finds herself in the difficult, painful position of having not only to relive this trauma as it becomes public, but explain it to the rest of us.
Like the brave women of the Epstein files; like our First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and the courageous women who spoke out against Harvey Weinstein; like Cassie Ventura; like E. Jean Carroll; like Christine Blasey Ford, Huerta joins the ranks of women forced to justify their response to abuse by powerful men.
Huerta shouldn’t have to engage in this rite of self-flagellation, of course, but she and Chavez are linked by their legacies as two of the greatest civil rights fighters in our history. Now, this hidden truth rewrites not just his story, not just hers — but the entire legend of a workers’ movement that grew from the grape fields of California into a defining story of Golden State fortitude and hope.
If Chavez was a predator, where do we even go from here? What do we believe in when even our heroes are ghosts, as Pink Floyd long ago warned?
“It’s just a very heavy day,” said Huerta’s spokesperson, Erik Olvera. “It is incredibly overwhelming for her.”
And for all of us, really.
Reports of abuse
The New York Times investigation detailed the molestation and abuse by Chavez of two women who were teens at the time the events took place. Huerta, the sharpest 95-year-old I’ve even seen, also told the reporters that Chavez had forced sex on her when she was in her 30s, once by manipulation and once by force.
“The first time I was manipulated and pressured into having sex with him, and I didn’t feel I could say no because he was someone that I admired, my boss and the leader of the movement I had already devoted years of my life to,” she wrote in her statement. “The second time I was forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped.”
Huerta had two daughters from these encounters and gave them to other families to be raised, though she is close to both of them, Olvera, the spokesman, said.
Olvera said that Huerta was unaware of the allegations of the two other women interviewed by the New York Times until the reporters contacted her several weeks ago.
“She literally thought she was the only one,” Olvera said. “The guilt is really heavy for her.”
As the news broke this week, shock — but not disbelief — rippled through the political and union worlds where Chavez remains revered (he died in 1993) and Huerta remains active. Despite her age, she speaks at multiple events each week and is a fixture at the state Capitol advocating for workers’ rights.
While Huerta has never spoken before about Chavez’s attacks on her, his infidelities and autocratic leadership style — and rumors of misconduct — have been documented for years. In her 2014 biography, journalist Miriam Pawel detailed some of these complaints as well as Chavez’s troubled relationship with his wife.
In a statement, the United Farm Workers union called the allegations “profoundly shocking.”
It canceled all events celebrating the upcoming Cesar Chavez Day — a state holiday — and is working on a survivor-centered response with outside experts to help ensure a fair and inclusive pathway for other people to tell their stories.
Sen. Alex Padilla, who has worked for years with Huerta but who was a child when Chavez was organizing, called for “zero tolerance for abuse, exploitation, and the silencing of victims, no matter who is involved.”
“Confronting painful truths and ensuring accountability is essential to honoring the very values the greater farmworker movement stands for — values rooted in dignity and justice for all,” Padilla said.
Changing times
If there is the slightest bit of solace to be found in this tragedy, it is in the response. So far, we have been spared the usual attacks on victims — though almost certainly they are happening outside the public eye.
Though Huerta may carry guilt, as all survivors so unfairly do, coming forward now has quickly and forcefully changed the narrative. I suspect there are few people who would dare call Huerta a liar, or challenge her motives. I suspect without her revelations, the other women coming forward would be treated differently.
I imagine that had she spoken out back then, as a young mother in the 1970s, a Latina woman in the male-dominated culture of the Central Valley, she would likely have found little relief.
What must it have been like for her all these years to know the man we idolized had this monstrous side?
But after 60 years of hard work, Huerta is now powerful in her own right. And after 60 years of silence, Huerta wanted to use that power to support the other women speaking out. Olvera said Huerta came to that decision reading the New York Times piece, and for the first time understanding that these other survivors were children when their abuse happened.
“When she learned that, that’s when she was like, I need to come out and tell my story,” he said. “She didn’t want them to stand alone.”
In the end, every survivor stands alone because what needs to heal is a soul shattered by the trivial evil of carnal greed, a pain so personal and unique even another survivor can’t fully understand it. It is daring and noble in the crucible of that personal destruction, which lasts years if not decades, to demand accountability. Not all of our heroes are ghosts.
“Your courage and your voices matter,” Siebel Newsom said. “They open the door for so many others to follow suit and tell their stories so that one day soon, we will break this horrific cycle of repetitive abuse by powerful men.”
These women have now made it clear: Chavez was a predator — a powerful man who used his authority to manipulate and force women and girls into sexual encounters.
In the end, all the good Chavez did, the strength and dignity he brought not just to farmworkers but to immigrants across the country, will forever be bound up with this ugly truth — though the movement is far more than one man.
Chavez earned this ending. Hopefully, for Huerta and the other survivors, speaking out is the beginning of healing.
What else you should be reading
The must-read: Cesar Chavez, a Civil Rights Icon, Is Accused of Abusing Girls for Years
The deep dive: ‘Profoundly shocking’ allegations against Cesar Chavez spark soul-searching in movement
The L.A. Times Special: Democrats face the possibility of a historic upset in California governor’s race, poll finds
Stay Golden,
Anita Chabria
—
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Four English sides out – is fifth Champions League spot still on?
ENGLAND
Even though four teams have been knocked out this week, it is all but certain that the Premier League will get an extra place.
England (23.847) already have a coefficient score pretty much the same as last season’s second-placed country (Spain, 23.892).
Nothing should be completely taken for granted, as England seemed destined to get an EPS slot in 2023-24 only to suffer a terrible set of results in the quarter-finals.
But it is going to take another very bad night on Thursday for there to be any real jeopardy.
It also helps that Bayern Munich will face Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, meaning one of England’s closest rivals will lose a team. And Barcelona must play Atletico Madrid, too.
As a picture of how far England are ahead, German and Spanish sides are effectively 18 victories behind. And Serie A can no longer catch the Premier League.
SPAIN
The Spanish league is in second place and now has more teams left in Europe (six) than any other league.
It will be a close battle as each win is worth less to the coefficient than for Germany.
The Champions League meeting between Bayern and Real Madrid could prove crucial in the race.
Spain will also be hit by their teams meeting each other.
Atletico and Barcelona will meet in the Champions League quarter-finals.
In the Europa League, Celta Vigo and Real Betis are on a collision course in the semi-finals.
GERMANY
The Bundesliga has only Bayern left active in the Champions League, and it will need a strong turnaround of results on Thursday.
Of the three German teams in action in the Europa League and Conference League, not one goes into their second leg with a lead. They all need positive results to be able to challenge Spain.
PORTUGAL
It seemed like Portugal’s chances of making the top two were effectively over when Santa Clara were knocked out of the Conference League in the qualifying rounds.
But three of their remaining four teams are still active.
However, to be in contention for second all are going to have to go very deep.
ITALY
Serie A has lost four of its seven teams and now only has a slim chance of making second place.
Bologna and Roma face each other in the Europa League last 16, so another team will go out.
At least Fiorentina won in the Conference League.
FRANCE
It has been a disappointing season for Ligue 1 teams, starting with Nice’s failure to make it through Champions League qualifying.
It did not get much better from there for Nice, as they were then eliminated from the Europa League.
France do have four teams still active but seem unlikely to bridge the gap.
POLAND
It will come as a surprise to many to find Poland so high up in the table, and they were in the top two for a while. But Poland no longer have a realistic chance.
All four of the country’s teams have been playing in the Conference League, while more than a third of their coefficient points were picked up in the qualifying rounds.
It would need both of their teams to win every remaining game.
No other country has a mathematical chance of the top two.
Liverpool thrash Galatasaray 4-0 to reach Champions League quarterfinals | Football News
Liverpool shrugged off their Premier League malaise to storm into the Champions League quarterfinals by thrashing Galatasaray 4-0 at Anfield.
Goals from Dominik Szoboszlai, Hugo Ekitike, Ryan Gravenberch and Mohamed Salah on Tuesday overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit for Arne Slot’s men to set up a reunion with defending champions Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight.
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Slot needed a reaction from the English champions after they were booed off at Anfield on Sunday for the latest in a series of lacklustre displays in a 1-1 draw against struggling Tottenham.
Languishing fifth in the Premier League, the Champions League could save Liverpool’s season and Slot’s job.
The Dutchman had given a rest to some of his stars at the weekend and was rewarded with a dominant display that could have resulted in an even more comprehensive scoreline.
Galatasaray’s hopes of causing an upset were dealt a massive blow inside the first few minutes when star striker Victor Osimhen injured his forearm in a clash with Ibrahima Konate.
The Nigerian international was clearly hobbled as he continued on until half-time, when he was replaced by Leroy Sane.
By that point, the Turkish champions’ advantage had already been erased.
Szoboszlai has been Liverpool’s outstanding performer in a troubled season and levelled the tie with a cushioned finish from a well-worked corner on 25 minutes.
Galatasaray somehow escaped further punishment before the break.
Salah missed a glorious chance to immediately double the Reds’ lead when he failed to chip Ugurcan Cakir.
Florian Wirtz’s deflected effort flew just over, and Cakir repelled another sweet Szoboszlai strike.
The Turkiye goalkeeper then saved Salah’s poor penalty after Szoboszlai was upended inside the box.
But the floodgates opened on the visitors in the second half. Salah atoned for the penalty miss with an inch-perfect pass for Ekitike to slot home.
Two minutes later, Gravenberch fired in the rebound off a Salah shot that had been saved.
Salah has been a shadow of his former self this season, either side of a public bust-up with Slot after being dropped in December.
He could and should have had many more on the night, but did register his 50th Champions League goal in some style with a spectacular strike from Wirtz’s backheel.
Salah also hit the bar before asking to be replaced due to an injury concern, as Galatasaray offered little resistance to the waves of Liverpool attacks.
The Reds face a very different challenge against PSG, who crushed Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate to reach the last eight.
Slot has repeatedly spoken in glowing terms of the French champions.
Liverpool came as close as anyone to stopping PSG last season as Luis Enrique’s men emerged victorious on penalties in the last 16 after a titanic tussle.
Szoboszlai said he was delighted to get the win in such emphatic style, but warned that PSG would pose a formidable task.
“Today, we showed the right direction where we want to go and what we want to show everybody,” he told TNT Sports.
“I watched [PSG] play against Chelsea yesterday, they didn’t become a worse team than last season. But we showed today that we are able to do everything.”
Elsewhere, Harry Kane scored a brace in Bayern’s 4-1 over Atalanta to complete a 10-2 aggregate win.
Barcelona were not far off when they thrashed Newcastle United 7-2 for an overall 8-3 score, with captain Raphina getting two goals and assists apiece, and Robert Lewandowski also claiming a brace.
Tottenham Hotspur put up a fight against Atletico and won 3-2 from Xavi Simons’s late penalty for a personal brace, but the damage was done last week in Spain, where they lost 5-2.
The results mean that Liverpool and Arsenal are the only two of six Premier League teams to progress, as Chelsea and Manchester City went out on Tuesday against title-holders Paris Saint-Germain and record winners Real Madrid, respectively. Arsenal, for their part, ousted Bayer Leverkusen.
The quarterfinals, to be played April 7-8 and 14-15, are Real vs Bayern, Atletico vs Barcelona, PSG vs Liverpool and Sporting vs Arsenal.
Iran’s Energy Infrastructure Is Now On The Targeting List (Updated)
The energy war in the Middle East heated up on Wednesday with an Israeli attack on the South Pars gas field Iran shares with Qatar. The strike, which exacerbates the diminishing of oil exports already experienced during the war, was reportedly carried out in coordination with the United States.
“The Israeli Air Force struck a natural gas processing facility in southwestern Iran,” Axios reported, citing two senior Israeli officials. The attack “was coordinated with and approved by the Trump administration,” the outlet noted, adding that a U.S. defense official confirmed that.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that several facilities in the South Pars gas field near Bushehr were targeted. According to the report, emergency teams were on the scene and trying to extinguish the fire. The extent of the damage is not yet known.
There are suggestions that the attack on South Pars could interfere with Iran’s refinery capabilities for a long time to come.
Qatari officials decried the attack, calling it “a dangerous & irresponsible step amid the current military escalation in the region.”
In the wake of the attack on South Pars, “Iran issued an evacuation warning for several oil facilities across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, saying they would be targeted by strikes ‘in the coming hours,’” Reuters reported, citing Iranian media.
“The warning was directed at Saudi Arabia’s Samref Refinery and Jubail Petrochemical Complex, the United Arab Emirates’ Al Hosn Gas Field, and Qatar’s Mesaieed Petrochemical Complex, Mesaieed Holding Company and Ras Laffan Refinery,” the outlet added.
“These centers have become direct and legitimate targets and will be targeted in the coming hours. Therefore, all citizens, residents, and employees are requested to immediately leave these areas and move to a safe distance without any delay,” the warning said.
This event marks a new and dangerous escalation after the U.S. said it would not attack Iran’s energy infrastructure, notes Bismarck Analysis senior analyst Marko Jukic.
Now that Israel has crossed the line into hitting Iranian energy infrastructure, Kharg Island could be added to the target list. The facility handles 90% of Iran’s oil exports. The U.S. already attacked the island’s military facilities on March 14, but spared hitting any energy-related targets. That could change and doing so would likely leave Iran with a years-long rebuilding process, crippling the government’s economic lifeline.
The attack on the Iranian gas field adds to concerns about the flow of energy from the region already interrupted by Tehran’s attacks on infrastructure around the Middle East and its closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday hinted that America end its role protecting the Strait after Epic Fury ends. Meanwhile, Gulf nations are watching events unfold and have expressed fears that they will be left to defend the Strait on their own.
“I wonder what would happen if we ‘finished off’ what’s left of the Iranian Terror State, and let the Countries that use it, we don’t, be responsible for the so called ‘Straight?’” Trump postulated on his Truth Social site. “That would get some of our non-responsive ‘Allies’ in gear, and fast!!!”
As we previously reported, the U.K., Germany, Luxembourg, Japan and Australia rejected Trump’s demand while other countries were on the fence. In a post on X, Axios reported that the U.K. has drafted a plan for a Strait of Hormuz coalition and shared it with the U.S. and several other countries.
After the allies pushed back, Trump on Tuesday said he no longer wanted their help.
Before Trump’s latest statement on the Strait, a key waterway through which 35% of global crude oil and 20% of global liquefied natural gas used to flow, Gulf Arab nations stated their desire that Iran be “neutered, if not dismantled, when the conflict ends—so the ordeal is never repeated,” The Wall Street Journal reported.
Iran’s decision to interrupt Strait traffic “represents an attack on the entire world rather than just the Gulf states, and will hit low-income nations especially hard,” Sultan al-Jaber, the U.A.E. minister of industry and advanced technology, told the newspaper.
“By taking Hormuz hostage, Iran is committing global economic warfare,” he said. “This is a global economic issue. It is not a regional problem. The disruption is going to increase inflation, it will slow economies, it will affect everyday lives. Families will end up paying more for food.”
Leaving Iran in control of the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. ends Epic Fury would be a disaster for the Gulf states, said Muhanad Seloom, a professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies in Qatar.
“The Iranian regime has crossed every red line,” he told the Journal. “Now it is in everyone’s interest, and this includes the Gulf countries, to have the U.S. finish the job. Imagine if the war stops now, and Iran declares victory saying that the U.S. has been defeated? Iran would hold the whole region hostage, and every time Iran would be under pressure, it would hit the Gulf countries—because that taboo has been broken, and hitting them worked.”
A maritime industry official confirmed to us that the Egyptian-owned, Maltese-flagged container ship SAFEEN PRESTIGE was struck again overnight and is burning following an initial attack in the Strait on March 4. The last previous attack on shipping in the region took place on March 11, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) office. UKMTO has received 20 reports of incidents affecting vessels operating in and around the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman since Epic Fury began on Feb. 28. That includes 15 reported attacks and five reports of suspicious activities.
Though Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, some oil tankers are making a safe transit, The Associated Press reported.
About 90 ships, including oil tankers, have crossed the Strait since Epic Fury was launched and Iran “is still exporting millions of barrels of oil at a time when the waterway has been effectively closed,” the wire service reported, citing maritime and trade data platforms.
“Many of the vessels that passed through the strait were so-called ‘dark’ transits evading Western government sanctions and oversight that likely have ties to Iran, maritime data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence said,” AP noted. “More recently, vessels with ties to India and Pakistan have also successfully crossed the strait as governments stepped up negotiations.”
The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz following Iranian strikes and fears of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea “have prompted shipping lines to suspend bookings and reroute goods,” Financial Times reported.
There was a bit of positive news when it comes to Iranian attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure. Saudi Arabia’s biggest oil refinery “restarted operations after an attack forced its closure earlier this month,” Bloomberg News reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.
“State oil giant Saudi Aramco, which operates the 550,000-barrel-a-day Ras Tanura plant, shuttered production on March 2 as a precaution after a drone strike in the area,” the outlet added.
The growing energy war is taking a hit on the global economy, with reduced exports adding to existing problems with limited global spare capacity, the Kpler global trade intelligence firm explained.
“The implications for oil markets are profound,” it stated.
In just one example of the war’s impact, Brent Crude, a leading indicator for the oil industry, was trading at nearly $110 per barrel as of Wednesday morning Eastern Standard Time, according to OilPrice.com. While the price has fluctuated wildly, dipping to about $95 per barrel on March 12, it still represents a major increase since the start of Epic Fury. All this has a cascading effect on trucking and shipping, meaning the costs of food and goods are rising as well.
UPDATES
Our coverage has ended for the day. Stay tuned for more.
UPDATE: 5:15 PM EST –
Oil prices shot over $110 per barrel as the energy war in the Middle East heats up.
The publication also reported that Trump doesn’t want any more attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure, saying it got the message. However, the president is not ruling out future attacks, depending on Iran’s actions in the Strait.
Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian is reportedly resigning over the IRGC freezing him out of all decision making and even access to the new Supreme Leader.
Explosions from either missiles or interceptors were reported in the Saudi capital of Riyadh as the first meeting of Gulf foreign ministers convened since Epic Fury was launched, CNN reported.
Fabian Hoffman shared some of the wildest interception video you will ever see.
The bodies of five Iranians were found in a house hit by a U.S. airstrike in the Jadriyah section of Baghdad, according to local media. One of the Iranians reportedly supervised attacks on U.S. interests.
More footage emerged of Iranian cluster munitions attacking Israel.
UPDATE: 4:32 PM EST –
In addition to the attack on the Qatari refinery, Iran is also striking a liquified natural gas (LNG) refinery in Bahrain, according to the official Iranian FARS News Agency.
The FBI announced that it found “possible energetic material” in a suspicious package found outside the MacDill Air Force Base visitor center on March 16. That discovery, as we previously noted, caused the main gate of the base and the visitor center to be shut for several hours. Since then, security at the base was raised to Force Protection Condition Charlie, the second-highest level possible. On Wednesday, the base was on lockdown for several hours after “a threat was made,” according to the base.
MacDill, it should be noted, is the home of CENTCOM, which is running the war in Iran, as well as U.S. Special Operations Command, many other mission partners and two Air Force refueling wings that have been instrumental in supporting Epic Fury.
A top Russian official today honored Larijani’s role in boosting Iran-Russia relations.
Meanwhile, the country’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, took to X to offer his condolences.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a group of Iranian proxies who have battled U.S. forces there for years, released a new video claiming to show a swarm of Murad-5 drones hitting American installations in that country.
Kuwaiti police reportedly uncovered a second Hezbollah cell in the country planning terror attacks.
UPDATE: 3:17 PM EST –
ABC News was given rare access to one of Israel’s Arrow anti-ballistic missile defense batteries. You can read more about Arrow in our deep dive into Israel’s vaunted integrated air defense system here.
A proposal from the UN’s shipping agency on Wednesday calls for a safe maritime corridor to free some 20,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf by the war, Reuters noted.
“The proposal submitted by Bahrain, Japan, Panama, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates and backed on Wednesday by the United States called for ‘a framework such as a safe maritime corridor,’” the outlet added.
It was submitted at a meeting of the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) governing council in London.
“The purpose of this framework would be to facilitate the safe evacuation of merchant ships,” it said. “This measure aims to protect the lives of seafarers.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian “strongly” condemned the attack on South Pars.
The South Pars attack was designed as a warning to Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, the Times of Israel reported.
CENTCOM released more video of its attacks on Iranian targets.
Israel attacked Iranian missile boats in the Caspian Sea, Axios reporter Barak Ravid reported on X. It should be noted that the Caspian Sea is also an important shipping route between Iran and Russia.
UPDATE: 2:58 PM EST –
Trump arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware this afternoon for the dignified transfer of six airmen killed in the March 12 crash of a KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling jet in Iraq.
This is the second time the president attended this solemn ceremony. He was there for the dignified transfer of six U.S. service members who were killed by a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait.
QatarEnergy confirmed that its Ras Laffan Industrial City was struck by Iranian missiles. As we noted earlier in this story, Iran threatened to hit energy infrastructure in the region after its South Pars gas field was attacked by Israel.
The following video shows the immediate aftermath of that attack, with the refinery engulfed in flames.
The Qatari Foreign Affairs Ministry condemned the attack.
UPDATE 2:18 PM EST –
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that a structure 350 meters from Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant reactor was hit and destroyed. There was no damage to the reactor or injuries to personnel.
However, the IAEA does not know the status of the new Iranian enrichment facility in Isfahan that is in an underground nuclear complex, agency chief Rafael Grossi said on Wednesday.
The U.K. Defense Ministry offered its latest war update.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia was hit by Iranian missiles.
Researcher Tal Inbar shared dramatic video of an Iranian Khrramshahr missile with about 80 bomblets exploding near his home in Israel.
More images and videos are emerging of damage caused by Iranian attacks to U.S. facilities in the region.
A hangar on the apron area used by the U.S. Air Force at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia was hit.
The U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain appears to have been heavily damaged.
There is also new imagery of damage to Iranian facilities.
The loud brrrrrt of an A-10 Warthog close attack jet’s GAU-8 Avenger 30mm cannon
can be heard as it strafes Iranian-backed militias in Kirkuk, Iraq.
During her testimony to the Senate, Gabbard reminded that the U.S. intelligence community last year warned that Iran had the capacity to shut down the Strait.
Gabbard also said that the “regime in Iran appears to be intact but largely degreated by Operation Epic Fury.”
At the same hearing, CIA Director John Ratcliffe testified that Iran has been a constant threat and “posed an immediate threat at this time.”
In prepared written remarks for the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee hearing into the war, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard wrote that as “a result of Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was obliterated. There has been no efforts since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability.”
She added that “the entrances to the underground facilities that were bombed have been buried and shuttered with cement. We continue to monitor for any early indicators on what position the current or any new leadership in Iran will take with regard to authorizing a nuclear weapons program.”
A day after killing two top Iranian officials, Israel claimed it killed another one in an airstrike on Wednesday.
“Overnight (Wednesday), the Israeli Air Force, acting on IDF intelligence, eliminated the Iranian terrorist regime Minister of Intelligence, Esmaeil Khatib, in a targeted strike in Tehran,” the IDF stated.
Khatib had been appointed Minister of Intelligence by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in 2021, the IDF explained. In his role, Khatib oversaw the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, the regime’s primary intelligence organization.
There was no immediate response from Iran and The War Zone cannot independently verify this claim.
The killing of two top Iranian leaders in an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday. won’t affect the regime, say officials in Tehran who confirmed the deaths and vowed revenge.
As we reported yesterday, Israel killed Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and the regime’s effective leader as well as Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij paramilitary unit for the past 6 years.
“Iran’s response to the assassination of the secretary of the supreme national security council will be decisive and regrettable,” Iranian Army commander Amir Hatami said after Tehran confirmed Larjani’s death.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that the Islamic Republic is built to withstand shocks and no single figure can destabilise the system.
Israel said it will ramp up attacks on Iranian leaders.
“We have authorized the IDF to eliminate any Iranian official once a “targeting circle” has been closed on them, without the need for additional approval,” said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Bloomberg News posited that Iran “is running on autopilot” in the wake of attacks on its leadership.
Larijani’s funeral drew huge crowds in Tehran.
Iran’s Basij paramilitary forces, whose leader was recently assassinated by Israel as we noted above, continues to hide under bridges, according to a video submitted to Iran International, the London-based, Persian language media outlet.
Israel also said it killed a Hamas commander in Gaza.
With future Iranian threats in mind, NATO is deploying a second Patriot missile-defense system to Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base to bolster the alliance’s air defenses.
“In addition to the measures taken at the national level to ensure the security of our airspace and citizens, another Patriot system assigned by the Allied Air Command in Ramstein/Germany to the existing Spain Patriot system stationed in Adana is being deployed in Adana,” Turkey’s Defense Ministry announced. Adana is the home of Incirlik.
Since March 4, NATO air-defense systems in the eastern Mediterranean have intercepted three missiles launched from Iran toward Turkish airspace, Bloomberg News noted. “The attacks were likely designed to test the alliance’s capacity to respond,” people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg earlier.
“NATO can confirm that it has deployed another Patriot air defence system to Türkiye. It joins two others, including one Spain has deployed there for over a decade,” a NATO official told us. “While we cannot provide additional details about the deployment for operational security purposes, the system provides additional capability to further strengthen NATO’s defensive posture against any potential threat, as Iran continues its indiscriminate attacks across the region.”
CENTCOM released its latest update on Epic Fury. The command said that so far, it has struck more than 7,800 targets, flown more than 8,000 combat sorties and destroyed or damaged more than 120 Iranian ships.
CENTCOM released video showing targeting pod footage of a U.S. combat aircraft dropping bombs on the entrance of an Iranian missile base tunnel.
Dubai officials confirmed the nation’s air defenses carried out an undisclosed number of “interception operations, with no injuries reported.”
The U.S. Navy’s America class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and San Antonio class amphibious warfare ship USS New Orleans were most recently spotted off the coast of Malaysia near Port Klang, according to open source investigator MT Anderson.
The ships were “pushing NW through the Strait of Malacca completely unescorted,” he noted.
As we previously reported, the Tripoli was ordered by the Pentagon to head toward the Middle East. The vessel is the centerpiece of an Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) that typically includes an assault ship, two transport docks, and a support vessel that carries an embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) of at least 2,200 Marines.
Though the deployment of the Tripoli has sparked speculation that the U.S. could invade Iran’s Kharg Island or attempt to recover enriched uranium from Pickaxe Mountain, officials in Jerusalem are downplaying such possibilities.
“Despite numerous reports in recent days about a potential imminent and multi-sided US invasion of parts of Iran, including plans to retrieve 60% enriched uranium, The Jerusalem Post understands that these reports are exaggerated,” the publication reported. “It is still possible that the US could use ground forces in some fashion. But the images of a large-scale invasion and specifically the idea of an extended mission in Isfahan to retrieve the 60% enriched uranium, which is part of Iran’s nuclear program, do not appear to be in the cards, the Post has learned.”
An Iranian strike “impacted an area at the Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, where the Australian Defense Force (ADF) has a long‑standing presence,” Australia’s Defense Ministry announced on X. “No ADF personnel were injured in the incident, and all ADF personnel deployed to the Middle East are safe and accounted for. The strike resulted in minor damage to an accommodation block and medical facility in the Australian section of the base.”
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
Will there be an Ellis Season 3? Star breaks silence on return
Ellis has been a hit for Channel 5 and one star has opened up about returning for a potential third series
An Ellis star has opened up about returning for a potential third series (Image: Press Enquiries: press@channel5.com NOTE: Paramount images are for the use of Press outlets only. Any blogs requesting access to these images are required to seek approval from Paramount directly. Contact press@channel5.com
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Channel 5’s Ellis has been a huge hit with viewers and as series two of the gripping drama comes to an end, fans have been left wondering if it will return for another series.
Season 1 first appeared on our TV screens back in 2024 and at the time it became a hit with detective drama fans, who couldn’t get enough of the drama.
It was a hit after featuring the UK’s first black solo female-led as award-winning actress Sharon D Clarke led the cast. After the success of Series 1, Channel 5 viewers were treated to another season that aired last week.
Fan once again saw DCI Ellis (Sharon D Clarke) and DS Harper (Andrew Gower) investigate the disappearance of a local boy, a murder that brought up a lot of old grudges and the death of a student who was found crushed underneath scaffolding. As the show came to an end tonight, everyone has been left wondering if Ellis and Harper make a return to our screens again.
As of now, Channel 5 are yet to confirm whether the show will continue, however, the good news as Andrew Gower, who plays DS Harper, is very keen to return to his role and the show.
When speaking to Radio Times on the idea of him filming the show again, he said: “Oh yeah, that’s a very easy ‘yes’. To work with Sharon and to keep giving life to Harper and Ellis.”
He continued: “I’ll keep reiterating this but it’s the audience, they always say it’s all about the audience, right? If we can keep entertaining audiences and they keep wanting more, then that’s what we’ll do with Ellis.
“I think the more series we have or the more episodes we have – films, whatever people call them – then that means that we’re doing something right and that means that this relationship can grow.”
The star added: “At some point maybe grow apart to come together, whatever. That’s the exciting thing about British detective shows, there’s scope where you can build from one series to however many. Long may it continue.”
Talking about the legacy of the detective drama, co-star Sharon D Clarke previously said: “The thing I love the most about Ellis is that she is on our screens! I love playing Ellis because I didn’t grow up seeing anybody like her on my television screen.
“So that is my joy, that this is a first, and I am getting to lead that brigade and hopefully pass that baton on to people coming behind me. We’ve waited a long time, but we’re here, and we’re here to stay.”
Channel 5 has since confirmed what show will be replacing Ellis next week in the 9pm slot on Tuesday night. On Tuesday, (March 24) the network will air Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards, a feature-length drama starring Martin Clunes, Osian Morgan, Sian Reese Williams, and Jason Hughes.
Channel 5 said: “Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards is a major, feature-length factual drama exploring the story of how a vulnerable 17-year-old boy was groomed by one of the most powerful figures in television – Huw Edwards.
“Starring Martin Clunes (Doc Martin, Wuthering Heights, Manhunt) as Edwards, the drama explores the newsreader’s double life as it spirals out of control, leading to his total exit from public life following his conviction for making indecent images of children.”
Ellis is available to stream on Channel 5
The End of the Padrino López Era
In another timeline, in that parallel universe where Venezuela is a normal Latin American country and not a case study of self destruction and democratic retreat, Vladimir Padrino López might have been a good military officer. A native from Caracas, he graduated with honors in the Military Academy in 1984, and as was normal for promising Venezuelan Army officers like him, he was sent to study in the infamous School of the Americas where the United States managed to train the armies of their allied countries. Padrino Lopez was sent later to command an Army post in the border with Colombia, and then came Hugo Chávez.
He was back in Caracas when the crisis of April 2002 allowed Chávez to purge the armed forces and control them as a whole, after promoting the politicization—to his favor, of course—of the military caste. Padrino read the room and focused on rising as a hardcore chavista. By the end of the Chávez years, he was leading the chief of staff of the Army, in the pole position to jump into the highest job an active military officer can get in Venezuela: minister of defense. Nicolás Maduro appointed him as such in October 2014, as well as chief of the FANB’s Strategic Operations Command.
By then, he was a general-in-chief with four stars on his uniform, but the most important thing is what he did, and what he didn’t.
Padrino López didn’t stop Colombian guerrillas from controlling villages, rivers, mines and illegal businesses in Venezuela. On the contrary, he helped him to use our territory as a sanctuary that protected them from Colombian soldiers and as a hunting ground for kidnapping and drug trafficking. He didn’t purge military intelligence from Cuban advisors and spies, but let them impose terror in the ranks and prevent the rise of conspirators against Maduro with extreme prejudice. What Padrino López focused on was on lucrative arms trade and cooperation with the Russian and Iranian industrial-military complexes. His most important function for Maduro was to help him to keep FANB in line, to lead the different military tribes around the chavista regime, and to ensure support from the women and men in uniform to an autocratic consolidation—through the illegal Constituent Assembly, and the two illegitimate inaugurations of Maduro in 2019 and 2025.
He was the minister of defense when FANB was tasked with overseeing the Mining Arc, when the protest wave of 2017 was drowned in blood, when FANB deployed with the police the killing squads of the Operación de Liberacion del Pueblo, and when DGCIM became the spearhead of the worst place Venezuela has been in terms of human rights since the military dictatorship of General Marcos Perez Jimenez. This is why you can find the name of Padrino López in several reports on repression and crimes against humanity in Venezuela: he was at the top of the military chain of command responsible for kidnapping, torturing and killing people.
Now he has completed his comeback, with the mission of helping Delcy and Jorge Rodríguez keep stability, to deter potential spoilers from trying to change the post-Maduro order.
The demise of Padrino López has been a rumor for years, as his ascendancy among troops decayed. Thousands of members of the armed forces have been victims of witchhunts or abandoned FANB, by quitting or even deserting, fed up with abuse, low wages, corruption and miserable operational arrest. In January 3, years of preaching about asymmetric war and millions spent on Russian toys did nothing to avoid the capture of Maduro and the bombing of Fuerte Tiuna. Delcy Rodriguez found a pretext to send Padrino to retirement, which was way past due. Naturally, she didn’t do it to punish him for being useless as an army leader, incapable of defending the country and his commander in chief, but because she needed someone she trusts more.
The successor might not be as visible or as well known as Padrino Lopez, but he is not very different. General Gustavo González López is also an alumni of the School of the Americas, a loyal chavista and a longtime member of the Maduro regime’s military elite. Twenty years ago he was already serving in civilian positions, like director of the Caracas Metro, that had nothing to do with his training, and everything to do with his loyalty to Chávez and the chavista (but not only chavista) myth that military officers are good managers because they know how to boss people around and impose order. González López’s organizational abilities, though, were more in the realm of building an efficient repressive apparatus than in running a decades-old public transport system.
He was appointed head of SEBIN, the civilian political police in charge of the dungeons in El Helicoide, during the 2014 repression wave. That meant González López was one of the men who dragged the country down the ladder of poor human rights indicators. Just like Padrino López, he quickly entered the list of Venezuelan high-level officials targeted by international sanctions and investigations. One year later, he became interior minister. Just when an assassination attempt with drones surprised Maduro and his security ring during a military parade in Caracas, and a scandal followed the murder of opposition councilman Fernando Albán in the SEBIN headquarters, González López was dismissed and put aside.
Now he has completed his comeback, with the mission of helping Delcy and Jorge Rodríguez keep stability, to deter potential spoilers from trying to change the post-Maduro order. González López was appointed chief of the DGCIM and commander of the Presidential Guard just after January 3, and now is at the top of the pyramid.
This is about loyalty, not about any political transition. We can’t expect justice, reconciliation or any movement towards the restoration of the rule of law with a man like González López heading the Venezuelan military. No one in the barracks or the streets is safer because one symbol of the Maduro regime, Vladimir Padrino Lopez, has been replaced by another.
FIFA denies Iran’s push to move its World Cup matches to Mexico
GENEVA — The public wrangling between Iran, FIFA and U.S. President Donald Trump over the narrative of playing in the World Cup shifted on Tuesday to Mexico where President Claudia Sheinbaum seemed open to a suggestion by Islamic Republic diplomats that Iran’s games in June be moved to her country.
The Iranian ambassador and embassy in Mexico City said the country was negotiating with FIFA to move Iran’s three group-stage matches from the United States to Mexico after Trump last week discouraged the team from attending the 48-nation tournament, citing safety concerns.
It was already unclear whether such talks were even happening before FIFA said such unprecedented changes in World Cup history were not planned to a match schedule agreed three months ago.
Sheinbaum was asked about it Tuesday during her daily briefing.
“They are discussing with FIFA whether it’s feasible because they were going to hold the [games] in the United States,” she said. “They are looking into whether they can hold [them] in Mexico, and we will inform you when the time comes. Mexico has relations with all countries in the world. We’ll see what FIFA decides and then we’ll announce it.”
In a statement, FIFA said it is “in regular contact with all participating member associations, including [the Islamic Republic of] Iran, to discuss planning for the FIFA World Cup 2026. FIFA is looking forward to all participating teams competing as per the match schedule announced on Dec. 6, 2025.”
The Feb. 28 start of U.S. and Israeli bombing of Iran that killed the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior officials immediately cast doubt on the national soccer team going to play at least three World Cup games in the U.S., which is co-hosting the most watched global sports event with Mexico and Canada.
Iran’s soccer federation has not canceled its World Cup entry with FIFA, though official comments have variously suggested the U.S. is unable or unwilling to ensure the delegation’s secure arrival and accommodation.
Since last week, Trump has variously said “I don’t really care” if the Iran team comes, that it was welcome and would be treated like all players as stars, and that the players’ safety was at risk.
In comments posted late Monday on the embassy website, Iran’s Ambassador to Mexico Abolfazl Pasandideh urged FIFA to move the team’s games to Mexico, saying the U.S. was not cooperative on visas.
“We love the Mexican people very much and for us, the best situation is for our games to be held in Mexico,” he was quoted as saying by state-run news agency IRNA.
An Iranian government spokesman and the team itself have said in recent days it is up to FIFA and the U.S. to keep the team safe during the World Cup. The Iran team’s planned training camp is in Tucson.
Pasandideh’s embassy in Mexico City also posted a statement attributed to national soccer federation president Mehdi Taj saying Iran wants to move its group-stage matches out of the U.S.
“When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” the statement said. “We are currently negotiating with FIFA to hold Iran’s matches in the World Cup in Mexico.”
Iran is scheduled to play New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 at SoFi Stadium before finishing group play in Seattle against Egypt on June 26.
Moving the games would be remarkable less than three months before the World Cup and risks being judged a failure in the history of tournament hosting.
It also is not envisaged by Iran’s first opponent.
New Zealand soccer federation chief executive Andrew Pragnell said Monday: “I also don’t foresee it as remotely feasible” to move scheduled games to another country. Tens of thousands of tickets have been sold for Iran games, including to visiting fans who have booked flights to the U.S.
“By trying to move the match schedule, you actually create more problems down the track,” Pragnell told New Zealand media outlet Stuff, adding “I don’t think it’ll happen.”
The Belgian soccer federation declined to comment Tuesday.
Trump said last week that the Iran team was welcome at the World Cup despite the ongoing war in the Middle East but “I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”
Iran’s mixed signals include Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali telling state TV last week that it was not possible to play “due to the wicked acts they have done against Iran.”
But after Trump’s post the national team said on Instagram that “no one can exclude” it from the tournament and a government spokesman in Tehran stressed it was the responsibility of FIFA and the U.S. as a co-host nation to keep players safe and secure.
“FIFA is the organizer of the World Cup,” Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said. “When warnings are issued at the highest level about the environment being unsafe for Iranian football players, this indicates that the host country apparently lacks the capacity and ability to provide security for such an important sporting event.”
Soccer is followed passionately in Iran, a nation of more than 90 million people which has qualified for seven men’s World Cups and each of the past four editions. The team is ranked No. 20 in the world by FIFA and behind only Japan from Asia.
FIFA has not commented in recent days beyond an Instagram post by president Gianni Infantino last week that he’d received assurances from Trump that Iran was welcome at the tournament.
Dunbar and Pye write for the Associated Press. Amir-Hussein Rajdy in Cairo and Fabiola Sanchez in Mexico City contributed to this report.
Gabbard tells Senate panel only Trump can determine imminent threats
1 of 2 | Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard prepares to testify during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI | License Photo
March 18 (UPI) — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard defended U.S. military strikes on Iran during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing Wednesday, calling them a strategic success.
Senators challenged Gabbard to reconcile the words of President Donald Trump with the intelligence her department has received on Iran. When pressed, Gabbard yielded that Trump has the final say on what threats the United States faces.
When the United States performed strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June, Trump said Iran’s nuclear capabilities were “obliterated.” Earlier this month, he said Iran’s development of nuclear weapons posed an imminent nuclear threat to national security, justifying military action.
Gabbard affirmed Wednesday that Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was “obliterated” in the June strikes.
“It is not the intelligence community’s responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat,” Gabbard said. “That is up to the president, based on a volume of information he receives.”
Gabbard was once a vocal opponent of engaging in a war with Iran, even selling shirts that read “No War With Iran” in 2019 while she campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Iran is one of the United States’ top adversaries, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s “Annual Threat Assessment” said. China, Russia and North Korea are also on that list.
In the 19 days since the war with Iran began, Gabbard said the Iranian regime “appears to be intact but largely degraded.”
“Even so, Iran and its proxies remain capable of and continue to attack U.S. and allied interests in the Middle East,” Gabbard said. “The IC assesses that if a hostile regime survives it will seek to begin a yearslong effort to rebuild its missiles and UAV forces.”
President Donald Trump receives a bowl of shamrocks from Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the White House on Tuesday. Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI | License Photo
Nigeria’s President Tinubu meets royals in UK state visit | US-Israel war on Iran News
With trade between the two countries at a record high, Charles is using the two-day visit to highlight the pair’s deep cultural and commercial links.
Published On 18 Mar 2026
The UK’s King Charles III has welcomed Nigerian President Bola Tinubu at Windsor Castle in the first state visit by the leader of Africa’s most populous nation in nearly four decades.
More than 1,000 soldiers were out in force on Wednesday for the diplomatic show of soft power by the royal family.
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With trade between the two countries at a record high, Charles is using the two-day visit to highlight the pair’s deep cultural and commercial links.
Tinubu has made less formal visits to the United Kingdom several times during his tenure, and the two countries remain major partners in trade, aid and defence. London is also home to a large Nigerian diaspora of about 300,000 people.
Nigeria’s presidency said the visit signalled a “renewed chapter” and reflected a shared commitment to “advancing trade and strengthening diplomatic ties”.
Calling the visit “historic”, London announced Nigerian companies, including banks, are expanding operations and creating hundreds of jobs in the UK, strengthening it as a global hub for African business.
Nigerian flags and Union Jacks
King Charles and Queen Camilla greeted the president and his wife in Windsor, west of London, as artillery fired salutes.
Both Nigerian flags and Union Jacks fluttered amid the procession.
The Nigerian president and his wife earlier chatted with heir-to-the-throne Prince William and his wife Catherine, at a hotel in the town.
The party then rode in carriages to the historic Windsor Castle.
Later, the king and queen showed the president and first lady items from the UK’s colonial rule of Nigeria, which existed until 1960.
Later on Wednesday evening, a lavish state banquet took place.
On Thursday, Tinubu is expected to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as well as members of the Nigerian community abroad, according to the official schedule.
Missing from the official schedule is the traditional meeting between the visiting head of state and the British opposition.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, who is of Nigerian descent, has repeatedly publicly criticised the country she was raised in over corruption and violence.
The last Nigerian state visit to the UK took place in 1989, although Tinubu was received by Charles in September 2024.
Before the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022, Charles also visited Nigeria four times as prince of Wales.
Tinubu’s visit went ahead, despite a deadly bombing in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno State on Monday, which killed 23 people and injured more than 100, with the president condemning the attacks and insisting “Nigeria will not succumb to fear.”
Disney’s new CEO says his focus is on storytelling and creativity
Disney has a new captain, and his eyes are on the stars.
Taking over the reins from Bob Iger on Wednesday, new chief executive Josh D’Amaro signaled a bold shift for the entertainment giant: a future where emotional storytelling remains the “North Star,” but cutting-edge technology provides the fuel.
From ESPN to the Magic Kingdom, D’Amaro said in his first letter to employees as the top boss that his mission is to turn a century of nostalgia into a more personal, high-tech reality for fans worldwide.
“Used thoughtfully, it can empower our storytellers, strengthen our capabilities, and help us create more immersive, interactive and personal ways for people to experience Disney,” he wrote in the Wednesday morning note.
D’Amaro also said he wants the sprawling company, which includes film and TV studios, a tourism division, streaming services and live sports programming, to operate as “one Disney,” saying the global businesses all play a role in deepening consumers’ relationship with the Mouse House.
That connection people have with Disney’s brand is key to the company’s future. Consumers have more film, TV and experiences to choose from than ever, meaning Disney needs to distinguish itself among competitors.
To do that, D’Amaro plans to focus on the emotions consumers feel when they encounter Disney. As an example, he reminisced about his own first visit to Disneyland more than 40 years ago.
He recalled the joy on his father’s face as the two rode Peter Pan’s Flight together. And when they soared over the miniature version of London on the ride, he remembered his father leaning in and saying, “See, I told you. It feels like we’re flying!”
“That feeling of flying I had on Peter Pan all those years ago is still real to me,” he wrote in the Wednesday morning note. “And today, I am honored to move forward with all of you — with ambition, optimism, and absolute confidence in what we can build together.”
That new era also included a goodbye to Bob Iger, who handed over the reins Wednesday and now moves into a senior advisory role for the rest of the year before his planned retirement.
The company paid tribute to Iger in a video during Disney’s annual shareholders meeting Wednesday morning.
With clips from his earliest public appearances as Disney’s CEO, a highlight reel of the acquisitions the company made under his tenure and even a nod to his previous career behind the anchor desk, the video highlighted Iger’s legacy at the company and the role he played in bulking up Disney’s franchises, global theme parks, sports and streaming platforms.
When asked in the video about where he’ll go from here, Iger laughed and replied, “To Disneyland.”
In a pre-recorded speech, Iger said his time at Disney has spanned much of his life and that he never expected to become CEO of the company — much less twice.
“Over the years, we experienced extraordinary change and faced real challenges that were particularly profound in the last three years,” Iger said. “It was daunting at times, but through it all, what sustained me was the passion I saw every day from great storytellers, innovators, leaders and people around the world.”
In his parting remarks during that speech, he expressed confidence in the new leadership team of D’Amaro and Dana Walden, who is now president and chief creative officer of the company.
“I will be cheering on Josh, Dana and all of you as I sail off into the sunset,” he said. “So thank you for the trust you placed in me, for the memories we created together, and for allowing me the honor of serving. It has meant more to me than I can say.”
Israel kills Iran’s spy chief; government seen as ‘largely degraded’
WASHINGTON — The Iranian government remains “intact but largely degraded,” National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard told Congress on Wednesday, as Israel continued to hunt down the Islamic Republic’s leadership with an overnight airstrike that killed the nation’s spy chief.
The death of Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, announced Wednesday by Israel, was the third high-level assassination in roughly 24 hours in a series of strikes that have hollowed out Tehran’s leadership ranks.
Israel ordered strikes Tuesday that killed Iranian security chief Ali Larijani and Basij paramilitary commander Gholamreza Soleimani.
Additional senior Iranian figures could be targeted, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday. “Israel’s policy is clear and unequivocal: No one in Iran has immunity — everyone is a target,” Katz said.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader, issued a rare statement Wednesday addressing Larijani’s assassination.
“Undoubtedly, the assassination of such a person shows the extent of his importance and the hatred of the enemies of Islam towards him,” he wrote, according to the Associated Press. “All blood has its price that the criminal murderers of the martyrs must pay soon.”
Tehran responded with renewed missile and drone attacks on Israel and U.S.-aligned countries across the Persian Gulf, further disrupting strained energy infrastructure and shipping lanes. Fighting has halted oil and gas production throughout the region, as shipping was stalled through the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global oil supplies.
The war has triggered a severe global oil shortage that has destabilized electronics, agriculture, pharmaceutical and energy supply chains.
Exacerbating those disruptions, the U.S. and Israel carried out a coordinated attack on the South Pars natural gas field on Wednesday. The strikes drew swift condemnation from Qatar, a U.S. ally that shares the reservoir with Iran. The Qatari Foreign Ministry called the attack “dangerous and irresponsible” and “a threat to global energy security.”
The attack is a major blow to Iran’s supply of electricity too, as most of the country’s energy grid relies on gas, analysts said. The field accounts for about 75% of Iran’s natural gas production.
Tehran promised to respond with more attacks on its Mideast neighbors, the Associated Press reported.
Meanwhile, near-constant Israeli strikes in Beirut and southern Lebanon have displaced over 1 million people, and killed 968 civilians, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
With the war in its third week, deaths now number in the thousands across Iran, Israel and neighboring countries.
International reaction has sharpened as the fighting showed no sign of relenting. Russia condemned the “murder and liquidation” of sovereign leadership and called for an immediate ceasefire, while European leaders voiced growing alarm about the war’s trajectory and the risks of broader destabilization.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testifies Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Intelligence.
(Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press)
All allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have refused to heed President Trump’s call to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, signaling a deepening rift in the world’s most powerful military alliance. Trump has sought to sever the U.S. from the alliance.
“We no longer ‘need,’ or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID! “ he wrote on social media Tuesday.
Trump on Wednesday signaled little appetite for de-escalation, floating the prospect of a decisive military endgame.
“I wonder what would happen if we ‘finished off’ what’s left of the Iranian Terror State,” he wrote on his social media website.
The president visited Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday, where the remains of six U.S. service members killed in the crash of a refueling aircraft were returned to their families. The visit marks the second time since the Feb. 28 launch of the war with Iran that Trump has attended the solemn military ritual known as a dignified transfer, the Associated Press reported.
At a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on “worldwide threats” Wednesday, Democrats grilled Gabbard and other intelligence leaders over their preparation for Iranian retaliation against Mideast energy infrastructure, civilian areas and American military sites and personnel.
Trump has maintained that the U.S. was caught off guard by Iran’s retaliatory strikes.
“Nobody expected that. We were shocked,” he said at a Kennedy Center board meeting Monday. Later in the day, when asked at an Oval Office news briefing whether he had been warned about the possibility of Iranian retaliation, Trump reiterated his surprise.
“Nobody, nobody, no, no, no. The greatest experts — nobody thought they were going to hit,” he said.
Last year, intelligence agencies testified to Congress that Iran was capable of inflicting substantial damage on an attacker, executing regional strikes and disrupting shipping, “particularly energy supplies, through the Strait of Hormuz,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said at the hearing, reading from last year’s worldwide threats report.
“In other words, every problem we’re seeing now was not only foreseeable, but was actually predicted by the intelligence agencies,” Wyden told Gabbard. “It’s hard to see how you can sit here and say that the intelligence agencies couldn’t provide a clear warning that if attacked, the Iranians would respond by attacking our people.”
Gabbard refused to confirm whether intelligence agencies briefed the president on the subject, saying she “won’t divulge internal conversations.”
She also testified that U.S. strikes on Iran had “obliterated” the country’s nuclear enrichment program, including underground facilities, and said officials are now watching to see whether Tehran attempts to rebuild. So far, she said, Iran has not restarted the program.
But Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) challenged that assessment, noting that Trump had used the same word — “obliterated” — to describe strikes just months before. He pressed Gabbard on how serious the nuclear threat was leading up to the February operation, given that timeline.
The intelligence community assessed that Iran “maintained the intention to rebuild and to continue to grow their nuclear enrichment,” Gabbard said adding that the “only person” who can determine what constitutes an imminent threat is the president.
“False,” Ossoff shot back. “It is precisely your responsibility to determine what constitutes a threat to the United States.”
Zoe Stratford: World Cup-winning Red Rose announces pregnancy
England’s World Cup-winning captain Zoe Stratford has announced she is pregnant with her first child.
Announcing the news on Instagram the 29-year-old said the baby is due in September.
“We are so incredibly grateful and excited,” added Stratford.
The news comes seven months after she led the Red Roses to a World Cup triumph on home soil.
Stratford’s news will rule her out of the Women’s Six Nations, where England will open their campaign against Ireland at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Saturday, 11 April.
England are yet to confirm who will lead the side in the 2026 campaign, but Marlie Packer and Meg Jones were vice-captains during the World Cup, with Alex Matthews taking the skipper’s armband for their pool match against Australia.
Red Roses head coach John Mitchell will name his Six Nations squad on Friday.
Stratford was named World Player of the Year in 2021 and has also co-captained her club Gloucester-Hartpury to three back-to-back Premiership Women’s Rugby titles.
Since the World Cup success, she has also opened a coffee shop with England and Gloucester team-mate Natasha Hunt.
Stratford becomes the third England women’s player to announce they are expecting this year, following Bristol duo Lark Atkin-Davies and Abbie Ward.
US Fed keeps interest rates steady amid economic, geopolitical uncertainty | Banks News
The United States Federal Reserve will hold interest rates steady as the labour market cools and prices on goods and services surge following the US and Israel’s joint strikes on Iran.
The central bank will maintain its benchmark rate at 3.5–3.75 percent, consistent with the Fed’s decision last month, when it also held rates steady.
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“The Committee seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run. Uncertainty about the economic outlook remains elevated. The implications of developments in the Middle East for the US economy are uncertain,” the central bank said in a statement announcing its policy decision and referring to its Federal Open Market Committee.
“The Committee is attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate.”
Holding rates steady was in line with estimates. CME FedWatch, a tool that tracks monetary policy decisions, forecast that there was a 99 percent chance that rates would hold steady.
The stall comes after three rate cuts in 2025.
Global gripes
Consumers are also facing the repercussions of US President Donald Trump’s trade and military policies in their daily expenses.
“Despite meaningful progress on inflation in 2024, Trump’s tariffs have stalled progress and kept inflation persistently above the Fed’s target. Wholesale prices are running hot as service prices surge, and now, Trump’s war in Iran is rocking commodity markets around the globe,” Elizabeth Pancotti, managing director of policy and advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative, an economic think tank, said in comments provided to Al Jazeera.
Last month, the US Supreme Court ruled against the president for his use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The high court said the president exceeded his authority and that the tariffs imposed under that order must be refunded. However, the president then imposed new tariffs not covered by IEEPA.
The White House announced a 15 percent tariff through Section 122, which allows the president to impose tariffs for 150 days. Those changes were reflected in the producer price index report released by the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday.
Wholesale prices rose by 0.7 percent for the month, marking the biggest one-month surge in a year. Goods prices rose 1.1 percent overall after tumbling for two months. Energy prices rose by 2.3 percent, with the cost of gas or petrol rising by 1.8 percent. Those costs are expected to get higher as tensions rise in the Strait of Hormuz following joint US-Israel strikes on Iran in late February and the subsequent retaliation.
“In the near term, higher energy prices will push up overall inflation; however, it is too soon to know the scope and duration of the potential effects on the economy,” Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters.
In the last month, petrol prices have jumped for US consumers. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $3.84, up from $2.92 this time last month.
“The Fed’s inflation worries extend beyond weathering a fleeting wave of one-off price hikes associated with tariffs and, more recently, an energy price spike,” Stephen Stanley, chief US economist at Santander US Capital Markets, told the Reuters news agency.
Labour market stalls
Holding rates steady also comes as the job market stagnates. The latest jobs report, which was released earlier this month, showed that the US economy lost 92,000 jobs, with unemployment rising to 4.4 percent.
Meanwhile, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS report, which came out last week, showed 6.9 million open jobs in the US, unchanged from the month prior. That shows that employer hiring has stalled and that those who have jobs are seldom leaving for new ones.
“This might be one of the toughest moments in recent memory for the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee,” Michael Linden, Senior Policy Fellow at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, said in remarks provided to Al Jazeera. “Recent data has revealed that economic growth in the back half of last year was extremely weak, the labour market seems to be on the precipice of disaster, and prices keep rising faster than anyone feels comfortable with.”
Political undercurrents
Wednesday’s decision is the second-to-last one of current Fed Chair Powell, whose term is up in May. Powell, who was first appointed by Trump during his first administration, has been a target of Trump’s scorn and criticisms for not cutting interest rates fast enough.
“When is ‘Too Late’ Powell lowering INTEREST RATES?” Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social on Wednesday morning ahead of the decision.
Previously, Trump said he would not nominate someone to lead the central bank unless the nominee agreed with his position.
“Anybody that disagrees with me will never be the Fed Chairman!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social in December.
“We at the Fed will continue to do our jobs with objectivity, integrity and deep commitment to serve the American people,” Powell told reporters.
Trump’s nominee to succeed Powell, Kevin Warsh, has his nomination in flux as Republican Senator Thom Tillis said he would not vote to advance any of Trump’s nominees to the central bank until a criminal probe into the current chairman, Powell, is closed.
Tillis sits on the Senate Banking Committee, which vets nominees for the central bank, including Warsh. He said he will not approve Trump’s Fed nominees until the probe of Powell is closed. The criminal probe of Powell centres on Fed building renovations after a judge quashed grand jury subpoenas and called the investigation a pretext to pressure the central bank to lower interest rates.
If Warsh has not been confirmed by the Senate in time for the Fed’s June 16–17 meeting, Powell would continue to lead the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee.
“If my successor is not confirmed by the end of my term as chair, I would serve as chair pro tem until he is confirmed. That is what the law calls for,” Powell said.
“On the question of whether I will leave while the investigation is ongoing, I have no intention of leaving the board until the investigation is well and truly over with transparency and finality.”
Iranians burn Trump, Netanyahu effigies at warship victim rally
Iranians in Tehran burned effigies of Israeli PM Netanyahu and US President Trump.
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Every reveal in the ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ trailer
Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is finally back.
It’s been nearly five years since audiences last saw Tom Holland’s Peter Parker suit up as the webslinger in “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” and a lot has happened in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since. (10 movies’ worth, for those keeping track.) But Sony Pictures released the first trailer for “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” on Wednesday, and it appears our hero has been dutifully continuing as a full-time masked crimefighter while remaining an anonymous entity to those he loves most.
“Sometimes Spider-Man has to do the hard thing, even if it breaks Peter Parker’s heart,” Peter says in a voiceover on the new footage. According to the film’s logline, it has been four years since the events of “No Way Home,” which saw Peter have to make everyone forget who he is to save the world. “Brand New Day” will see Spider-Man take on “one of the most powerful threats he has ever faced.”
The trailer shows Peter cross paths with former besties MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon), who still don’t know who he is. But like everyone else in New York, it does appear they are at least familiar with Spider-Man.
Among those Spidey crosses paths with in the teaser are Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), also known as the Punisher. It doesn’t seem like Spider-Man and the “Daredevil: Born Again” anti-hero are on very friendly terms, though. The trailer also features glimpses of Spider-Man battling Scorpion (Michael Mando), Boomerang (whose casting has yet to be announced) and the Hand — as well as a seemingly invisible foe.
Peter is also shown seeking out Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) in his non-Hulk form to try to figure out what is going on with his own body. It appears Spider-Man’s DNA could be mutating, as he has gained the ability to produce organic webs, which could be alarming. The trailer concludes with a mysterious voiceover (which sounds like Keith David) teasing what it could mean.
“Spiders have three life cycles,” the unnamed voice says. “When between cycles, it can leave the spider vulnerable to threats. … And for those spiders who make it through, it amounts to a kind of rebirth.”
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” opens in theaters July 31.
Spider-Man battling the Hand in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
(Sony Pictures)
Contributor: The U.S. desperately needs functional counterterrorism
On Monday came the latest evidence of dysfunction within the Trump administration’s counterterrorism apparatus, when Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned, citing his opposition to the war in Iran. But the disarray is not new.
In July 2025, Sebastian Gorka, the senior director for counterterrorism on President Trump’s National Security Council, announced that he was “on the cusp of releasing the unclassified new presidential U.S. counterterrorism policy.” Yet eight months later, while America wages war on a notorious state sponsor of terrorism, the strategy has yet to be released.
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security has not published a National Terrorism Advisory since September and has failed to issue the annual Homeland Threat Assessment report since Trump returned to office. This remains the case, even as counterterrorism experts have warned about the possibility of Iranian-backed sleeper cells being activated because of the current conflict with Iran.
Without a strategy that clearly lays out American priorities and responses, America’s counterterrorism defenses are divided, disorganized and under-resourced. It is this malfunction that left Trump answering a question about whether Americans should expect more violence in the homeland with an effective shoulder shrug: “I guess.”
The homegrown backlash to the Iran conflict began on March 1, when a naturalized U.S. citizen opened fire at a bar in Austin, Texas. The gunman, who was wearing clothing pointing to his support of Iran, killed three before being killed by police gunfire. On March 7, two Islamic State-inspired teens hurled improvised explosive devices at a group of far-right protesters outside the New York City mayor’s mansion. March 12 then saw two attacks. First, a shooting erupted at Old Dominion University, as a former U.S. National Guardsman who had been prosecuted for Islamic State-related plotting killed an ROTC instructor. Then, a U.S. citizen with family ties to Lebanon drove his vehicle into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Mich., before dying in an exchange of gunfire with synagogue security officers.
In three of the four attacks, further violence was stopped by heroic takedowns on scene. Perhaps most notably, the Old Dominion attacker was neutralized by students, who stabbed the gunman to death. The heroic stories, while worth uplifting, underscore a bleaker truth: amid war abroad, Americans have been forced to take counterterrorism into their own hands in their own communities, left to fend for themselves against AR-15s, improvised explosive devices and weaponized vehicles.
The diversity of the attacks and the perpetrators makes matters worse. The attackers include a U.S. National Guard veteran who served several years in prison on terrorism charges, two teenagers who traveled to a different state with violent intentions, a man with an apparently long history of mental illness, and a U.S. citizen who lost family members in the latest Israeli-Hezbollah hostilities. Their targets also point to a complex and unpredictable terrorism environment.
Absent more predictable trends, law enforcement will be spread thin, asked to protect an impossible array of locations across the country against an impossible diversity of threats. In this environment, an effective national counterterrorism strategy would likely point to stopping terrorism further upstream, interrupting radicalization and violent mobilization at an earlier stage. Yet the Trump administration has effectively eviscerated its prevention infrastructure, largely dismantling the Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships.
Notably, too, none of the attacks to date seem to be coordinated or directed by the Iranian regime, with the war instead inspiring Western lone actors to attack their own communities. Yet Iran has long engaged in assassination plots in the United States, often by enlisting third-party criminal groups, and may yet seek to activate such a program. As journalists Peter Beck and Seamus Hughes warn: “Iran’s past calculus was low-grade operations in the United States, enough to keep the FBI busy but not large enough to trigger serious military consequences. With the latter now already a reality, the Islamic Republic has less to lose by orchestrating bolder attacks.”
The Trump administration has repeatedly invoked Iran’s history of support for terrorist proxies to justify the conflict: On March 2, for instance, Trump explained that one of the operation’s objectives was “ensuring that the Iranian regime cannot continue to arm, fund and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders.” Indeed, should it follow its historical model, Iran will likely continue to make external operations and inspired violence a significant part of its response, adding sleeper cell activation and sponsored individuals to the ranks of homegrown violent extremists who have so far plagued America’s homeland since hostilities broke out. But without a more defined strategy, America will likely struggle to mount an effective response.
If, as the old saying goes, “all politics is local,” then the modern-day corollary in an era of smartphones is, “all conflict is global.” Whenever there is a war in the Middle East, as kicked off in Gaza following the Hamas terror attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, it exacerbates the terrorism threat landscape around the world, including in the West. When images and videos of the errant U.S. missile attack on a girls’ school flood the internet, it raises the temperature, making attacks by lone actors and other violent extremists with only tangential connections to the conflict more likely.
The breadth of the violence, however, was not guaranteed or pre-ordained. As a Shiite-majority nation, Iran has long held fractious and even hostile relationships with Sunni jihadist actors. The extent of the violence indicates a broader anti-American sentiment prevailing across diaspora communities, likely precipitated by the decades-long war on terror, greatly aggravated by Israeli abuses in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, and punctuated by the killings of schoolchildren. The Iran war, in other words, seems to be superseding earlier grievances and instead uniting disparate extremist forces against the United States.
In this environment, the Trump administration needs to stop being so cavalier about counterterrorism. Devoid of an actual strategy and without a director of the National Counterterrorism Center, the United States is even more vulnerable to an attack on the homeland than it would be with those in place. Writing on X, Robert A. Pape, a longtime scholar of terrorism, posted: “After tracking terrorism for 25 years, this is a flashing red light — as bright as I’ve seen prior to a serious attack.”
Only a serious approach to countering terrorism will keep the United States safe, and this is the moment for the Trump administration to demonstrate that it recognizes the stakes. In counterterrorism, inattention can be deadly.
Jacob Ware is a terrorism researcher and the co-author of “God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America.” Colin P. Clarke is the executive director of the Soufan Center. His research focuses on terrorism, counterterrorism and armed conflict.
Women’s Six Nations 2026: Wales lose Alex Callender and Nel Metcalfe to injury
Callender was co-captain for last year’s two-Test series against Australia – leading the side to a historic first win Down Under – and the World Cup in England.
The 25-year-old overcame an ankle injury to feature in the tournament but then needed surgery after Wales’ early exit.
She returned for Harlequins at the end of January and it is believed to be a fresh injury and not a relapse.
Williams, who made her Test debut against Ireland in 2023, shared the captaincy duties and has been chosen as the leader for the Six Nations.
Lynn said: “Kate Williams has the respect of the whole squad, and her leadership skills means she will be Wales captain for this Six Nations campaign.”
Wales lost all five games of last year’s championship, condemning them to a second Wooden Spoon on the bounce.
Qatar says Iran missile attack sparks fire, causes damage at gas facility | US-Israel war on Iran News
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemns attack that caused “extensive damage” at the Ras Laffan complex.
Published On 18 Mar 2026
Qatar’s Ministry of Interior says civil defence teams are responding to a fire at the country’s main gas facility after an Iranian attack.
In a statement on Wednesday, QatarEnergy said there was “extensive damage” following the “missile attacks” on Ras Laffan Industrial City.
“All personnel have been accounted for and no casualties have been reported at this time,” the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer added.
The announcements came hours after Iran threatened to attack oil and gas facilities across the Gulf region in retaliation for an Israeli attacks on its South Pars gasfield as the fallout from the United States-Israeli war on the country continues to escalate.
Iran’s warning was directed at Qatar’s Mesaieed Petrochemical Complex, Mesaieed Holding Company and Ras Laffan Refinery; Saudi Arabia’s Samref Refinery and Jubail Petrochemical Complex; and the United Arab Emirates’s Al Hosn Gas Field.
In a statement, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned “the brutal” Iranian targeting of Ras Laffan Industrial City.
“Qatar considers this assault a dangerous escalation, a flagrant violation of its sovereignty, and a direct threat to its national security,” it said.
On March 2, Qatar suspended LNG production following an attack on at its giant Ras Laffan facility, as well as on a water tank at a power plant in Mesaieed Industrial City.
US intel chief Gabbard says Iran was not rebuilding enrichment prior to war | US-Israel war on Iran News
Washington, DC – Tulsi Gabbard, the director of US National Intelligence, said that the United States intelligence community had assessed that Iran was not rebuilding its nuclear enrichment capabilities following US and Israeli attacks last year.
The revelation on Wednesday appeared to undercut one of President Donald Trump’s key justifications for joining Israel in launching the latest war against Iran.
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Trump and his top officials have repeatedly cited Iran’s nuclear ambitions as one of the main reasons for abandoning ongoing diplomatic talks in favour of military action.
“As a result of Operation Midnight Hammer,” Gabbard said in written testimony to the Senate intelligence committee, referencing the June 2025 US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, “Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was obliterated”.
“There have been no efforts since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability,” Gabbard said in the written testimony.
Notably, Gabbard did not read that portion of her testimony, which was provided to members of the committee, during her publicly televised oral testimony. When pressed on why she omitted the portion, Gabbard said simply that she did not have enough time. She did not deny the assessment.
“You chose to omit the parts that contradict Trump,” Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat, responded.
Trump has repeatedly said the June 2025 attacks, which came at the end of a 12-day war between Israel and Iran, had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capacity, even as he warned that Iran’s alleged nuclear ambitions presented an immediate threat to the US.
Tehran has for years denied it is seeking a nuclear weapon. Nuclear and arms monitors have maintained that even if Tehran were seeking a nuclear weapon, it did not represent a short- or medium-term threat.
The foreign minister of Oman, who had mediated the latest round of US-Iran indirect nuclear talks ahead of the war, has refuted Trump officials’ claims that the most recent negotiations were not yielding any progress.
The Guardian newspaper also reported this week that the United Kingdom’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, had attended the final session of talks and assessed that the Iranian position did not justify an immediate rush to war, citing sources familiar with the situation.
The administration has not settled on any single justification for launching the war, also pointing to Iran’s ballistic capabilities, its potential threat to Israel and US forces in the Middle East, and the totality of the Iranian government’s actions since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The concept of an “imminent threat” is significant in determining the legality of Trump’s decision to strike a sovereign country under international law.
It is also significant for US domestic law, under which presidents can commit the military only in instances of immediate self-defence. Only Congress can officially declare war or authorise extended military campaigns.
Iran’s government ‘intact but largely degraded’
The White House said earlier this week that Iran’s ballistic missile capacity was “functionally destroyed”, with the Iranian navy “effectively destroyed” and the US and Israel dominating the country’s airspace.
Experts have assessed that Iran still maintains the military capacity to inflict significant damage in the region, and it has continued to wield its military influence over the Strait of Hormuz.
Gabbard, meanwhile, offered a more sober assessment than the White House, saying that despite the killings of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, top military officials, and most recently the head of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani and the intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib, “the regime in Iran appears to be intact but largely degraded by Operation Epic Fury”.
“Even so, Iran and its proxies remain capable of and continue to attack US and allied interests in the Middle East. If a hostile regime survives, it will seek to begin a years-long effort to rebuild its missiles and UAV [drone] forces,” she said.
Gabbard also listed Iran, alongside Russia, China, North Korea and Pakistan, as among the countries “researching and developing an array of novel, advanced, or traditional missile delivery systems, with nuclear and conventional payloads, that put our homeland within range”.
The Washington, DC-based Arms Control Association has said that US intelligence as of 2025 had said it may take Iran until 2035 or longer to develop a missile capable of hitting the US, if it did indeed seek to do so.
High-profile resignation
Gabbard spoke a day after a top official in her agency, Joe Kent, the director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, resigned in opposition to Trump’s war with Iran.
In his resignation, Kent said that Iran “posed no imminent threat” to the US and that Trump’s decision to enter the war went against his “America First” pledges.
Kent is the first high-profile member of the Trump administration to step down in response to the war.
Gabbard herself had previously been a vocal opponent to indefinite military engagement in the Middle East and war with Iran. A former member of the US House of Representatives from Hawaii, she left the Democratic Party and supported Trump, in part, due to his anti-war vows.
However, in a post on X on Tuesday, Gabbard defended Trump’s decision to go to war.
“As our Commander in Chief, he is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat, and whether or not to take action he deems necessary to protect the safety and security of our troops, the American people and our country,” she said.
She said her agency’s role was to funnel US intelligence to Trump.
“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,” she said.
Classical music star Alfie Boe reveals shock new ROCK album with tribute to music legend inspired by love of his tunes
ALFIE Boe – one of the nation’s favourite tenors – will be unleashing his inner rock god on new album Face Myself.
The record, out on April 10, is inspired by his love of the Madchester era and was produced by Myriot, who previously worked with Primal Scream.
In an exclusive chat, Alfie revealed the album’s title track pays tribute to late Stone Roses bass player Gary “Mani” Mounfield.
The classical singer said he spent his weekends travelling up to Manchester as a teenager to immerse himself in the music scene, where the Stone Roses launched hits such as I Wanna Be Adored. Alfie said: “At the time I was writing that song, Mani passed away.
“So I had to put a tribute in the song. I changed the lyrics to say, ‘For good old Mani, he played it right’.”
The high-energy track, which is released today, also name checks Liam and Noel Gallagher’s childhood home on Cranwell Drive and celebrates the Madchester spirit.
On the track he sings: “Dreams are grown in Burnage sky, a golden past that made us cry.
“The prom is glorified with lights, for good old Mani, he played it right. Those Cranwell boys, they sang along.”
As a teen, Alfie, who has clocked up 12 Top Ten albums including four No1s, joined an indie band and later found himself exploring classical music.
“I was in an indie band called The English Roses,” Alfie said with a laugh. We were going to go on tour and I was going to be the drummer. But there was school to attend, which was fine, but then I joined lots of other little bands.”
Alfie’s new album is made up of mostly original material and he was inspired to start writing by his pal, The Who’s Pete Townshend.
And the Les Miserables stage fave says the record is all about facing his past, adding: “I thought, what is it about me I have to face?
“It was my childhood, my teenage years, and what got me to where I am today. It’s been a wonderful journey.”
Dua’s full of beans
Dua Lipa has a hefty cheque coming her way, plus a lifetime’s supply of coffee I imagine.
She’s signed up to be global ambassador for Nespresso and posed in blue co-ords to promote the new tie-in. Dua also had a snap with George Clooney, long-time face of the brand.
Greg heading to £2m…but pleads for Wills’ help again
Greg James continues his mammoth 1,000km cycle ride for Comic Relief after getting the royal seal of approval from Prince William.
He was given a boost on Tuesday, when the Prince of Wales hopped on the back of the Radio 1 DJ’s tandem.
As I caught up with Greg yesterday from the Yorkshire Moors, he said he wished William had stuck around.
Greg, resting up on a wall, below, said with a laugh: “I could’ve done with his legs today. Wills, if you’re reading this, help.”
He has remained incredibly upbeat despite the physical and mental toll the challenge is taking.
And he has been buoyed by the incredible donations from the public, which last night was creeping towards the £2million mark. Greg, who set off from Dorset last Friday and is pedalling all the way to Edinburgh, said: “The hills are very, very difficult today.
“But there was a really nice crowd of people shouting at me at the top.
“The good news is we’ve raised over £1.5million, which is an absurd amount. I’d be happy with that if it was the final total but we’ve got three days left.”
He starts his ride from Sunderland this morning with two full days to go.
Tomorrow he will begin his final push, cycling from Galashiels in the Borders to Edinburgh, where he is set to arrive in time for Comic Relief to start on BBC One at 7pm. You can do this, Greg!
Go to comicrelief.com/ride to make a donation.
Placebo are making a comeback for the 30th anniversary of their debut album, which they have reworked into a new version.
Placebo re:created will be out on June 19.
They will then kick off a European tour this September playing songs from their first two albums, with dates in Nottingham, Glasgow, Dublin, Manchester, London and Cardiff in November and December.
Big cat in Africa
Doja Cat showed her wild side in clashing animal prints while on stage in Rwanda.
The Say So rapper, who wore a blue wig with a tiger-striped bodysuit, was performing at Global Citizen’s Move Afrika concert.
She sounded great, despite her carefree lifestyle.
In a new interview with Vogue yesterday, Doja admitted she’s had to curb bad habits for the sake of her live shows.
She said: “I love trash – I’m Oscar the Grouch. I love to eat garbage, and I love to drink, and I love to party.
“Not too hard, obviously. I don’t do any drugs.”
Doja, who had a romance with actor Joseph Quinn in 2024, went on to reveal she is a serial dater, adding: “I’m 30, so I’m ovulating and horny.”
At least she tells it how it is.
Mosh-pit memories with trust
The Teenage Cancer Trust is staging a photo exhibition at the Royal Albert Hall to mark the joys of mosh pits.
Musicians including Yungblud, Wolf Alice, Fontaines DC and The Sex Pistols ft Frank Carter are featured in the show, called Good Energy.
It highlights “good energy”, which is the code used by fans to look after each other in the crowd. Frank said of his pic: “It was taken in the Royal Albert Hall.
“To play there with the Sex Pistols was a dream come true. Seeing a mosh pit inside such a venue felt like the definition of Good Punk Energy.
The exhibition runs until April 9. Buy signed copies of the prints at teenagecancer trust.org/good.
One direction’s Louis Tomlinson confessed the band’s debut No1 single, What Makes You Beautiful, was his least favourite track. He told Scott Mills’s Radio 2 show: “Performing it was always really eggy.”
Louis also took aim at the handling of 1D’s split, adding: “Hiatus, what a horrible word. It’s cringey, screams management.”
Princess is really made up
Harper Beckham has competition from another nepo baby when it comes to her upcoming beauty brand – Katie Price and Peter Andre’s daughter Princess.
The Sun told last week that Harper had taken part in a photoshoot for beauty brand Hiku by Harper, which is expected to launch in the coming months. Now Princess is following suit.
She said on the Not My Bagg podcast: “I’ve been working on it for ages. I was in Liverpool three days ago.
“I went up for a photoshoot for my beauty brand, which is so good. It’s being released this year.
I’m so excited. I’ve always wanted to be involved in some sort of business. Make-up, I love, so it had to be that.”
Trump will pay his respects in Delaware to 6 U.S. service members killed in the Middle East
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. — President Trump is set to pay his respects on Wednesday at a Delaware military base when the remains of six U.S. service members killed in the crash of a refueling aircraft are returned to their families.
It will be the second time since launching the war with Iran on Feb. 28 that the Republican president will attend the solemn military ritual known as a dignified transfer, which he once described as the “toughest thing” he has had to do as commander in chief.
All six crew members of a KC-135 Air Force refueling aircraft were killed last week in a plane crash over friendly territory in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran. They were from Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Washington state.
“Every person on that aircraft carried a weight most Americans will never see, and they carried it with professionalism, courage, and a level of quiet excellence that deserves to be recognized,” retired Lt. Col Ernesto Nisperos, a friend of one of those killed, said in a text message Wednesday.
The crash brought the U.S. death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members. About 200 U.S. service members have been injured, including 10 severely, the Pentagon has said.
Trump last traveled to Dover Air Force Base on March 7 for the dignified transfer of six U.S. service members who were killed by a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait. He saluted as flag-draped transfer cases containing the remains of the fallen service members were carried from military aircraft to vehicles waiting to take them to the base’s mortuary facility to prepare them for their final resting place.
“It’s the bad part of war,” he told reporters afterward. Asked then if he worried about having to make multiple trips to the base for additional dignified transfers as the war continued, he said, “I’m sure. I hate to do it, but it’s a part of war, isn’t it?”
U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said that the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace” over Iraq but that the loss of the aircraft during a combat mission was “not due to hostile or friendly fire.” The circumstances were under investigation. The other plane landed safely.
The crash killed three people assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida: Maj. John A. “Alex” Klinner, 33, who served in Birmingham, Ala.; Capt. Ariana Linse Savino, 31, of Covington, Wash.; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Ky.
Klinner, who left behind a wife, a 2-year-old son and 7-month-old twins, was known for his steady command and goofy nature, as well as a willingness to help others. Pruitt’s husband described her as a “radiant” woman who lit up the room. Savino was a friend, mentee and “source of positive energy” who was proud of her Puerto Rican heritage and inspired young Latinas, said Nisperos, who is serving as spokesman for her family.
“She had had this warmth that made you feel seen, a strength that showed up in everything she touched, and a spark — that spice — that made her unforgettable,” Nisperos said. “If you knew her, even for a moment, you knew you were in the presence of someone who was going to change the world.”
The three others were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio: Capt. Seth Koval, 38, a resident of Stoutsville, Ohio, who was from Mooresville, Ind.; Capt. Curtis Angst, 30, who lived in Columbus; and Master Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, of Columbus.
Koval grew up dreaming of becoming a pilot, according to his wife, who described him as a loving, generous “fixer of all things.” Angst’s family said his life was defined by service, generosity and “a genuine love for people.” Simmons loved confiding in his 85-year-old grandmother and working out with her, Sen. Jon Husted said Tuesday, when he and Sen. Bernie Moreno honored the Ohio airmen on the Senate floor.
“To the mom and dad of these three young soldiers, I can’t even process what you’re going through. I can’t even imagine the emotions that you’re feeling,” Moreno said. “Just know that America is grateful beyond words for the sacrifice that your heroic young sons made.”
Superville writes for the Associated Press. AP writers Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H., and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.
Former Scotland rugby captain Stuart Hogg arrested again
The 33-year-old was interviewed after a complaint that he had breached a non-harassment order about contact with his ex-wife.
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