Trump Aims To End Iran’s War On America — On His Terms

By The Daily Caller

Security experts told the Daily Caller that President Donald Trump’s latest operation in Iran is part of a broader strategy to cripple Tehran’s ability to threaten the U.S. and its allies while also weakening hostile powers that depend on the regime.

President Donald Trump announced in an early morning video statement on Feb. 28 that U.S. and Israeli forces had launched major combat operations against Iran under Operation Epic Fury.

The experts said the conflict fits Trump’s broader “peace through strength” foreign policy, arguing that a decisive strike on Iran could reshape not only the Middle East, but also America’s posture toward larger adversaries such as China and Russia.

“For over a decade now, President Trump has made resonant an immense frustration with the tendency of most American presidents to let conflicts and hostilities simmer in ways that destabilize entire regions and harm American interests,” William Thibeau, director of the American Military Project at The Claremont Institute, told the Caller.

Thibeau said the operation reflects Trump’s ambition to resolve not only the U.S.-Iran standoff, but also broader global entanglements.

“This means near-term escalation in the hope of a more permanent peace and a genuine pivot to other regions much closer to the thesis of the Administration’s National Security and National Defense Strategies,” he added.

The administration has also outlined evolving objectives for the conflict, suggesting the operation is intended to do far more than simply punish Tehran.

Trump said in a second video message that the U.S. needed to achieve several objectives before leaving Iran. War Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Caller that those objectives include ending Iran’s ability to project power against America and its allies, as well as stripping the regime of its ability to create and possess a nuclear weapon.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt expanded on those goals, citing the destruction of Iran’s navy, stopping the country from making and using IEDs or roadside bombs, and killing terrorists.

The operation follows the administration’s earlier June strikes on Iran under what it called “Operation Midnight Hammer.” Those strikes came after Israel first engaged in direct conflict with Iran, and the United States sent B-2 bombers to hit three key nuclear facilities. The administration told reporters at the time that the strikes had “obliterated” the nuclear sites.

But administration officials have told reporters during recent background calls that Iran was starting to rebuild its nuclear stockpiles. During negotiations with the U.S., Iran also allegedly made it clear that it believed it had the right to enrich uranium.

Jacob Olidort, director of American security at the America First Policy Institute, told the Caller that Operation Epic Fury reflects a broader rationale than the earlier strike.

“Midnight Hammer was framed behind taking Iran’s nuclear capability out … [Operation Epic Fury] was more a holistic reason,” Olidort told the Caller.

“The important point is that [Midnight Hammer] did not remove Iran’s intention to rebuild … those threats persisted,” he added. “[Iran] was looking to act in ways that would threaten the American people.”

Peter Doran, an adjunct senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Caller that Trump’s strikes stem from a desire to dismantle the Iranian regime permanently.

“When the Islamic Republic murdered 30,000 of their own people in the course of a few weeks, that really struck a chord,” Doran told the Caller, noting Trump’s commitment to enforcing past threats and ending the regime definitively.

Doran also pushed back on concerns from Trump supporters who argue the operation contradicts the president’s anti-war campaign pledges, pointing to Trump’s own inaugural rhetoric.

He explained, “[The president] promised at his inauguration to measure America’s successes not just by the battles that we win, but also the ones we end.”

Questions surrounding the operation’s precise timing remain. Axios reported that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believed they had the best chance to kill Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his inner circle during the Feb. 28 operation.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio admitted that Israel’s own intention to strike Iran first played a role in the timing of the operation, but later softened that statement. Other administration officials have said it was solely America’s decision to strike.

Experts told the Daily Caller that the operation could also ripple far beyond Iran, undermining America’s top adversaries and helping Trump shift U.S. attention and resources elsewhere.

“By going directly at the clerics in Iran, we are seeing the birth pangs of a more peaceful Middle East that alone will allow the United States to reallocate massive military and financial resources out of the Middle East and elsewhere in the world where they are needed, most notably in Asia,” Doran told the Caller.

Thibeau said that while China would likely continue expanding regardless, instability involving Iran could complicate Beijing’s position.

“China relies on Iran for anywhere from 10-20% of their domestic energy supply, so it is not insignificant to alter their access to such oil. Broadly, any future confrontation with China in the Pacific, as many think could happen, will require focus and prioritization of resources and organizational bandwidth,” Thibeau told the Caller.

“It’s hard to imagine achieving such focus if Iran continues to pose such a threat in the Middle East, especially one with nuclear ambitions,” Thibeau said, emphasizing that the U.S. will still need to rapidly build up its military capabilities.

Olidort similarly said China was not the immediate reason for the strike on Iran, but argued the operation could still weaken hostile powers aligned with Tehran. He pointed to Iran’s support for other regimes as an example, saying that if Putin loses a military supply line, the strikes in Iran could have an impact on the Russia-Ukraine war.

Recent actions underscore what some experts see as a broader pattern in Trump’s national security approach. Two months ago, Trump’s administration ousted Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. Tensions with Cuba are also rising, though a deal still appears possible.

“I can sum it up in one word: oil,” Doran told the Caller. He described Venezuela, Iran, and Russia as key Chinese oil suppliers, with Cuba potentially next.

“It’s going to lose a third [supplier] in Iran if this operation is successful, and that will leave Vladimir Putin feeling very lonely and isolated, which is precisely where the president must put him if he is going to exert maximum diplomatic pressure to end the war in Ukraine and resolve the one conflict that he truly, deeply desires to end, and that is the fighting between Moscow and Kyiv,” Doran told the Caller.

AUTHOR

Reagan Reese

White House Correspondent

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

TSA Calls To End Now 25 Day ‘Democrat Shutdown’ With Airport Lines Out The Door, Terror Threats Abounding

By The Daily Caller

The partial government shutdown has entered its 25th day as over 50,000 airport employees manage the spring break travel season without pay while the conflict in Iran escalates.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is calling on lawmakers to end what it calls the “Democrat shutdown” of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as airport security lines spill outside into parking lots and terrorism threats to the U.S. increase. President Donald Trump slammed Democrats Monday night for not funding DHS — of which the TSA is an agency — and accused them of “deliberately sabotaging our national security,” following reports that Iran activated terrorist sleeper cells in the United States.

“This chaos is a direct result of Democrats and their refusal to fund DHS. Stop holding our national security and everyday Americans hostage!” TSA’s X account posted Monday.

Enough is enough.

The Democrat shutdown of DHS must end! https://t.co/AQULDHfWG3

— TSA (@TSA) March 8, 2026

“Enough is enough,” TSA posted to X on Sunday. “The Democrat shutdown of DHS must end!”

The partial shutdown marks the third time TSA agents are working without pay in nearly six months, according to the White House. Airports from Houston to Tampa to New Orleans are facing security checkpoint lines with waiting times as long as three hours.

DHS funding lapsed Feb. 13 after lawmakers in the upper chamber failed to reach a deal on sweeping immigration reforms. Despite Democrats’ efforts to implement reforms, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is still fully funded through Trump’s signature legislative accomplishment, the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).

Republican Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, who is overseeing negotiations with the White House and Senate Democrats on behalf of Senate Republicans, highlighted the financial stress the shutdowns place on vital workers.

“So you have people like a TSA officer who went without pay for 43 days in the previous Democrat-led shutdown, and here they go once again. The financial insecurity that comes from that is tremendous,” she said in early March. “We heard reports of officers sleeping in their cars at airports to save money on gas, selling their blood and plasma and taking on a second job to make ends meet. Some are just recovering from the financial impact of the 43-day shutdown and many are still reeling from it.”

Also in the third week of the partial shutdown, U.S. intelligence reportedly intercepted Iranian communications to activate sleeper cells, sparking outrage among Republicans on Capitol Hill. Democrats threaten to extend their funding halt of the department unless Trump ceases military operations in the Middle East.

In addition to impacts TSA, the partial shutdown cut off resources from the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA), federal law enforcement officers and the U.S. Coast Guard, bringing the tally of unpaid workers to over 100,000.

Just one-third of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) staff are on the job amid the shutdown, according to CISA Acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala. The employee shortage significantly impairs “cyber security response, security assessments, stakeholder engagements, training exercises and event planning.”

Gottumukkala told House appropriators in February the Iranian regime also uses cyberattacks and has previously targeted American water treatment facilities, energy infrastructure and hospital networks.

Daily reminder that Democrats blocked funding for HOMELAND SECURITY including the Coast Guard, Secret Service, and TSA.

ICE and CBP are still funded and will continue to deport criminal illegal aliens.

— Senator Katie Boyd Britt (@SenKatieBritt) March 9, 2026

The U.S. is also preparing to host both the FIFA World Cup in Los Angeles this June and the America 250 celebration in Washington D.C. as FEMA grants face further delays for host cities.

“The FIFA World Cup designated Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) 1 and 2 events will take place across multiple cities in just a few months. Finally, critical preparations are already underway for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” DHS Deputy Director Matthew Quinn said in February. “This critical work will continue during a shutdown, in many cases, on the backs of our greatest resource – the men and women of the Secret Service.”

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

AUTHOR

Andi Shae Napier

Congressional Reporter

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Trump Aims To End Iran’s War On America — On His Terms

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RELATED VIDEO: Putting an end to Iran’s threat once and for all

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Mission Creep & Debt Traps: The Case for Drastic DOE Change

By The Editors

nginx
The Paper Straw Audit: 5 Stats to Shred Straw Virtue Signaling thumbnail

The Paper Straw Audit: 5 Stats to Shred Straw Virtue Signaling

By The Editors

Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes

The paper straw has become the ultimate symbol of “luxury beliefs”—policies that make the affluent feel virtuous while imposing a functional and economic tax on everyone else. 

​​The danger of the paper straw mandate isn’t about the straw; it’s about the precedent of psychological submission. When a small group of activists can force 330 million people to use a product that is objectively worse, more toxic, and more energy-intensive, they aren’t saving the planet—they are testing your compliance.

Let us get back to the common-sense facts:

  • The Structurally Inferior Tax: Because paper straws dissolve mid-drink, consumers frequently use two or three per beverage; this effectively doubles the manufacturing carbon footprint while forcing small business owners to pay more for a product that fails to perform.
  • The Health Intervention: To prevent them from turning into mush, 90% of paper straws are treated with “forever chemicals” (PFAS); activists have traded a manageable waste-stream issue for a direct health risk, leaching industrial chemicals into consumers’ bodies.
  • The Global Distraction: Plastic straws account for a mere 0.02% of plastic waste entering the global oceans; by targeting a tiny, visible consumer product, regulators avoid the difficult conversation regarding the 46% of Great Pacific Garbage Patch waste that actually comes from foreign commercial fishing nets.

Standout Stat: > 90% of all paper straws tested in a major 2023 study contained PFAS (forever chemicals), compared to only 75% of plastic straws.

At the end of the day, a government that tells you how to sip your soda while ignoring 50,000 tons of industrial fishing gear in the Pacific isn’t interested in the environment—it’s interested in one word–control.

“The urge to save humanity is almost always only a false-face for the urge to rule it.” — H.L. Mencken

-The Editors

Trampoline Nation: The Structural Genius of American Disruption thumbnail

Trampoline Nation: The Structural Genius of American Disruption

By The Editors

/by

Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes

In a world that too often settles for “good enough,” America is the only nation where the system is explicitly hardwired to reward the restless disruptor and the relentless builder. While others manage decline through bureaucracy, our culture of liberty transforms the “impossible” into a scalable business model.

America isn’t just a country; it’s a high-octane R&D lab fueled by liberty, property rights, and a unique cultural refusal to accept “no” for an answer. What are the structural reasons for such outsized innovation?

While the rest of the world builds safety nets, America builds trampolines to propel the next generation of disruptors. Our enduring legacy isn’t found in a government ledger, but in the relentless, unshakeable freedom of a citizen with a better idea and the right to own it.

“The Goliath of totalitarianism will be brought down by the David of the microchip.”–Ronald Reagan

-The Editors

1299 2309 The Editors 2026-03-11 15:26:22Trampoline Nation: The Structural Genius of American Disruption

ISIS Inspired Attack in New York City

By Conservative Commandos Radio Show and AUN-TV

Federal investigators raided a storage facility as part of the probe into two suburban Pennsylvania teens accused of carrying out an ISIS-inspired terror attack by allegedly throwing improvised explosive devices outside the New York City mayor’s home.

The suspects, 18-year-old Emir Balat of Langhorne and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi of Newtown, traveled from Bucks County to Manhattan on Saturday, where police said they ignited and hurled explosive devices into a protest crowd outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence.

On Monday evening, a federal source confirmed that a search warrant was executed at a self-storage facility called Public Storage in Langhorne. The source said that the search is in connection to the ongoing terror investigation. Helicopter video captured authorities at the large storage facility on Monday.

The attempted Muslim terrorists who tried to bomb anti-Islam protesters in New York City have now been federally indicted, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi, which means the case is no longer sitting in the hands of a soft local prosecutor who might try to let them walk.

Federal charges change everything. Instead of being quietly pushed through a friendly district attorney’s office, the suspects are now facing the full weight of the Department of Justice and a stack of extremely serious charges tied to terrorism and explosives.

Investigators say the homemade devices were packed with explosive materials and filled with nuts and bolts, designed to maximize damage and turn the bombs into deadly shrapnel weapons if they had detonated in a crowd.

The charges are massive: attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, use of a weapon of mass destruction, transportation of explosive materials, interstate movement and receipt of explosives, and unlawful possession of destructive devices.

©2026 . All rights reserved.

RELATED ARTICLE: NYC jihad bombers’ parents migrated from Turkey and Afghanistan, became naturalized citizens

Diplomatic Ruptures in Latin America with Castroism: Another Effect of the Donroe Doctrine

By Family Research Council

Burning documents. That’s how diplomats from the Castro regime left Ecuador after President Daniel Noboa declared Ambassador Basilio Antonio Gutiérrez and 21 other officials persona non grata. He gave them 48 hours to leave Ecuadorian territory.

And shortly after the announcement, smoke began to billow from the roof of the Cuban embassy. Neighbors complained about the smoke, according to local reports. The last image of the diplomatic headquarters in Quito, which went viral in the press, shows a man burning documents in front of a metal structure.

Was Gutiérrez hiding close ties with members of the Ecuadorian leftist political group known as RC5, a frequent defender of the communist regime in Cuba? Were there any conversations during the multiple meetings with legislators like Héctor Rodríguez and Liliana Durán, supporters of former President Rafael Correa, a fugitive from justice?

Cuban embassies have historically served as a contact center for Castro’s intelligence services, and their ambassadors are generally high-ranking officials within those military structures. This role they still maintain.

It is no coincidence that Fidel Castro invested so much in expanding the Revolution’s diplomatic network through diplomatic missions and the so-called “solidarity groups with Cuba,” which are proliferating in almost every corner of the planet.

For the moment, the Daniel Noboa government has not offered any explanation for the expulsion, but the measure comes just days before the president is scheduled to travel to the United States to participate in a summit of Latin American presidents with Donald Trump.

Starting in 2025, the region’s alignment with the White House’s foreign policy, rebranded as the Donroe Doctrine, has politically drawn Noboa and his cabinet into this alliance.

Last November, it came as no surprise when the president of Ecuador confirmed that the Armed Forces were conducting operations against illegal mining, which generally fuels the cartels, in the north of the country.

Spectacular images circulated on social media of cannon fire against mountains that billowed smoke in the distance, in the Andean province of Imbabura. There were arrests, including a member of the Oliver Sinisterra Front, a dissident group from the former socialist guerrilla group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

That alliance has recently been strengthened by another development. Last week, military personnel from Ecuador and the United States began joint operations in an attempt to combat organized crime groups and ensure security in the region.

U.S. Southern Command stated on X that it “is actively working with social partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat narco-terrorism,” and that “collaborative efforts, such as the current operations between Ecuador and the United States” against such organizations, “are essential to ensuring security and stability in the Western Hemisphere and protecting the homeland.”

In that context, the expulsion of the Cuban ambassador from Quito is entirely understandable. Trump has further tightened the noose around Castroism since capturing Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro this January, thus cutting off the island’s constant supply of oil at preferential prices.

“Cuba’s going to fall,” he said in a recent interview with Politico.

In November 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Carlos Zamora, Cuba’s ambassador to Peru, had to leave the country permanently. The measure was announced after a meeting with Deputy Minister Félix Denegri Boza, who summoned him to discuss matters related to his administration.

Zamora, known as “El Gallo” (The Rooster), has served in the Castro regime’s foreign service for over five decades. According to the newspaper Infobae, he “joined Cuba’s intelligence structure in 1968 and subsequently represented his country in various nations of the region,” in the embassies of Ecuador, Panama, Brazil, El Salvador, and Bolivia.

In December 2021, he had been accredited as ambassador to Peru during the administration of then-leftist President Pedro Castillo, who is imprisoned for an attempted coup. Former Cuban agents, such as Enrique García, warned at that time that Zamora and his wife, Maura Juampere Pérez, held the rank of colonel in Cuba’s Directorate of Intelligence.

Although shrouded in secrecy, Zamora’s departure once again supported Washington’s policy of diplomatic isolation and weakening of the socialist regime.

When consulted for this article, Peruvian congresswoman Milagros Aguayo stated that Zamora was asked to leave the country “because of his constant interference in national politics.”

Whatever the reason, Havana is clearly not at its most popular in the region, where refreshing winds from the right are blowing to dispel old political clouds.

AUTHOR

Yoe Suarez

Yoe Suárez is a writer, producer, and journalist, exiled from Cuba due to his investigative reporting about themes like torture, political prisoners, government black lists, cybersurveillance, and freedom of expression and conscience. He is the author of the books “Leviathan: Political Police and Socialist Terror” and “El Soplo del Demonio: Violence and Gangsterism in Havana.”

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2026 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

EXCLUSIVE: Taxpayers Will Finally See Which Foreign Entities Fund U.S. Universities

By The Daily Signal

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The Department of Education will soon require universities to publicly disclose the counterparties of foreign funding, a senior Education Department official told The Daily Signal.

Section 117 of the Higher Education Act requires higher education institutions to report gifts and contracts valued at $250,000 or more to the Department of Education, to make them available for public inspection.

Universities currently report counterparties, their gifters or contractors, to the agency. However, the identities of foreign counterparties are not made public, which the senior department official said violates the law. The totals received from counterparties of concern are listed in the Section 117 Foreign Gift & Contract Reporting portal, but the gifters’ identities are not named.

“The law is very clear,” the official said. “It says that the Department of Education has to make available for public inspection the reports submitted by the universities. We’re not doing that right now.”

Naming the counterparties will reveal to the public if universities are funded by concerning entities, the official argued.

“It’s appropriate for them to have to be transparent with the American people, with Congress, with the media,” the official said.

Currently, even members of Congress don’t have access to the identities of counterparties of concern.

The Education Department is following the rulemaking process, providing notice to universities and allowing for public comment on the new requirement. The department plans to make the counterparty information available for public inspection by early to mid-summer.

“That’s the part the universities do not want to see happen,” the official said. “They’ve spent years trying to make it not happen.”

Previous administrations allowed universities to mark certain funding sources on their records as exempt from disclosure in public records requests.

“The department, for years, has actually provided a way for universities to not disclose this information to the public,” the official said. “We’re done with that business. We’re not doing that. The law says we have to make available these records for public inspection. We’re going to do it.”

Harvard University receives the most from counterparties of concern—$634 million—according to the agency’s portal. Almost all of the gifts and contracts came from counterparties in China.

One of the premier research universities in the United States received more than $7 million from counterparties of concern in China that also appeared on a U.S. government watch list.

“The American people have every right to know that,” the official said.

The Section 117 Foreign Gift & Contract Reporting portal, which launched Jan. 2, had a record-breaking number of submissions in the last reporting period. The Biden administration did not prioritize enforcing Section 117 or monitoring potential foreign influence at American universities, an agency official said.

On Friday, the department updated the portal to include an additional $4.5 billion in gifts and contracts from Dec. 17, 2025, to Jan. 31, 2026. The total amount of disclosed funding increased by approximately $4.5 billion, from $67.6 billion to $72.1 billion.

“Under Secretary [Linda] McMahon, we’ve made a lot of progress in a very short period of time,” the senior official said. “Universities know that we’re serious about this. We’re consistently telling them that this is very important. We’ve made it a lot easier, through the new reporting portal for them to provide these reports, and we’re going to make more information available on counterparties for the American people.”

“In the most recent reporting period, there was at least $11 million that came in from counterparties that are directly affiliated with various counterparties of concern that appear on U.S. government lists,” the senior official said.

Universities are “on notice” about their foreign funding sources, the official said.

“Most of them are doing a very good job,” the official said. “Some could do a better job, and they should all prepare for the counterparties they’re interacting with to be made available for the American people to see.”

AUTHOR

Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell

Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell is the White House Correspondent for “The Daily Signal.” Send her an email. Elizabeth on X: @TheElizMitchell.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Signal column is republished with permission. ©All righs reserved.

The Daily Signal depends on the support of readers like you. Donate now

AI Dealing SaaS Companies The Final Blow?

By A.I. Guys

The SaaS industry is facing its most disruptive moment in decades, and AI is the reason why. In this episode, Lee Dickson and Rich Swier break down exactly how artificial intelligence is dismantling the traditional SaaS business model, from per-seat licensing to the rise of usage-based pricing, and why the biggest horizontal players like Salesforce and HubSpot are already losing the battle.

They explore how vibe coding is empowering customers to build their own custom interfaces on top of existing SaaS platforms, bypassing the need for seat licenses entirely. From API gatekeeping and the coming death of free data access to why vertical market software companies have a real moat and what they need to do right now to protect it, this conversation cuts through the noise and gets to the core of what’s actually shifting in the market.

If you’re a SaaS founder, product leader, or operator trying to understand where the next five to ten years are heading, this episode will challenge how you think about pricing, personalization, and the true value of domain expertise in an AI-first world. The companies that survive won’t be the ones with the most features. They’ll be the ones who own the API and know their vertical cold.

WATCH: AI Dealing SaaS Companies The Final Blow?

A.I. Guys Substack: https://substack.aiguyspod.com/

RAIA AI WEBSITE: https://www.raiaai.com/ https://www.raiaai.com/

All links: https://lnkd.in/eXDpww6V

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/ee9h9GYB

Youtube: https://lnkd.in/etDvqQ7d

Apple: https://lnkd.in/epYT2GSi

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag…

©2026 . All rights reserved.

Poll Reveals Popularity of Trump’s Iran Performance

By The Daily Signal

The public approves of President Donald Trump’s handling of the conflict in Iran at roughly the same level as his overall job performance, a new poll finds.

A national NBC News poll reports that 41% of the public approves of Trump’s “handling of the situation in Iran” and 54% disapproves.

NBC News, in partnership with Hart Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies, conducted the survey of 1,000 registered voters from Feb. 27 to March 3. It has a 3.1% margin of error.

The United States and Israel began strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, meaning the poll should capture Americans’ early impressions of the conflict.

The poll would not capture the potential effects on public opinion of developments since March 3, such as the selection of a new supreme leader in Iran, the continued rise in oil prices, or the announcement of the death of a seventh U.S. service member.

It was also conducted before Trump’s call for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” on Friday.

This level of support for Trump in Iran tracks with his overall approval rating in the NBC survey.

A total of 44% of voters approved of Trump’s job performance, and 54% disapproved.

Trump’s strongest issue in the survey is border security, on which he has a 53% approval rating and a 44% disapproval rating.

On foreign policy, Trump has a 43% approval rating and a 54% disapproval rating, roughly in line with his general approval rating and the approval of the operation in Iran.

After the publication of this article, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told The Daily Signal in a statement, “A majority of Americans support President Trump’s decisive action against a terrorist regime that has killed and maimed thousands of Americans for nearly 50 years under the evil hand of the Ayatollah.”

She added, “The President has always been clear that Iran, the world’s number one sponsor of terror, can never obtain a nuclear weapon, and his actions now will make America — and the world — a safer place.”

AUTHOR

George Caldwell

George Caldwell is a correspondent for The Daily Signal. Send an email to George. George on X: @GCaldwell_news.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Signal column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

The Daily Signal depends on the support of readers like you. Donate now

Midterm Gravity: Why 2026 Is a Battle Against the Averages

By The Editors

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Anchor or Weather Vane? The Case Against the Living Constitution

By The Editors

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Terminal Velocity: A Data-Driven Snapshot of the Iranian Military Collapse

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The Hidden and Timely Meaning of American Pie’s Lyrics

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Mamdani Et Ux

By Jihad Watch

It’s always nice, in this age when half of all marriages end in divorce, to find a husband and wife who get along so well, a couple who can bond over world affairs, and share the same deep feelings about… well, Israel, for one, and Islam for another. Zohran Mamdani’s deep anti-Israel animus is shared by his wife, Rama Duwaji, as we learn from her social media posts, including posts by others that she “liked,” that have just recently come to light. Robert Spencer wrote about this briefly here, and more on Mamdani’s wife can be found here: “Zohran Mamdani’s wife liked social media posts celebrating Oct. 7 attacks,” by Will Bredderman, Jewish Insider, March 6, 2026:

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani spent the mayoral campaign distancing himself from the most radical anti-Israel elements of his leftist movement, but an examination of his wife’s social media activity reveals she liked multiple Instagram posts cheering on Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, assault.

The posts liked by Rama Duwaji, a Syrian-American artist, unambiguously celebrated the terrorist attack, which saw nearly 1,200 Israelis and foreign workers killed, thousands wounded, 251 civilians and military personnel kidnapped and numerous episodes of sexual assault.

The first post, shared on the day of Hamas’ onslaught, came from The Slow Factory, which bills itself as “a school, knowledge partner and climate innovation organization” that “center[s] the voices and ideas of the Global Majority (Black, Indigenous, and other people of color) to share their knowledge outside the boundaries of institutions & oppressive systems.”

The Instagram post shows stills from participants’ livestreamed footage of the attack: first of a bulldozer that terrorists used to breach the barrier separating Israel from Gaza, the second of attackers riding on a captured IDF vehicle. Printed on the former are the words “Breaking the walls of apartheid and military occupation,” and on the latter “Resisting apartheid since 1948,” and on both the slogan “Systemic change for collective liberation.”

The extensive caption on the post laments that “if and when the occupation forces retaliate against this resistance” Gazans will be “punished for wanting freedom from apartheid.”

But what “apartheid” can those at The Slow Factory who wrote the original post, or Rama Duwaji who reposted it with such enthusiasm, possibly have in mind? In 2005, every last Israeli was pulled out of Gaza. It has been entirely Arab ever since. The famous Zen koan asks “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” How can there be apartheid when the population consists entirely of one group — in Gaza’s case, of Arabs? How can there be any “walls of military occupation” to break down in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, if there has not been such occupation for several decades?

And what “apartheid” needs to have been “resisted since 1948”? The Arabs who remained in Israel after the 1948 war were not subject to apartheid. From the very beginning of the state, on May 14, 1948, they have enjoyed the same political, economic, and social rights as the Jews in Israel. Arabs in Israel serve on the Supreme Court and sit in the Knesset. Until his recent retirement, the head of Israel’s largest bank, Bank Leumi, was an Arab. Arabs and Jews work in the same stores, offices, farms, and factories. They play on the same sports teams and in the same orchestras. Jews and Arabs are patients in the same hospitals, treated by both Jewish and Arab medical personnel. Jews and Arabs go into businesses together, everything from restaurants to florist shops to high-tech startups. Only one thing distinguishes the treatment of Israeli Jews from Israeli Arabs: Jews must, while Arabs may, serve in the military. One wonders what Mrs. Mamdani would respond if asked to supply examples of “apartheid” in Israel.

Duwaji, who met Mamdani on a dating app [something called “Hinge”] in 2021 and married him in early 2025, liked this post and others using a personal account in her own name, on which she has posted her often-political illustrations and with which the mayor has interacted in the past. She has used it also to directly criticize Israeli policy….

Her “art” is banal, vulgar, and unpleasant. Please take a look at some of it here.

She also produces Agitprop, the kind of thing that lapdogs of the regime turned out in the Soviet Union. It consists almost entirely of anti-Israel and pro-Hamas propaganda: drawings of Palestinian mothers with sad-eyed children, standing underneath a sky where an evil Israeli plane, having just dropped its bombs, is flying away, or another one, that shows a Palestinian child holding an upturned empty pot which has written on it “there is no hunger crisis.” Or a father who had to survive “under the rubble” for twelve hours after an Israeli attack.

Duwaji “likes,” and reposts, the anti-Israel posts of others. In February 2024, a few months after the New York Times published an investigation into the sexual violence that occurred on October 7, 2023, Duwaji liked an Instagram post that referred to the “mass rape hoax” that the Times had “fabricated.” But the mass rapes of Israeli girls and women carried out by members of Hamas on October 7, 2023 were no “hoax”; the rapists themselves videotaped many of them. The paper “fabricated” nothing.

“Mayor Mamdani has been clear and consistent: Hamas is a terrorist organization, October 7th was a horrific war crime, and he has condemned that violence unequivocally,” a City Hall spokesperson said in a statement to Jewish Insider.

Just one question. About Hamas, will the real Mamdani please stand up?

AUTHOR

RELATED ARTICLES:

Zohran Mamdani Asked About Wife Apparently Liking Social Media Posts That Celebrate Oct. 7 Attack

NYPD: Muslim Terrorists Throw Deadly Shrapnel Bomb Thrown at NYC Rally That Could Have Slaughtered Crowd

Mamdani condemns pro-freedom NYC protest, doesn’t name ‘Allahu akbar’ jihadis who targeted it

New York Rep condemns ‘Allahu akbar’ jihad bomb attack on pro-freedom protest as ‘Islamophobia’

CBS, NBC, TMZ frame NYC ‘Allahu akbar’ bombing as ‘suspicious devices found near Mamdani’s residence’

EDITORS NOTE: This Jihad Watch column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

How Is a Free Cuba in the National Interest of the United States?

By Family Research Council

The phrase “America First” has been a recognizable rallying cry of the citizen and political movement that brought President Donald Trump to the White House twice. The America First Policy Institute believes that a foreign policy approach that prioritizes the United States is based on the idea that when the United States puts the security, prosperity, and general well-being of its people first, it is better positioned to lead the world and preserve peace and stability.

This last element dispels the widespread notion that an “America First” foreign policy would mean isolationism. The operation to remove dictator Nicolás Maduro and the beginning of a transition to democracy in Venezuela, or the weakening of the Iranian nuclear program, are key to achieving a robust peace under U.S. hegemony.

Now, after these two international successes, the focus seems to be on Cuba, the oldest totalitarian regime in the West. Just 90 miles from the Florida Keys, Havana transformed the island from one of the closest allies in Hispanic America into a hub of anti-American propaganda in the heart of the continent since 1959.

Furthermore, the Castro regime made Cuba available to terrorist groups from Europe, Central and South America, and even some operating within the United States. On the other hand, it provided diplomatic and military support to anti-American regimes in Africa and Asia. It’s no wonder that it earned a place on the list of state sponsors of terrorism in 1982, with brief interruptions during the Democratic administrations of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

A free Cuba, once again aligned with the West and an ally of Washington, would leave a much safer neighborhood for the United States. One without Chinese radar bases pointed at its territory, like those denounced in the international press a few years ago.

To imagine this possible future, it is helpful to understand what past relations between Cuba and the United States were like. Yuleisy Mena, an adjunct professor at Florida International University, recalls that the relationship, not only commercial but also guided by geopolitical pragmatism, dates back to the 19th century. An example was the Spanish-American War of 1898, which marked a period in which islanders and Americans took up arms together.

“Many Americans wanted to help Cuba, knowing the horrors committed by the Spanish military officer Valeriano Weyler against the rural population; but also because many Cubans and Americans wanted to rid themselves of the domination of European empires in the hemisphere — something key to the Monroe Doctrine — and they also had an interest in Cuba becoming a republic for pragmatic and ideological reasons,” Mena explained to me.

During the republican period, Cuba was a strategic ally in Latin America. That is, until 1959, when Cuba fully entered the Cold War, but on the Soviet side. That tension has not yet subsided, and Professor Mena believes that Castroism still poses a danger to the United States, especially regarding espionage. “These individuals are present in various industries and sectors of society,” she states, “and they can be of Cuban or American origin; they simply have to sympathize with Marxism in its political or cultural forms.”

In economic terms, to summarize, the U.S. was Cuba’s main trading partner between 1902 and 1958; sugar dominated bilateral trade; and U.S. investments had a structural weight in key sectors of the island’s economy.

On the other hand, there are always risks for a post-Castro Cuba, based on understanding and evaluating the available data. Professor Emeritus Octavio de la Suarée of William Paterson University believes that “one of the ills that has always been attributed to Cubans is the Hispanic legacy of caudillismo, that is, the figure of an all-powerful leader.” That tradition, he recalls, stretches from the monarchy to the dictatorships of Latin American strongmen after the successive independence movements of the early 19th century, and on to the political processes of the 21st century.

Suarée, who is also president of the Cuban Academy of History in Exile, asserts that the communist indoctrination received by the Cuban population from 1959 to the present “requires a good dose of freedom and democracy, which cannot be learned overnight.” He fears that a people “accustomed to the government thinking for them may not be prepared to think for themselves.”

First, Suarée argues, it will be necessary to educate the Cuban people about the meaning of freedom, human rights, and democracy, and their importance, so they can vote consciously in free elections and exercise the right that has been denied them for so long.

And that is also fundamental, he asserts, to enjoying a good relationship with the United States. “We had a history as an independent nation during the Republic (between 1902 and 1958), and we could enjoy it again,” according to the Cuban-American historian. But to achieve this, he believes it is essential to first build citizens who can create and sustain it. “We have a lot to learn.”

“Let us remember that the United States is great because it enjoys basic institutions established from its beginnings; we never had them. Can we build them now?” he asks. “To be free, we need to create a civic-minded and responsible Cuban citizen, one who knows how to respect others, without mockery or boasting, a hard worker, dedicated, and respectful. Is that possible?”

Optimistic, Suarée reflects that Cubans have always risen to the challenge of adversity, fought hard, and triumphed. “And they will do so again.” And in this New Cuba, “relations with the United States will once again be cordial,” for the benefit of both nations and for the security and peace of the Western Hemisphere.

AUTHOR

Yoe Suarez

Yoe Suárez is a writer, producer, and journalist, exiled from Cuba due to his investigative reporting about themes like torture, political prisoners, government black lists, cybersurveillance, and freedom of expression and conscience. He is the author of the books “Leviathan: Political Police and Socialist Terror” and “El Soplo del Demonio: Violence and Gangsterism in Havana.”

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2026 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Media Ignored Gabbard’s 2025 Islamization Warning, but Hill GOPers Are Taking Action

By Family Research Council

America’s mainstream media mostly ignored Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard’s detailed warning about the growing threat of Islamization in the United States, which was issued a few days before Christmas last year during a Turning Point USA event.

Conservative media like The Daily Caller devoted significant space to the speech, but a search of The New York Times website, for example, turned up no references to the former Democratic congresswoman’s remarks despite the fact that it included this stunningly direct admonition:

“There is a threat to our freedom that is not often talked about enough, and it is the greatest near and long-term threat to both our freedom and our security, and that is the threat of Islamist ideology. It is propagated by people who not only do not believe in freedom; their fundamental ideology is antithetical to the foundation that we find in our Constitution and Bill of Rights, which is that our Creator endowed upon us inalienable rights, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Gabbard pointed to a conference earlier in 2025 in which the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) “issued a call to action to use the American legal and political systems to overthrow the United States government. This Islamist ideology is a direct threat to our freedom because, at its core, it is a political ideology that seeks to create a global Caliphate that governs here in the U.S., in America, threatening Western civilization — [it is] governance by Sharia law.”

Sharia law is the civil and religious law prescribed by the Islamic religion’s Koran to regulate public and private life. Among much else, Sharia sanctions husbands treating wives as slaves, justifies Islamic men raping non-Islamic women, requires the death penalty for those who identify as homosexual, death by stoning for adulterers, and forces non-Muslims to convert or face death by beheading.

By failing to recognize and take decisive action to defeat this threat, Gabbard predicted, “we will find ourselves in a place where many European countries and countries like Australia have found themselves. Countries where you can get arrested for praying silently on a street corner, as happened in the U.K. Countries where you can be arrested for putting up a social media post.”

“In places like Dearborn, Michigan, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, clerics are openly pushing this Islamist ideology, trying to recruit and radicalize young people. This is already underway in places like Houston. This is not something that may possibly happen. It is already happening here within our borders. Paterson, New Jersey, is proud to call themselves the first Muslim city. They are working to implement in their own governments these Islamic principles that are forced on people through the use of laws or violence,” Gabbard said.

The big mainstream media outlets like the Times weren’t talking about Gabbard’s warning last year, but other people across the nation have been and are now talking and acting.

As The Washington Stand recently reported, the newly organized Sharia-Free America Caucus in the House of Representatives was announced the same week as Gabbard’s address but has since quickly swelled its membership to 43 Members, an unusually swift recruitment success. That success came despite, Co-Chairman Keth Self (R-Texas) told The Washington Stand, the fact that he “hasn’t even made a complete pitch yet.”

Among those joining the caucus was Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas), whose district stretches from Oklahoma’s southern border almost to the far-North Dallas suburbs. Gill, in an interview with TWS, pointed to Ndiaga Diagne, the naturalized U.S. citizen from Senegal who murdered three people and wounded more than a dozen in Austin, Texas, in the early morning hours of March 1.

“That was somebody who clearly had no business being in America, who was wearing a sweatshirt that said ‘Property of Allah’ and a tee-shirt with an Iranian flag, who was clearly an Islamist terrorist. The American people are waking up and saying why in the world are these people in my community,” Gill said.

“The problem is across the country, and there are particular epicenters that include the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, Minnesota, and then a few other localities and states, but this is fundamentally an immigration issue that needs to be tackled on the federal level,” Gill continued.

Traditionally, American immigration policy required new arrivals to assimilate fully, to adopt and support this country’s political principles of freedom of speech and religion, learn the language, and become independent productive citizens.

“That hasn’t happened for a long time,” Gill said. “Political Islam is incompatible with the American way of life. We should not be importing people from the Islamic world. It is idiotic and suicidal.”

Gill deferred when asked if he would support federal legislation that would ban residential developments like the massive The Meadows/EPIC City and others like it elsewhere that are designed, marketed, and sold as Muslim-only jurisdictions in which Sharia law is intended to replace every other legal authority.

“I think there are a lot of things that you can do, but again, the root problem is immigration, making sure that people coming here adhere to ideologies that are assimilable, as opposed to unassimilable worldviews like Islam. But I do think there are real problems with creating Islamic cities within our own country, creating these parallel societies that adhere to Sharia legal codes. The federal government has a clear role in banning Sharia law,” he said.

Asked if it’s feasible to seek such an outcome in the current political atmosphere, Gill said that is the purpose of the Sharia-Free America Caucus, and he pointed to the rapid accumulation of more than 40 members.

“Getting 40 congressmen on board with any particular policy is a big step in the right direction, especially this early in the game. I do think there is a political path to that, but it is something we are going to have to continue pushing hard for,” he said.

Asked about reports of growing numbers of Muslim candidates seeking local public offices in Texas, Gill said he was told recently by a constituent. “We ought to be aware that it’s happening everywhere. I can tell you in my district in one of the small towns, one of the very small towns, I was speaking to a city official in the past three weeks who was telling me they’ve got issues where there are Islamic centers popping up and who are wanting to blast calls to prayer. This is in rural North Texas. This isn’t big-city Dallas, this is happening everywhere and the time to stop it is now,” Gill declared.

AUTHOR

Mark Tapscott

Mark Tapscott is senior congressional analyst at The Washington Stand.

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2026 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Trump Threatens Not to Sign New Legislation until Senate Passes SAVE America Act

By Family Research Council

As foreign conflict rages on and Congress is locked in a feud over Homeland Security funding, President Donald Trump is hammering Senate Republicans to pass the SAVE America Act. In a Truth Social post on Sunday, the president thanked elections activist Scott Pressler for explaining in a Fox News interview the importance of passing the legislation and how it can be done without dismantling the filibuster. Passing the SAVE America Act “must be done immediately. It supersedes everything else. MUST GO TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE,” the president said. He vowed not to sign further bills until the SAVE America Act is on his desk.

The president also urged senators not to accept a “watered down” version of the bill, but to ensure that key provisions are included: mandatory photo ID to vote and proof of citizenship to register to vote, eliminating mail-in ballots except in a few circumstances, and amendments barring biological males from competing in girls’ sports and halting gender transition procedures from being carried out on children. The bill was approved by the House of Representatives early last month.

In the Fox News interview Trump referenced, Pressler touted poll results showing that over 80% of American voters support the election integrity provisions of the SAVE America Act, such as photo ID and proof of citizenship. “When in American history have 84% of Americans ever come together on an issue before?” Pressler asked. He noted that 76% of black voters, 82% of Hispanic voters, 85% of white voters, 95% of Republican voters, and 76% of Democrat voters support the SAVE America Act’s election integrity provisions. “I ask for Senate leadership, I ask for members of Congress — if you want to do right by the American people that duly elected you into the seats that you are in right now, when we gave Republicans the opportunity to lead and be the adults in the room, pass the SAVE America Act into law,” he urged. Pressler also anticipated that passing the bill will likely produce “a surge of voters com[ing] out in the midterm elections.”

“The Republicans MUST DO, with PASSION, and at the expense of everything else, THE SAVE AMERICA ACT — And not the watered down version. This is a Country Defining fight for the Soul of our Nation!” the president said in a Truth Social post last week. He also called on the Senate to “focus on, exclusively if necessary, THE SAVE AMERICA ACT!!! It’s what everyone wants!!!” With midterm elections looming, the president has also warned senators that the SAVE America Act is “all people care about!!!”

As noted, the SAVE America Act was passed by the House on February 11, but has been stalled in the Senate for nearly four weeks. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-N.D.) has agreed to bring the legislation to the floor for consideration but has yet to schedule a vote. At issue is the filibuster; Senate Democrats have signaled their intention to block the legislation via the filibuster. In recent decades, the “silent filibuster” has become the norm, wherein a senator or party indicates an intention to filibuster, without actually having to filibuster, and the contended bill is simply not brought before the Senate. While Trump and others have suggested eliminating the filibuster entirely in order to push through GOP legislation, others have suggested reverting to the traditional “talking filibuster,” which they admit may be time-consuming but would likely allow Republicans to pass crucial legislation without annihilating Senate traditions and legislative safeguards.

Under traditional Senate rules, the filibuster can be used to delay or prevent the passage of legislation, relying on the Senate’s allowance for unlimited debate. In order to end debate, 60 senators are required to invoke cloture. While the GOP has a majority of 53 in the Senate at present, not all Republican senators have agreed to support the legislation’s passage. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is the clearest example, but others have expressed reluctance to enforce the talking filibuster in order to pass the legislation, claiming that the procedure is too time-consuming.

“The talking filibuster issue is one on which there is not, certainly, a unified Republican conference, and there would have to be,” Thune said after a Senate GOP meeting late last month. “If you go down that path, you’re talking about the need to table what are going to be numerous amendments and an ability to keep 50 Republicans unified, pretty much on every single vote. And there’s just not, there isn’t support for doing that at this point.”

AUTHOR

S.A. McCarthy

S.A. McCarthy serves as a news writer at The Washington Stand.

EDITORS NOTE: This Washinton Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2026 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

NOT TIRED OF WINNING: 3 Historic Geopolitical Victories in Operation Epic Fury

By The Daily Signal

President Donald Trump’s military response to Iran’s decades-long war against the United States has already reaped massive dividends in its first week.

On America’s 250th anniversary, Trump isn’t just reshaping the Middle East—he’s reshaping the global balance of power and strengthening the United States’ position.

“Operation Epic Fury” has already yielded three massive victories in the first week.

1. Decapitating Iran

Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. and Israeli military strikes had killed 49 leaders of Iran, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The strikes killed other key leaders, such as Defense Minister Amir Nasirzadeh, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Mohammed Pakpour, former National Defense Council head Ali Shamkani, and armed forces Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi.

Israel’s Air Force also struck the building housing the Assembly of Experts in Qom—the group of 88 clerics responsible for electing the next supreme leader.

Unfortunately, knocking out key regime leaders won’t necessarily doom the Islamic Republic. Just as Trump’s successful operation to extricate Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro did not result in immediate regime change, so the decapitation of Tehran doesn’t guarantee a new form of government. Iran is a much larger country than Venezuela, and its regime has a stronger foothold.

Even so, the Islamic Republic appears to be flailing. Iran didn’t just send missiles to hit Israeli and American targets—it has also targeted Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Iranian drones have even attacked Iran’s northern neighbor Azerbaijan, though the Islamic Republic’s foreign ministry denied carrying out the attack.

Whether or not Operation Epic Fury topples the Iran regime, it will leave a weakened Iran and, likely, a safer Middle East once the conflict draws to a close.

2. Hezbollah

Iran has long supported proxy forces in other countries, backing Shia militias in Iraq, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, Hamas in Gaza, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah, long considered Iraq’s most effective proxy force, acted as a likely deterrent to any Israeli attack on Iran.

Israel has fought multiple wars with Hezbollah, often invading Lebanese territory to respond to the terrorist group’s attacks.

Hezbollah maintained an army larger than that of Lebanon, and long operated as a state within a state—a de facto independent government that effectively held the Lebanese government hostage.

After the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, Israel decimated Hezbollah’s leadership by rigging their pagers to explode in September 2024.

Hezbollah had reached a ceasefire agreement with Israel last year, but the terrorist group responded to Operation Epic Fury by launching rockets into northern Israel earlier this week.

Then something truly remarkable happened: the Lebanese government turned on Hezbollah. It announced “the immediate ban of all Hezbollah security and military activities,” and demanded Hezbollah surrender its weapons.

While some analysts faulted Lebanon’s measures as “half-hearted,” they still represent a remarkable sea change.

Lebanon had often opposed Israel, seeing Israel as the invading aggressor and Hezbollah as a military force protecting Lebanon. Now, Lebanon is turning on Hezbollah and asserting itself against this Iranian proxy that seems determined to bring Lebanon into a wider war.

If Lebanon can disarm Hezbollah, that will go a long way toward restoring its integrity as an independent country—and protect Israel from one of its nastiest rivals.

3. Russia and China

While Russia and China, America’s two largest rivals on the global stage, have signaled support for Iran, they have remained largely disengaged from the conflict. Meanwhile, Trump’s moves in both Venezuela and Iran have separated Russia and China from major oil producers.

Russia and Iran signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in January 2025, and the countries carried out joint military drills in the Indian Ocean as late as February. Yet the treaty does not include a mutual defense clause, so Moscow had no obligation to engage militarily when Tehran faced U.S. and Israeli strikes.

Andrey Kortunov, former director general of the Russian International Affairs Council, told Al Jazeera that the risks of joining the war on Iran’s side would be too high. While Russia is providing Iran intelligence to target the U.S. in the region, it seems unlikely to get engaged beyond that.

China signed a 25-year cooperation agreement with Iran in 2021, drawing Tehran into China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Yet China has also developed ties with the Persian Gulf states. In 2023, Chinese leader Xi Jinping brokered normalization between Saudi Arabia and Iran, aiming to stabilize the Persian Gulf, from which most of China’s oil comes.

Around 50% of China’s oil comes from Arab nations like Saudi Arabia, while only roughly 17% comes from the Islamic Republic that just attacked Saudi Arabia.

Both Russian and Chinese leaders have condemned the strikes and called for a ceasefire, but escalation seems largely limited to the Middle East.

The U.S. and Israel took a bold gamble in Iran this week, and so far the results have been remarkably positive. The strikes have decapitated Iran’s leadership, led Lebanon to oppose Hezbollah, and put China between a rock and a hard place when it comes to oil diplomacy.

The war is just beginning, but America and Israel have achieved truly historic successes. Let’s pray these are early signs of more victories to come—and ultimately harbingers of a lasting peace.

AUTHOR

Tyler O’Neil

Tyler O’Neil is senior editor at The Daily Signal and the author of two books: “Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center,” and “The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government.” Tyler on X: @Tyler2ONeil

LIVE: Operation Lion’s Roar/Epic Fury — March 8-9, 2026 thumbnail

LIVE: Operation Lion’s Roar/Epic Fury — March 8-9, 2026

By NEWSRAEL Telling the Israeli Story

04:00

LEBANON: The IDF recently attacked infrastructure of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in Beirut.

ISRAEL: Red Alert missile launch, Pardes Hanna

03:00

LEBANON: IDF Attack in Beirut suburbs, now

GULF: Qatar announced that it had repelled another Iranian missile attack on the country.

In Bahrain, several civilians were injured (one seriously) in an attack by Iranian drones

UAE: Explosions in Dubai, now

IRAQ: Reports of extensive air traffic over the Baghdad city area.

LEBANON: Another attack in the town of Joya in southern Lebanon, after being attacked several times today.

02:00

LEBANON: Intensive flights of fighter jets and drones over the Lebanese Bekaa.

IRAN: Missile strikes and explosions continued to be reported in several Iranian cities on Sunday, including Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, Bandar Abbas, Ahvaz and areas near Yazd.

ISRAEL: Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir: The campaign will continue for a long time. This is the war of our generation, and it is critical and decisive. It will determine our future and our security here for many years to come.

ISRAEL: Reports in Lebanon: Helicopters landed an Israeli force on the Lebanon-Syria border. The force is trying to make its way to the town of Al-Nabi Sheet, and Hezbollah militants are trying to prevent it from advancing by rocket fire. (Roi Qais Channel 11)

ISRAEL: Israeli skies just minutes ago.

USA: The war minister said: When you combine our air force with the air force of the Israel Defense Forces, it is not a fair fight, these are the two strongest air forces in the world, our capabilities are tremendous compared to the capabilities of Iran.

USA: Report from New York: The FBI has opened a terrorism investigation after an improvised explosive device, made from chemical materials, was found inside a parked vehicle near City Hall.

ISRAEL: Iranian “Splitting missile” in the skies of Israel: A woman in her 40s was moderately injured from interception debris in the center of the country, damage caused to several electrical infrastructures

ISRAEL: Reports in Lebanon: Helicopters landed an Israeli force on the Lebanon-Syria border. The force is trying to make its way to the town of Al-Nabi Sheet, and Hezbollah militants are trying to prevent it from advancing by rocket fire. (Roi Qais Channel 11)

ISRAEL: Israeli skies just minutes ago

01:00

ISRAEL: Missile launches to the central region

ISRAEL: MDA Paramedics Spokesperson: Following the shooting towards the State of Israel. At this stage, no casualties are known.

USA: Trump: Short-term oil prices, which will drop quickly when the destruction of the Iranian nuclear threat is complete, are a very small price to pay for the US, the world, safety, and peace. Only fools would think otherwise! President DJT

ISRAEL: Sirens were activated in Sharon and Samaria following fire from Iran.

ISRAEL: Missile launches to the northern and central regions

CENTCOM: “The two best air forces in the world (🇺🇸 +🇮🇱) continue to demonstrate air superiority in the skies of Iran.”

IRAN: Reports of explosions in Shiraz, Karaj, and Zanjan in Iran

USA: Trump, in response to a question about whether the possibility of imposing sanctions on the Attorney General or on the President of the Supreme Court, Yitzhak Amit, was considered, replied: “I don’t want to say this, but I am ‘all-in’ on Bibi.”

00:00

SAUDI ARABIA: Explosions in Saudi Arabia now

IRAN: IRGC statement: “Ready to fully obey and sacrifice our lives to the orders of the Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei”

ISRAEL: Missiles shot at Israel’s south

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti army announced that it intercepted three ballistic missiles and two drones launched from Iran towards the kingdom

IRAN: Iranian media reports that Haj Ali Hashem, a senior Revolutionary Guards officer, was killed in an attack in Isfahan

IRAN: Explosions in Tehran reported

23:00

Israel’s ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, does not rule out an Israeli ground operation to extract the enriched uranium from Iran: Our plan is to obtain it. It is a goal that must be achieved.

IRAN: Opponents of the regime in Iran renamed a street in honor of President Trump: Trump – keeps his word. He promises and delivers.

22:00

LEBANON: Several attacks in southern Lebanon.

CENTCOM: Attempted targeted assassination: Attack on a vehicle between the Baghdad-Diyala highway in the Bahras area, eastern Iraq.

CENTCOM: An American soldier died yesterday from his wounds after being injured in an Iranian attack on U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia during the first day of the war.

CENTCOM: We call on citizens in Iran to stay home. Hard work and action are on the way .

Arab-crime wave: Initial report: A northern city’s mayor and his deputy were shot. The shooing was in the Arab-Israeli city of Arrabe

21:00

BREAKING: 5 senior Quds Commanders killed in IDF Beirut targeted attack

ISRAEL: The IDF destroyed the Air Force headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards in Tehran. The headquarters operated the ballistic missile and drone commands, and it was responsible for planning the Iranian firing. Strikes against Basij offices are increasing. Much is done by drones inside Iran. Mossad affiliates?

20:00

The UAE Ministry of Defense releases a video of its forces shooting down Iranian drones approaching the Emirati country

SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia says drone originating from Yemen intercepted and destroyed over Empty Quarter south of the country.

EUROPE: Frankfurt, Germany: Demonstration in support of the Ayatollah regime

AMIT SEGAL: Israel is preparing for another 5 weeks of war — until after Passover

Qatar to the Americans: We will expel the Hamas leadership from our territory after they refused to condemn the Iranian attacks (Ehud Yaari)
The IDF carried out more than 100 strikes in the last 24 hours across Lebanon, including a compound of the Radwan Force unit in Dahieh, Beirut. Additionally, a Hezbollah terrorist who was in close contact with elements of the Iranian Quds Force was eliminated.

LEBANON: Attack in the Lebanese Bekaa valley; also in Baalbek, deep Lebanon

19:00

Israel and the USA are doing phenomenal work regarding striking the centers of protest suppression. The revolution is coming?
SAUDI ARABIA: At least two killed and 12 injured in Iranian ballistic missile strike in Al-Kharj city east of Riyadh. Al Arabiya reports that the injured are foreign workers – and the two dead are from India and Bangladesh

USA: Trump is considering sending special forces to Iran. The goal: capturing the enriched uranium stockpile (Bloomberg)
BREAKING-GAZA: The IDF attacked two Hamas militants who planned to carry out a sniper operation against our forces in the northern Gaza Strip in the immediate timeframe. REMINDER: The IDF eliminated a sniper in Gaza yesterday also.
IRAQ: France calls on its citizens to leave Iraq immediately

CENTCOM: The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) headquarters issued a warning to the residents of Iran, calling on them to stay in their homes, noting that significant military actions may soon be carried out from populated locations from which launches were identified.

LEBANON: The IDF took control of radio frequencies in southern Lebanon – and broadcast instructions for the immediate evacuation of residents from southern Lebanon northward, beyond the Litani River.

ISRAEL: No missile hits or injuries in the last 2 attacks from Iran

18:00

LEBANON: The IDF eliminated a Hezbollah terrorist cell in southern Lebanon. In the area where the cell operated, weapons, communication devices, and ammunition were found.

ISRAEL: RED ALERT: Missiles from Iran aimed at the Central region identified – 2nd wave

ISRAEL: Sirens going off now in Central Israel

ISRAEL: RED ALERT: Missiles from Iran aimed at the Central region identified

Urgent: The headquarters of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Isfahan, Shahin Shahr, is currently under bombardment.

CENTCOM: Centcom publishes footage of attacks on targets in Iran, including armored vehicles and more.

ISRAEL: The IDF recently began extensive strikes against the infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime in Tehran and other areas in Iran.

IRAN: Iranian Foreign Minister to NBC: Russia is helping us in many ways

EUROPE: The British magazine The Sunday Times: Russian material was detected in a drone launched from Lebanon to the British base in Cyprus on 1.3

17:00

RUSSIA: Report – Iranians who evacuated from Lebanon following Adrai’s warning have evacuated to Russia.

KUWAIT-IRAN: The Kuwait Interior Ministry announces that two officers in the Border Guard ranks were killed “in the line of duty”: one with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and the other with the rank of Major.

ISRAEL: RED ALERT: Missiles from Iran to the center of Israel

ISRAEL: Hostile aircraft intrusion in the north

ISRAEL: It has been cleared for publication that the name of the IDF fallen soldier, whose family has been notified, is: Master Sergeant Maher Khatar, 38 years old, from Majdal Shams, a combat engineering soldier in the 91st Division of the Combat Engineering Corps, who was killed in action in southern Lebanon.

ISRAEL: IDF: This morning, an unmanned aerial vehicle was intercepted by an Air Force attack helicopter on the northern border. As part of the interception attempts, a few houses in the territory of the State of Israel were hit by artillery shells fired. No casualties. The event is under investigation.

IRAN: The new head of the military bureau of the supreme leader, who was appointed just a few days ago after the elimination of his predecessor in the opening strike, has been eliminated.

IRAN: Today’s documentation of the skyline in the capital Tehran and the dirt that gathered on vehicles in the capital, following last night’s air force attacks on oil facilities in Tehran and its surroundings – attacks that caused huge fires at the site.

ISRAEL: IDF Spokesperson: Rescue and relief forces of the Home Front Command, in cooperation with emergency organizations, are currently operating at impact sites in the center of the country.

ISRAEL: Initial report of injuries in latest attack from Iran on Israel: A man about 40 years old in serious condition, A man about 25 years old in moderate condition, A 56-year-old in mild condition

IRAQ: Reports of loud explosions in Erbil.

IRAN: The sound of explosions heard across the capital Tehran

EUROPE: Cyprus officially accuses Hezbollah: “The drones aimed at British bases in Cyprus were launched from Lebanon.”

LEBANON: In the past 24 hours, our forces struck more than 400 targets in western and central Iran, including ballistic missile launchers and weapons production sites.

UAE: An Israeli source confirms: The United Arab Emirates attacked a desalination facility in Iran.

EDITORS NOTE: This Newsrael column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

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