The briefing for Friday, March 13.

Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first public statement Thursday, vowing to maintain the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and continue attacks on U.S. regional bases. The message, read by a newsreader on Iranian state TV, declared Iran would use the strait as leverage where "the enemy is highly vulnerable." Khamenei has not appeared publicly since succeeding his father, who was killed in the opening U.S.-Israeli strike on Feb. 28.

The strait blockade and Iranian attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure have pushed Brent crude oil above $100 per barrel, up 38% since the war began. Iran struck targets across the region Thursday including a container ship off Dubai, infrastructure near Bahrain's airport, and a Saudi oil field. The International Energy Agency has called the disruption "the largest supply disruption in history." Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian indicated attacks would continue until Iran receives security guarantees against future assaults.

The UN refugee agency reports 3.2 million people have been displaced within Iran, mostly fleeing Tehran and major cities for northern or rural areas. Iran-backed Hezbollah launched some 200 rockets at northern Israel overnight, while Israel conducted what it called a "wide-scale wave of strikes" on Tehran and Lebanon, killing 11 in two Lebanese strikes. Despite President Trump claiming Iran is "virtually destroyed," he promised to "finish the job" as the conflict shows no signs of ending.

The Trump administration initiated new trade investigations Wednesday under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, targeting 16 countries including China, the European Union, Japan, and Mexico. The investigations examine excess industrial capacity and government subsidies that U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said could give foreign companies unfair advantages. The move comes after the Supreme Court struck down Trump's previous tariffs in February by declaring an economic emergency.

The investigations face a 150-day deadline tied to separate 10% tariffs imposed under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act, which expire July 24. Greer indicated the administration is "keying off" this timeline to bring "potential options" to Trump as soon as possible. The investigations will examine countries with persistent trade surpluses with the U.S. and policies such as subsidies and wage suppression, among other factors.

The process could revive much of the global economic uncertainty from last year's tariff battles, though it remains unclear how the investigations will interact with existing trade frameworks Trump negotiated with countries like the EU, Japan, and South Korea. Greer said those frameworks "stand on their own" but suggested country commitments could factor into the Section 301 process. The administration also plans additional investigations covering forced labor imports, digital service taxes, pharmaceutical pricing, and ocean pollution.

The bodies of 84 Iranian sailors killed when a U.S. submarine torpedoed the Iranian warship Iris Dena will be flown home from Sri Lanka on Friday, according to Sri Lanka's defense ministry. The seamen were among 130 aboard the vessel when it was sunk on March 4 about 40 kilometers from Sri Lanka's southern coast. A police escort transferred the bodies to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport after they were stored in freezers at Galle National Hospital.

Sri Lanka's navy rescued 32 sailors after the attack, who will remain in the country according to AFP. A magistrate in Galle ordered the 84 bodies released to the Iranian embassy. The Pentagon released video showing the moment a U.S. torpedo struck the vessel, causing its stern to rise before exploding. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the warship died a "quiet death."

The sinking in international waters marked a dramatic widening of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, sparking debate about international law implications. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the U.S. "perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores," warning that "the US will come to bitterly regret precedent it has set." Iran has since launched retaliatory strikes across the Middle East targeting Gulf countries allied with the United States.

The Senate approved comprehensive housing legislation Thursday by an 89-10 vote, addressing affordability and access through reduced regulations, corporate investor limits, and expanded funding for affordable housing. The bill, championed by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, represents a rare bipartisan achievement on a pressing national issue. "We have a housing shortage all across America," Warren said, adding the legislation "will help drive down prices."

The measure would give local governments more power on housing decisions, allow banks to increase affordable housing investments, and lift limits on Section 8-funded public housing units receiving private financing. It streamlines environmental review requirements for homebuilding and eliminates caps on emergency shelter grants. The bill also removes the requirement that manufactured and modular homes be built on permanent chassis, making them easier to construct and transport to areas needing housing.

Despite overwhelming Senate support, the bill faces an uncertain path in the House. President Trump has backed the legislation but declared last weekend he won't sign new measures until Congress passes voting restrictions requiring proof of citizenship and ending most mail-in balloting. House leaders have suggested formal conference negotiations between chambers, a process that could take months. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the quickest route would be for the House to pass the Senate version directly.

A 41-year-old man rammed a vehicle into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, Thursday morning before being killed by security, according to authorities. The FBI is leading the investigation into what officials describe as a targeted attack on the Jewish community. Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Lebanon who arrived in 2011 and gained citizenship in 2016, drove down a hallway in the synagogue before his vehicle caught fire.

The synagogue's 140 children at its early childhood center, along with more than 30 staff members, were evacuated safely. One security officer was knocked unconscious by the vehicle but did not suffer life-threatening injuries, while 30 law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation. Rabbi Arianna Gordon thanked security teams and teachers for safely reuniting children with their parents, some of whom sprinted to the building immediately after authorities cleared it.

The attack comes as synagogues worldwide have increased security amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. The FBI has warned of potential Iranian drone attacks on California targets, while recent incidents include explosives brought to a New York protest and a deadly car attack outside a Manchester, England synagogue on Yom Kippur. Steven Ingber, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Detroit, said he was not surprised by the attack. It marks the second assault on a Michigan house of worship in a year, following a September shooting at a church that killed four people.

Nearly every Senate Democrat has written to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding answers about a strike on a primary school in Minab, Iran, that Iranian officials say killed 168 people, including approximately 110 children. U.S. media have reported that military investigators believe American forces likely hit the school unintentionally at the start of the joint U.S.-Israeli operation, though they have not reached a final conclusion. Expert video analysis confirmed a U.S. Tomahawk missile struck an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps military base adjacent to the school.

The letter asks detailed questions including whether the U.S. carried out the strike and whether outdated target analysis led to the error. It references Hegseth's vow during a recent news conference that there would be no "stupid rules of engagement" and asks if he complied with rules preventing war crimes. Senator Gary Peters, a member of the Armed Services Committee, called the incident "a horrific tragedy" and said he wanted facts "as quickly as we can."

According to CBS News and other outlets, a preliminary U.S. assessment suggests the strike may have resulted from outdated intelligence wrongly identifying the area as still being a military site. President Trump previously claimed without evidence that Iran carried out the bombing, but said Tuesday he would "live with" whatever the military investigation shows. Two Israeli officials told the Washington Post the targeting was not discussed with the Israeli military, while Israel says it was unaware of operations in the area. If confirmed as a U.S. strike, it would rank among the worst single civilian casualty incidents in decades of U.S. Middle East conflicts.