The briefing for Sunday, March 15.

Gulf states reported new missile and drone attacks Sunday after Iran threatened to widen its campaign by calling for evacuations at three major UAE ports. Tehran accused the United States of using UAE facilities to launch strikes on Kharg Island, home to Iran's main oil export terminal, though it provided no evidence. The UAE and other Gulf countries hosting US bases have denied allowing their territory to be used for military operations against Iran. Iranian strikes have killed at least a dozen civilians in Gulf states, most of them migrant workers, while at least 13 US military personnel have died since the war began on February 28.

President Trump said Friday that US forces had 'totally obliterated' Iranian military infrastructure on Kharg Island but chose not to target its oil facilities 'for reasons of decency.' The island handles 90 percent of Iran's crude oil exports through a critical terminal that serves as Tehran's economic lifeline. US Central Command said it struck more than 90 military targets while preserving oil infrastructure. Iranian state media reported no damage to oil facilities, though attacks hit air defenses, a naval base, and other military sites. Iran's military warned that oil and energy infrastructure belonging to firms working with the US would be 'immediately destroyed' if its energy facilities were attacked.

Trump urged Britain, China, France, Japan, South Korea, and other nations to send warships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of global oil supplies normally pass. Currently, not even the US Navy is escorting tankers through the narrow shipping lane. The UK Ministry of Defence said it was discussing 'a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region' with allies. Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to continue blocking the strait and warned neighboring countries to stop hosting US bases. Reports indicate the Pentagon is deploying approximately 5,000 additional sailors and Marines to the Gulf aboard the USS Tripoli and its amphibious ready group.

The SAVE America Act, requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, cleared the House last month on a mostly party-line basis and is scheduled for Senate voting and debate next week. While Republican messaging has highlighted a less divisive provision requiring photo ID, the citizenship documentation mandate is likely to have the most wide-ranging consequences. Noncitizens are already prohibited from voting in federal elections by all states, and cases where it occurs are rare. The bill comes as President Trump has called its safeguards 'common sense' and pushed aggressively for its passage.

Obtaining the necessary documents under the SAVE Act is not as straightforward as it might appear. A similar effort in Kansas a decade ago turned into a debacle that was eventually blocked by courts after more than 30,000 eligible citizens were prevented from registering. The list of qualifying documents appears extensive but comes with significant qualifiers. For example, a REAL ID-compliant driver's license must indicate the applicant is a citizen, but only five states—Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington—offer enhanced REAL IDs that explicitly show citizenship. Standard driver's licenses, available to both citizens and noncitizens, often don't include citizenship indicators.

Military ID cards are listed as qualifying documents but won't suffice on their own—they must be accompanied by a 'record of service' indicating the person's birthplace was in the US. The current standard DD214 discharge certificate does not include birthplace information. Rebekah Caruthers of the Fair Elections Center warned the legislation's strict documentation requirements could deny millions of eligible Americans their fundamental freedom to vote, 'including millions of people who make up your communities, including married women, people of color and voters who live in rural areas.' New Hampshire's similar state law, which took effect for the first time in 2025 town elections, has already created confusion and barriers for eligible voters like Joshua Bogdan, who had to scramble to find his birth certificate despite being born and raised in the United States.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright directed Texas-based Sable Offshore Corp. to restore operations off southern California that were damaged by a 2015 oil spill, invoking the Defense Production Act on Friday. The order aims to restore Sable's Santa Ynez unit, which includes three offshore rigs, onshore and offshore pipelines, and the Las Flores Canyon Processing Facility. Officials said the facility can produce about 50,000 barrels of oil per day and would replace nearly 1.5 million barrels of foreign crude each month. Wright said the move would 'strengthen America's oil supply and restore a pipeline system vital to our national security and defense, ensuring that West Coast military installations have the reliable energy critical to military readiness.'

The decision comes after President Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office to reverse former President Biden's ban on future offshore oil drilling on the East and West coasts. A federal court later struck down Biden's order withdrawing 625 million acres of federal waters from oil development. In January, California sued the federal government for approving Sable's plans to restart pipelines along the coast, with Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta stating that California oversees the pipelines and the federal government 'has no right to usurp California's regulatory authority.'

California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned Friday's action as 'an attempt to illegally restart a pipeline whose operators are facing criminal charges and prohibited by multiple court orders from restarting.' Newsom said California 'will not stand by while the Trump administration attempts to sacrifice our coastal communities, our environment, and our $51 billion coastal economy,' adding that the state will see the administration and Sable 'back in court.' The move represents the latest clash between the Trump administration and California over energy and environmental policy.

The United States flag was raised Saturday over its embassy in Caracas for the first time since 2019, highlighting the dramatic shift in relations between the two countries since former President Nicolás Maduro was captured by American troops in January. The reopening comes after several statements from President Trump in support of Maduro's successor, acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who has tried to keep negotiations open with Washington. The embassy team said in a statement published on social media that the flag was raised 'exactly seven years after it was taken down.'

The reopening drew positive reactions from some Caracas residents. 'It's a good thing, really, what a joy,' said local resident Luz Verónica López. 'Other countries must come back too because that's what we need; progress, to move forward with good relations with the rest of the world, as it should be.' Alessandro Di Benedetto, another resident, noted the positive atmosphere among those witnessing the moment, calling it 'another step' forward.

Despite the initiative, large portions of Venezuelan society and the political establishment remain critical of Trump, his decision to forcefully remove Maduro from office and jail him in New York with his wife, and growing American influence in the country's oil industry. The embassy reopening marks a significant milestone in US-Venezuela relations after years of diplomatic rupture under the Maduro government.

Representatives from Beijing and Washington began economic and trade talks in Paris on Sunday, Chinese official news agency Xinhua reported. The meetings, led by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, are expected to pave the way for President Trump's state visit to Beijing to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in about two weeks. The White House has said Trump will travel to China from March 31 to April 2, though Beijing has not officially confirmed the visit. It would be the first visit to China by a US president since Trump's 2017 trip during his first term.

Bessent said Thursday that his team will continue to deliver results that put America's farmers, workers, and businesses first. China's commerce ministry said Friday the two sides are set to discuss 'trade and economic issues of mutual concern.' The Paris talks represent the latest in a series of meetings between Bessent and He, who have led trade negotiations since last year in Geneva, London, Stockholm, Madrid, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The upcoming state visit comes five months after the two leaders met in Busan, South Korea, and agreed to a one-year truce in a trade war that temporarily saw tit-for-tat tariffs soar to triple digits before both sides climbed down. Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said it would be 'a big year' for China-US relations, and while he did not confirm the state visit, Wang said 'the agenda of high-level exchange is already on the table.'

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari warned Saturday that Afghanistan's Taliban government had 'crossed a red line' by launching drone attacks on civilian areas in Pakistan, saying the Kabul administration has brought 'grave consequences upon itself.' The statement came amid the deadliest fighting yet between the two neighbors, with cross-border clashes that erupted late last month showing no signs of abating despite mediation efforts by China and Turkey. Pakistan said its forces intercepted drones launched Friday, but falling debris injured two children in Quetta and two people elsewhere in the country.

On Friday, the Afghan Taliban government accused Pakistan of conducting airstrikes in Kabul and other areas in eastern Afghanistan, saying at least six civilians were killed and 15 injured. Hours later, Kabul claimed its air force responded by targeting military installations near Islamabad and in northwestern Pakistan. Pakistan denied targeting civilians, saying its operations focus on Pakistani Taliban militants and their support networks. Islamabad has referred to the conflict as an 'open war,' adding to international concerns about regional stability as the US-Israeli war with Iran has engulfed the Middle East and beyond.

Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban government of harboring Pakistani militant groups—mainly the Pakistani Taliban—that cross the porous border to stage attacks against Pakistani forces, and of allying with archrival India. Kabul denies harboring militant groups. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Friday for a peaceful resolution, warning that the use of force worsens tensions and threatens regional stability. Wang said China's special envoy is shuttling between the two countries to promote restraint and encourage a ceasefire. A Qatari-mediated ceasefire in October briefly reduced tensions, but subsequent talks in Turkey failed to produce a lasting agreement.