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Mar 17, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump just got a "quiet but unmistakable" message from U.S. allies over his troubles in Iran. Trump has called on U.S. allies to help clear the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran effectively shut off to American and Israeli ships in retaliation for the bombing strikes the two countries have carried out since late February. The Strait accounts for 20% of global oil trade, and the blockade is part of the reason why energy prices in the U.S. have reached levels not seen since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.Not a single U.S. ally has stepped up to help the Trump administration, according to reports. Swaran Singh, professor of diplomacy and disarmament at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, wrote in a new op-ed for Asia Times that Trump has created a "coalition of the unwilling" with his move to bomb Iran, and that could leave the U.S. more isolated in the future. "This explains the emerging consensus — quiet but unmistakable — in favor of an early ceasefire and against further militarization of this crisis," Singh wrote, noting that 135 countries at the U.N. voted on a resolution to support ending the war in Iran. "Understandably, most nations are not ready to confront Trump, but neither have they endorsed his approach. It is a delicate balancing act: strategic ambiguity as a form of dissent. This silent ambiguity can translate into American isolation.""A U.S. capable of launching strikes is unable to rally allies; it’s a superpower that commands attention, but not alignment," he added. "Trump’s continued escalation, despite the lack of broad international support, risks deepening this isolation further."Read the entire op-ed by clicking here.

Mar 17, 2026 - World

An analyst described how President Donald Trump's recent attacks on NATO allies and reversed requests for assistance to reopen the vital oil channel, the Strait of Hormuz, have revealed how the president views war. MS NOW host Nicolle Wallace was talking to Tom Nichols, staff writer at The Atlantic, about why Trump's comments have isolated the United States from its European allies in his war against Iran. "There's such an erratic nature to his comments about what he wants and needs, both from our allies and in terms of the Strait of Hormuz," Wallace said. "You know, in a way, he's not erratic. He's very constant," Nichols said. "He's like an angry little boy. You know when people say they're not coming to his birthday party, he says, 'Well, I didn't want you there anyway.'""It's childlike," Nichols added. "He kind of approaches the world as sort of a resentful, arrested development small child. Because, for one thing, he doesn't understand that other countries have agency. They are not simply wholly owned subsidiaries of the United States. They are not part of Trump enterprises. You know, Keir Starmer is not the executive vice president for, you know, British relations in the Trump organization. These people answer to their voters, their countries have interests. And the tragedy is for decades they have identified their interests with ours and we with theirs. "The reality is different from what Trump thinks, Nichols explained. "And now Donald Trump says, 'Look, an alliance means that you do what's good for me when I tell you to do it, and when I snap my fingers, and then the rest of the time I insult you and I talk you down, because of course, I'm the most powerful and we have the best, and we don't need anyone,'" Nichols said. "And then he's shocked when all the other kids won't come to his party. Well, you know, that's international diplomacy. People don't like to jump into a war that they didn't have any part in starting. This could have been avoided with just a modicum of competent diplomacy, of just talking to some of these governments ahead of time, not just to make the case, but to say, 'Look, we understand you might have heartburn about this. We're going to do what we can to keep you in the loop.'"But since Trump didn't take the diplomatic approach, he doesn't have the diplomatic results. "And instead, every single day, Trump vacillates between, 'We don't need you and you're stupid and weak. And how come you stupid, weak people that we don't need aren't showing up and putting your sons and daughters on the line and putting them in harm's way?'" Nichols said. "He's not capable of grasping the paradox in that, because the whole world is about Donald Trump, and everyone else is just, you know, a prop or a bit player."

Mar 17, 2026 - World

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reversed her tune on Tuesday after previously saying there was "no imminent threat" from Iran — then five days later saying the complete opposite.Leavitt wrote a lengthy response on X to Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, the first administration official to speak out against the war and exit his role. Kent was a longtime MAGA ally of President Donald Trump, who appointed him to the job, and early Tuesday shared his decision on X. He described why he would not support the ongoing conflict, saying, "I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.""There are many false claims in this letter but let me address one specifically: that 'Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation,'" Leavitt wrote in rebuttal. "This is the same false claim that Democrats and some in the liberal media have been repeating over and over."MeidasTouch podcaster Adam Mockler pointed out Leavitt's words and how they had changed from days ago in an X post on Tuesday."You literally just said there was no threat," Mockler wrote, highlighting Leavitt's own words from March 12.Last week, Leavitt was critical of an ABC News report in a separate post on X, blaming the outlet for "providing false information to intentionally alarm the American people.""TO BE CLEAR: No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists, and it never did," she wrote.

Mar 17, 2026 - World

Russia has provided Iran with similar intelligence that the U.S. and Europe provide Ukraine, according to a new Wall Street Journal report published on Tuesday. Iran has received information from Russia about the locations of American military forces and its allies across the Middle East, including satellite images and improved Shahed drone technology, an officer and Middle Eastern diplomat told The Journal. "Russia is trying to keep its closest Middle Eastern partner in the fight against U.S. and Israeli military might and prolong a war that is benefiting Russia militarily and economically," according to The Journal. Moscow has also used its own experience in the war against Ukraine and offered Tehran advice on how it should operate its drones, giving insights on how many to use and what altitudes it should plan to strike its targets, sources said, including a senior European intelligence leader. Jim Lamson, a visiting research fellow at King’s College London and former CIA analyst who has focused on the Iranian military, described why the move would aid Tehran. “If there are details in those images that the Russians are providing, say, of specific types of aircraft, munitions sites, air defense assets, and naval movements, that have intel value to the Iranians, that would really help them,” Lamson told The Journal. Trump has said that Russia could be helping Iran "a bit," but his administration has denied that it was providing direct information on American drone strike locations. Last week, the Trump administration temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian oil at sea, allowing it to be shipped to buyers worldwide, in an effort to contain energy prices that have soared due to the Iran war.

Mar 17, 2026 - World

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard faced criticism for her response to the resignation of Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center.In his resignation letter, Kent said that he was quitting because he could not "in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran."Gabbard responded hours later by expressing tepid support for President Donald Trump. But she did not come out in favor of or criticize the war effort."The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is responsible for helping coordinate and integrate all intelligence to provide the President and Commander in Chief with the best information available to inform his decisions," Gabbard wrote. "After carefully reviewing all the information before him, President Trump concluded that the terrorist Islamist regime in Iran posed an imminent threat and he took action based on that conclusion.""Pathetic, craven, desperate for power, total and permanent drain of integrity," libertarian lawyer Glenn Greenwald replied. "This neither contradicts Joe Kent nor defends the President's Iran policy," former national security staffer Tommy Vietor noted."A statement clearly made in response to Kent, but one that actually never says if she supports the war!" the Bulwark's Sam Stein observed."The Director of National Intelligence says that an imminent threat is whatever the president says is an imminent threat," ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl wrote. "But nowhere in this statement, does she say that she agrees that Iran posed an imminent threat — or that the intelligence supports such a conclusion.""What a worm this woman is. It's amazing how little dignity she has," Richard Hanania remarked. "Of all the people who've grabbed on to the Trump train, she is the one who has done so with the least to show for it and the least plausible story of how it fits with her principles. And that's saying a lot!"