WEEKLY UPDATE - 04.03.2026

Trump calls for end of the war while threatening escalation

US President Donald Trump urged Americans to keep the joint US-Israeli war with Iran in perspective during an address to the public on Wednesday evening. The 19-minute speech meandered through a series of conflicting talking points that he has periodically voiced over the course of the month-long war. Trump threatened to bomb Iran into the “stone age” while also suggesting that the US was close to wrapping up its military campaign. During the address Trump both expressed that the US would likely not attempt to seize Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium while also saying that the Strait of Hormuz was not the US’s problem. Trump also urged Iran’s leadership to make a deal before their country is destroyed. The speech did little to allay investors’ concerns as markets responded tumbled the morning after the address and oil prices continued to climb.

In the days preceding the speech, the US and Israel continued to target the Iranian regime while Iran responded by launching missiles on Israel and America’s Gulf allies. According to several reports the US had struck over 12,000 targets in Iran during the month-long war contributing to the deaths of more than 1,600 Iranians including ore than 200 children. In Lebanon, Israel continued to escalate its war with Hezbollah where it has called for the expulsion of all Shi’a south of the Litani River. Yemen’s Houthi rebels have also begun to escalate their attacks on Israel and in the Red Sea.

Around the Region

• North Africa:

  • A French court rejected Tunisia’s request for the extradition of ex-President Ben Ali’s daughter Halima. Tunisian authorities are pursuing the extradition of Halima on charges of money laundering in connection with her family’s estate. French authorities arrested Halima last September at the behest of Tunisia which is in the midst of a renewed push to recoup funds misappropriated funds by the Ben Ali regime. Ben Ali, who ruled Tunisia for more than 20 years before being deposed in 2011, is believed to have embezzled billions of dollars of government funds during his tenure.

  • Police in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta discovered a large tunnel complex used by Moroccan drug smugglers. The tunnel network emerged in an industrial warehouse and used soundproofing to avoid detection. Moroccan hashish smugglers used the tunnels to smuggle large amounts of hashish into Spain proper via Ceuta.

• The Gulf:

  • Bahrain is sponsoring a proposed UN Security Council resolution to open the Strait of Hormuz. The current proposal, which enjoys the support of the GCC and Jordan, would authorize the use of defensive, but not offensive, means to secure transit through the Strait. Russia and China opposed earlier drafts of the resolution which allowed any means necessary to open the Strait to shipping. The final draft authorizes states to “use all defensive means necessary and commensurate with the circumstances in the Strait of Hormuz and adjacent waters" to secure passage and deter attempts to interfere with international navigation "for a period of at least six months."

  • Iranian drones struck fuel tanks at Kuwait’s international airport on Wednesday causing a massive fire. According to Kuwaiti authorities there were no casualties resulting from the attack. Other Iranian attacks in the Gulf hit the Bahrain and Qatar resulting in one death.

• The Levant:

  • On Monday, the Israeli Knesset passed a controversial law mandating the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of carrying out deadly attacks. The law, which was backed by the Netanyahu government, would require death by hanging of individuals convicted in military courts within 90 days of sentencing. Furthermore, Israeli military courts have a conviction rate of 99 percent. The law would also eliminate the right of the defendant to appeal the ruling. Exports note that this law would only apply to Palestinians as Israeli Jews accused of terrorism are not tried in military courts. The law further uses language meant to exclude it from being used against Israeli settlers saying it applies only to those who “intentionally cause the death of a person with the aim of denying the existence of the state of Israel.” The vote passed by a margin of 62-47.

  • Iraqi oil companies began to export some of its oil on tanker trucks through Syria bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. Iraq and Syria provided few details. Interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa reiterated his desire to remain out of the Iran war unless the country faces aggression.

Recommended:

• “Lost Friendships, Broken Relationships: How the War in Iran is Dividing the Diaspora” New York Times

• “The Long Shadow of the Iran-Iraq War” New Lines Magazine

• “Heritage in the Dock” New Lines Magazine