Trump told The Times of Israel that the decision on when to end the war with Iran will be made together with Netanyahu, though he said he will ultimately decide “at the right time.”

“I think it’s mutual… We’ve been talking. I’ll make a decision at the right time.”

Trump on Iran:

Iran was going to destroy Israel and everything else around it.

Source: The Times of Israel

Trump:

Bibi Netanyahu should be given that pardon immediately.

Source: The Times of Israel

Trump on Iran:

Many people will disarm because of [the war against Iran], because right now Iran is in a position that it’s never known before, and it’s only going to get worse for them.

Source: The Times of Israel

Hegseth on Iran:

Unconditional surrender means we're fighting to win. It means we set the terms.

We'll know when they're not capable of fighting.

They will be combat ineffective. They will surrender.

Hegseth on Iran:

We want peace... But if war is necessary, we’re going to fight to win.

Hegseth on Iran:

Trump is right when he says we obliterated their nuclear program. He’s right. We did. We dropped those bombs exactly where they needed to be, set them back.

But that doesn’t mean they’ve stopped their pursuit.

Hegseth on Iran:

We want the Iranians guessing and second-guessing and triple-guessing what we might be willing to do, because under Trump, we just might.

Hegseth on Iran:

It’s not a regime change war in the conventional George W. Bush context of hundreds of thousands of troops.

I mean, in Afghanistan what I watched as a young captain was Americans thinking we were going to remake a society that was basically biblical times with AK-47s and cell phones.

The hubris of thinking we were going to take Afghanistan and turn it into a Jeffersonian democracy by building Western-style forces and Western-style institutions — it was never going to work.

This is not a remaking of Iranian society from an American perspective. We tried that. The American people have rejected that.

Host: You were asked earlier in the week about this girls’ school. You said the U.S. was investigating it. Have you made any conclusions about whether or not the United States inadvertently or not was involved in any military strike at that school?

Hegseth: Well, we’re still investigating, and that’s where I’ll leave it today. But what I will emphasize to you and to the world is that unlike our adversaries, the Iranians, we never target civilians.

Host: There was a report late in the week from two officials that it was likely U.S. involvement. Is that report false?

Hegseth: I’ve already said we’re investigating.

Host: If you could tell the American public it definitively was not us, you would tell us, wouldn’t you?

Hegseth: I would say that it’s being investigated, which is the only answer I’m prepared to give.

Hegseth on Iran:

Things like this don’t happen without casualties. There will be more casualties.

Our generation knows what it’s like to see Americans come home in caskets. But that doesn’t weaken us one bit.

Hegseth on Iran:

I’m a man of faith who encourages our troops to lean into their faith. Rely on God. There’s no atheists in foxholes. Your mortality is right in front of you.

My Christian faith — faith in general — is important to Trump. It’s important in our fighting ranks to give them perspective on human nature, on their own humanity, on our own mortality.

We lost a lot of that with sort of self-help, self-esteem nonsense, which is not what troops need.

Hegseth on Iran:

I think part of the reason recruiting is so high in our military right now is they understand they’ve got leadership that has their back, that has walked in their boots, that’s not going to use them callously or recklessly or for some nebulous mission, but is going to pour into them and give them every authority they need to be successful.

NEW: Ukraine has sent interceptor drones and drone specialists to help defend U.S. military bases in Jordan from Iranian drone attacks, Zelensky said.

Source: NYT

Iran’s Assembly of Experts appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader after Ali Khamenei was killed in a Feb. 28 U.S.-Israeli airstrike, while Iran’s armed forces pledged loyalty to the new leadership structure.

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$100 oil is back. And the world may pay the price.

Oil prices rising above $100 per barrel are creating a major shock for the global economy.

Higher energy costs drive up prices for fuel, transportation, food, and manufacturing, pushing inflation higher while slowing economic growth.

Economists warn that sustained high prices act like a tax on consumers and businesses, reducing spending and squeezing company profits.

Central banks may be forced to delay interest-rate cuts or tighten policy, increasing financial pressure worldwide.

The impact is uneven: oil-importing economies such as Europe, China, and India are hit hardest, facing higher trade deficits and slower growth.

Oil exporters like Russia, and parts of the U.S. benefit from higher revenues.

Gulf states may not benefit from higher oil prices, as exports are heavily disrupted and much of their crude cannot leave the region due to restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz.

The current surge is linked to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for about 20% of global oil shipments.

If prices rise further toward $120–150, analysts warn the world could face stagflation risks, market volatility, and a higher probability of recession.

Qatar’s Interior Ministry says 313 people of various nationalities have been arrested for filming and spreading misleading videos, rumors, and false information on social media related to the current situation.

Under Qatar’s Cybercrime Law (Law No. 14 of 2014), spreading false information online that threatens public order or security can lead to:

— Fines of up to 500,000 Qatari riyals (~$137,000).

— Prison sentences of up to 3 years, depending on the offense.

— Possible deportation for foreign nationals.

Syrian Kurds warn Iran’s Kurds against aligning with the U.S. to fight Tehran, citing their own experience of being “abandoned” by Washington after years of cooperation.

“I hope the Kurds of Iran will not ally themselves with America, because they will abandon them,” said Saad Ali in Qamishli.

Another Kurdish resident said Syrian Kurds had “a negative experience with the Americans… and their abandonment of Kurdish resistance movements.”

Source: Reuters

Erbil, Iraq saw four drone attacks near Erbil Airport and the U.S. Consulate about five minutes apart as air defenses responded.

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