The Saudi Ministry of Defense reports that an Iranian one-way attack drone was downed earlier approaching the Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh.

Reporter: “If Iran tries to hit us back, have you been briefed about how many Iran sleeper cells there could be inside the U.S. right now?”

President Trump: “I have been and a lot of people came in through Biden with his stupid open border. But we know where most of them are. We've got our eye on all of them, I think.”

Crude Oil WTI is pumping, currently at around $95 per barrel and rising.

Iraqi firefighters and port authorities have managed to control and extinguish the fire onboard two oil tankers targeted earlier tonight off the coast of Basra, identified as the Marshall Islands-flagged M/T SAFESEA VISHNU and Malta-flagged M/T ZEFYROS, who were struck by a possible Iranian uncrewed surface vessel while conducting a ship-to-ship transfer within the territorial waters of Iraq.

Crazy footage obtained Wednesday from outside RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England, showing ground crewmembers with the U.S. Air Force, in full view of the public, unloading missile delivery systems from and loading GBU-31 2,000lb Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) onto B-1B “Lancer” Long-Range Heavy Bombers for future strikes against Iran.

Video credit: @richardgaisford

U.S. intelligence indicates that Iran's leadership is still largely intact and is not at risk of collapse any time soon, after nearly two weeks of relentless bombardment by Israel and the United States, according to three sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters.

The UK Office of Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) is reporting an attack on a container ship in the Persian Gulf, 35NM north of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates, with the ship’s Master telling the UKMTO that the vessel was stuck by an unknown projectile causing a small fire onboard. All crew reported as safe.

A U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet with the “Blacklions” of Strike Fighter Squadron 213 (VFA-213), assigned to Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) onboard the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), receives fuel from a U.S. Air Force KC-135R Stratotanker over the Middle East in support of Operation Epic Fury, March 8, 2026.

The Head of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, left Miami, Florida, today following talks with U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and envoy Jared Kushner, according to the Kremlin Press Service. The talks were largely centered on increased economic cooperation, as reports abound that the Trump Administration is mulling a potential walk back of sanctions on Russian oil exports due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

According to a release from the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson, 43,000 American citizens have now been returned to the U.S. from the Middle East, amidst the escalating conflict between Iran and the U.S./Israel. Per the release, citing the incremental increase in regional commercial flights, the assistant secretary said that efforts by the U.S. State Department will be scaled down as commercial flights continue to be scaled up.

Video reportedly shows the moment the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker, M/T SAFESEA VISHNU, was struck by an Iranian unmanned surface vehicle last night off the coast of Basra, Iraq.

Smoke seen rising from near the U.S. Consulate in Erbil, Northern Iraq, following a significant drone attack earlier by Iran.

According to the Iranian state-run Fars News Agency, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojataba Khamenei will release a statement shortly.

Reopening the Strait of Hormuz, military analysts say, may require a ground operation to seize the Iranian coastline along the vital waterway between the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Such an operation would mark an open-ended escalation, potentially leading to much higher casualties among U.S. and Allied Forces, according to the Wall Street Journal.

After a video call with Heads of State for all members of the G7 on Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron declared publicly what others had said privately: “No one can tell what U.S. President Donald J. Trump wants from this ongoing war with Iran.”

Israeli officials tell Axios their impression is that Trump is not planning to end the war in the next two to three weeks - but are accounting for the possibility he makes an abrupt decision if he concludes his objectives have been met against Iran.

Both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had hoped the opening strike last Saturday - which killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and 40 top government, military, and security officials - would rapidly destabilize the regime in Tehran. However, thirteen days later, both understand that has not happened. Both still hope the cracks will soon begin to widen within the Iranian Government.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump said in a post earlier on TruthSocial: “The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money. BUT, of far greater interest and importance to me, as President, is stoping an evil Empire, Iran, from having Nuclear Weapons, and destroying the Middle East and, indeed, the World.”

The Israel Defense Force’s Military Advocate General, Maj. Gen. Itai Ofir, has ordered the cancellation of an indictment filed against five reserve soldiers who were accused of severely abusing - physically, mentally, and sexually - a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman Detention Facility, who was hospitalized with severe injuries, including a torn rectum, broken ribs, and a punctured lung in July 2024.