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Foreign Policy

March 2026

Iran Flexes Its Cyber Chops

As Iran escalates its retaliatory attacks against the United States and Israel with missiles and drones, heading into a fifth week of war, its cyber warriors are beginning to do the same

Even if there is some sort of a cease-fire, cyber will keep going because it’s under the radar in many cases,
The borders between nation-state and cyber criminals are blurred very clearly in the case of Iranian actors,
You’ve seen Handala do this a lot … it’s a mixture of lies and real attacks, making it hard to parse out what’s exactly happening,
But anyone with a laptop could find a way to reengage; it’s not like there’s something magic about the building,
But if the ultimate aim is showing you can retaliate—either for an internal Iranian audience or for those whose activity you’re trying to dissuade—going public is important,
We are working closely with our global manufacturing sites as operations steadily improve towards full capacity,
The information in question is historical in nature and involves no government information,
A lot of the infrastructure malicious actors operate off is virtual anyway, so I would expect that we would see those types of operations coming over time,

Iran Says It Will Target U.S. Tech Companies in the Middle East

The threat comes as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned of a decisive next few days in the war

Donald Trumppresident
The U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us,
Dan JørgenseneU Energy Commissioner
It will not be short because even if there was a peace ​tomorrow, there will still be consequences because energy infrastructure in the region has been ruined by war,
Itamar Ben-Gvirnational Security Minister
This is a day of justice for ⁠the murdered, a day of deterrence for enemies,
Robert Ficoslovak Prime Minister
You cannot accuse anyone ​of being a Russian agent,
Donald Tuskpolish Prime Minister
Hungary is and will be in the European Union. Victor Orbán and his foreign minister left Europe long ago,
Stéphane DujarricuN official
This attack underscores the gravity of the security situation faced by the Haitian population,
I am always at your disposal,

Fuel Shortages Raise Stability Risks in Myanmar

Twenty sailors were rescued on the day of the attack as the Mayuree Naree drifted through an active war zone with a damaged engine, but three people remain unaccounted for

The paradox is that Myanmar is exporting its own gas via pipeline to Thailand and China, and it is importing gas at a steep markup for its own use,
I can ship 10 sacks from Chiang Mai at a time and then it all sells out immediately,
The key to the junta’s ability to stay in power has been constant airstrikes on resistance and civilian settlements,
Myanmar’s suppliers in the Gulf are out of the market because ships can’t leave,” while “other suppliers have to worry about their domestic needs and are able to export at high prices to countries where the transaction won’t be threatened by sanctions,
Patients are arriving every day because there are bombings every day,
In practice, most of the pain will be pushed onto the population,
The coming weeks were meant to showcase a new administration in firm control and a personal political success,

Southeast Asia’s Energy Emergency Begins

The Philippines has seen one of the world’s sharpest increase in petrol prices

For me, this 14-year sentence is unacceptable and severe. It may intimidate [journalists] reporting on border issues.”
Lawrence Wongsingaporean Prime Minister
China can play an even bigger role in supporting regional prosperity and stability,
Friends have a special place.”

Trump Claims ‘Great Progress’ in Iran Peace Talks

At the same time, the White House has threatened to obliterate Tehran’s energy sector if a deal isn’t reached soon

Donald Trumppresident
Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibafparliament Speaker
The enemy, openly, sends messages of negotiation and dialogue, but secretly is planning a ground attack,
Marco Rubiosecretary of State
I’m not going to disclose to you who those people are because it probably would get them in trouble with some other groups of people inside of Iran,
Cheng Li-wuntaiwanese opposition leader
We hope April’s visit marks the ​beginning of the new spring of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and this would be the first step for both sides to extend kindness and build mutual trust,
Thanassis Cambanisamerican journalist
The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran threatens to blow Lebanon to pieces,
Donald Trumppresident
The one regime was decimated, destroyed. They’re all dead,
Donald TrumpuS President
Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t,

The Houthis Are Now in the War—But How Deep?

Over the past weekend, the Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen joined the war (after weeks of threats to do so) with an ineffective missile attack on southern Israel

Ultimately, in decisive moments, the Houthis are more likely to align with their primary strategic partner in Tehran, given Iran’s central role in their political, military, and security development, as well as their broader ideological convergence,
The Houthis do not necessarily need to shut down Bab el-Mandeb to affect energy markets,
Houthi involvement represents a significant and potentially dangerous development—even if it still carries a largely symbolic dimension at this stage,

Iran War Shatters South Asians’ Gulf Dreams

Mamata Tamang arrived before dawn for her early morning flight from Kathmandu, Nepal, to Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, on March 2, expecting to land by afternoon

Most countries will be forced to pass on higher fuel prices to consumers and brace for the secondary impact of higher fuel inflation on the economy,
If I’m abroad, at least I’m sending money to my family,
Selim Raihanbangladeshi academic
That would affect exchange rates, reserves, household consumption, poverty reduction, and even the political economy of development financing,
We should not look at migrants as cash cows,
Migrant workers are the most vulnerable,
Obviously, I’m scared,
If policymakers treat the present moment only as a temporary disruption, they will miss the larger lesson,

Putin’s Persian Problem

Red and white flowers spill out from a makeshift altar with a framed portrait of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei resting on a stoop outside a building

Wartime Budgets Are an X-Ray of Presidential Priorities

By choosing escalation in Vietnam, Lyndon Johnson’s plan to fund both guns and butter unraveled

Lyndon B. Johnsonpresident
[W... W]e will not permit those who fire upon us in Vietnam,... to win a victory over the desires and the intentions of all the American people. This nation is mighty enough, its society is healthy enough, its people are strong enough, to pursue our goals in the rest of the world while still building a Great Society here at home.”
Lyndon B. Johnsonpresident
Congress has acted with dispatch and clear purpose to approve the request that I made on Tuesday for $700 million to meet our mounting military requirements in Vietnam,

Rubio: U.S.-Iran War Could Last Another 2 to 4 Weeks

The White House remains committed to achieving all of its war objectives despite a lack of NATO support

Yvette Cooperbritish Foreign Secretary
We have taken the approach of supporting defensive action, but also we’ve taken a different approach on the offensive action that has taken place as part of this conflict,
Dmitry Peskovkremlin spokesperson
It’s not true that ​Putin made such a request,
Dmitry Peskovkremlin spokesperson
This was absolutely his initiative, and not President Putin’s. ​Although, of course, the head of state welcomed such an initiative,
Jean-Noël Barrotfrench Foreign Minister
Nothing justifies deliberately targeting civilians during armed conflicts, nor carrying out attacks against diplomatic facilities,
Donald Trumppresident
We are very disappointed with NATO because NATO has done absolutely nothing,
Marco Rubiosecretary of State
Our mission is clear. Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon,
Donald Trumppresident
We’re always going to be there—at least, we were,

Trump’s Red Lines Mean Nothing Now

Iran is exposing the limits of a presidency built on bluff, improvisation, and submission rituals

If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST.”