Second U.S. Amphibious Ready Group Now Heading To Middle East
March 20th, 2026Via: The War Zone:
The Pentagon is reportedly sending the Wasp class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer and the rest of its Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), loaded with elements of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). This comes as the Trump administration is reported to be increasingly considering seizing or blockading Iran’s highly strategic Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf as part of a new phase of Operation Epic Fury.
‘Multiple Waves’ of Unauthorized Drones Recently Spotted Over Strategic U.S. Air Force Base
March 20th, 2026Via: ABC:
A drone sighting that temporarily raised alarms at one of the United States Air Force’s largest and most strategic airfields earlier this month was more extensive, and potentially more dangerous, than first reported, according to a confidential internal briefing document reviewed by ABC News.
Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana said it was under a shelter-in-place order March 9 after “a report of an unmanned aerial system operating over the installation.”
The sighting raised concerns because Barksdale houses long-range B-52 bombers and plays a critical role in command and control of the Air Force nuclear defense capabilities.
The shelter-in-place order was lifted later that day but the unauthorized drone flights continued for nearly a week.
“Barksdale Air Force Base detected multiple unauthorized drones operating in our airspace during the week of March 9th,” Capt. Hunter Rininger of the 2nd Bomb Wing said in a statement provided to ABC News. The additional drone incursions had not been previously reported.
According to the confidential briefing document dated March 15, the drones came in waves and entered and exited the base in a way that may suggest attempts to “avoid the operator(s) being located.” Lights on the drones suggested the operators “may be testing security responses” at the base.
“Between March 9-15, 2026, BAFB Security Forces observed multiple waves of 12-15 drones operating over sensitive areas of the installation, including the flight line, with aircraft displaying non-commercial signal characteristics, long-range control links and resistance to jamming,” the document said. “After reaching multiple points across the installation, the drones dispersed across sensitive locations on the base.”
According to the document there was no drone activity detected on March 13 and 14 and it’s not clear if there has been activity since.
U.S. Says Cuba Is Prohibited from Taking Russian Oil as Two Tankers Head to Island
March 20th, 2026Via: CNBC:
The U.S. Treasury Department has said Cuba won’t be allowed to take delivery of Russian crude, even as the fuel-starved island appears poised to receive two tankers carrying oil and gas.
Iran’s Shahed Drones
March 20th, 2026Via: Daily Mail:
“To Put It Mildly, This Is Bananas”: U.S. Considers Lifting Sanctions On Iranian Oil As Attacks On Iran Continue
March 19th, 2026Via: BBC:
The US is weighing lifting sanctions on some Iranian oil, as it scrambles to contain the impact of its war in Iran on energy markets.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent put forward the idea in a Fox interview, saying it could make more oil available to global buyers. Around the world, energy prices are shooting up as the war takes a toll on shipping and production.
If put into action, the move would mark a stunning reversal of longstanding American policy – and one with highly uncertain pay-off.
Experts said it was likely to have a limited effect on prices, and could boost funds going to the Iranian regime that the US is attacking.
“To put it mildly, this is bananas,” said David Tannenbaum, director of Blackstone Compliance Services, a consultancy specialising in maritime sanctions. “Essentially we’re allowing Iran to sell oil, which could then be used to fund the war effort.”
Before the war, China was the primary buyer of the oil coming out of Iran, scooping up the barrels at a steep discount due to sanctions imposed by the US and other countries.
In the interview with Fox Business programme Mornings with Maria on Thursday, Bessent said a waiver on the sales restrictions could help divert more of those supplies to other countries in need of oil, such as India, Japan and Malaysia, while forcing China to pay “market price”.
He said the US was looking at removing sales restrictions on Iranian oil that is already at sea, which he said amounted to about 140m barrels. He estimated that would push down global prices for 10 to 14 days.
Related: What Is A Mexican Standoff?
IRAN ATTACKS WIPE OUT 17% OF QATAR’S LNG CAPACITY FOR UP TO FIVE YEARS
March 19th, 2026Via: Reuters:
Iranian attacks ?have knocked out 17% of Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity, causing an estimated $20 billion in lost annual revenue and threatening supplies to Europe and Asia, QatarEnergy’s CEO and state minister for energy affairs told Reuters on Thursday.
Saad al-Kaabi said two of Qatar’s 14 LNG trains and one of its two gas-to-liquids (GTL) facilities were damaged in ?the unprecedented strikes. The repairs will sideline 12.8 million tons per year of LNG for three to five years, he said ?in an interview.
More: Qatar says Iran attack caused significant damage at Ras Laffan gas facility
Scientists Turn Mosquitoes Into a Vaccination Tool to Immunize Bats Against Rabies
March 19th, 2026Via: Telegraph:
Mosquitoes typically spread disease, rather than prevent it, but Chinese scientists have proposed using the insects as an unlikely vector to deliver vaccines to bats.
In a study published in Science Advances journal, researchers designed mosquitoes which carry an immunisation for rabies and Nipah viruses within their saliva. This is transferred when bats eat insects, or the insects feed on the bats.
And Now… Pentagon Requests $200 Billion for Iran War
March 19th, 2026Via: Independent:
The Pentagon has asked the White House to approve a more than $200 billion funding request to Congress for the war in Iran, according to a new report.
It’s been nearly three weeks since the U.S, along with Israel, began launching strikes against Iran to “dismantle the Iranian regime’s security apparatus,” according to the U.S. military.
Related: US National Debt Breaches $39 Trillion
Iran’s Energy Infrastructure Is Now On The Targeting List
March 18th, 2026Via: The War Zone:
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that several facilities in the South Pars gas field near Bushehr were targeted. According to the report, emergency teams were on the scene and trying to extinguish the fire. The extent of the damage is not yet known.
There are suggestions that the attack on South Pars could interfere with Iran’s refinery capabilities for a long time to come.
Qatari officials decried the attack, calling it “a dangerous & irresponsible step amid the current military escalation in the region.”
In the wake of the attack on South Pars, “Iran issued an evacuation ?warning for several oil facilities across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, saying they would ?be targeted by strikes ‘in the ?coming hours,’” Reuters reported, citing Iranian media.
“The warning was directed at Saudi ?Arabia’s Samref Refinery and Jubail Petrochemical Complex, ?the United Arab Emirates’ Al Hosn Gas Field, and Qatar’s Mesaieed Petrochemical Complex, Mesaieed Holding Company ?and Ras Laffan Refinery,” the outlet added.
“These centers have ?become direct and legitimate targets and will be ?targeted ?in the coming hours. Therefore, all citizens, residents, and employees are requested to immediately leave these areas and move to ?a safe ?distance without ?any delay,” the warning said.
Related:
“Worse Than Nord Stream”: Iran’s Attack On Qatar’s LNG Sends Shockwaves Across Global Energy Markets
US Weighs Military Reinforcements as Iran War Enters Possible New Phase
Executive Office of the President Registered the Domain Aliens.gov
March 18th, 2026Via: 404media:
The Executive Office of the President registered the domain aliens.gov on Wednesday a little after 6:30 AM according to a bot that monitors federal domains. There’s no associated website just yet, but the registration comes a month after Trump said he would direct the government to release files related to aliens and UFOs to the public.
More: White House Says ‘Stay Tuned’
