U.S. and Israel Degrade Iran's Missile Arsenal, but Tehran Widens War Across 11 Countries

Oil Prices Surge to Highest Levels Since 2024 as Middle East Conflict Roils Global Markets

Trump Ousts DHS Secretary Noem After Congressional Testimony Sparks His Fury

Pentagon Deploys Potentially Banned AI Tool to Strike 1,000 Iranian Targets in Campaign's First Day

U.S.-Israeli Strikes Decimate Iran's Top Leadership but Fail to Shake Regime's Grip on Power

U.S. and Israel Degrade Iran's Missile Arsenal, but Tehran Widens War Across 11 Countries

The U.S. and Israel say they have severely degraded Iran's missile stockpiles and launchers, with the Pentagon reporting a 90% drop in ballistic-missile launches and an 83% decline in drone attacks from the opening days of the conflict. Despite those losses, Iran has widened the war across at least 11 countries in six days, launching hundreds of low-cost drones at Arab neighbors across the Persian Gulf. The strikes have hit U.S. military bases, embassies, airports and oil-and-gas infrastructure, jolting global markets and disrupting shipments from one of the world's most critical economic regions. Tehran has fired more than 500 ballistic missiles and launched 2,000 drones since the conflict began, though many have been intercepted. The U.S. and Israel say they have destroyed hundreds of missiles, launchers and drones, including underground facilities Iran calls its "missile cities." Notably, the U.S. has not struck Iran's vast oil infrastructure, and Iran has not targeted Gulf state desalination facilities, which support millions of people and could cause a humanitarian catastrophe if destroyed. Analysts say Iran's strategy has shifted from volume to persistence, spreading fear across the region even as its most powerful weapons are depleted.

WSJ

Oil Prices Surge to Highest Levels Since 2024 as Middle East Conflict Roils Global Markets

Oil prices continued their sharp ascent on Friday, with the global Brent crude benchmark climbing to around $88 a barrel and on track for its highest close since mid-2024. Brent has surged roughly 20% since the beginning of U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, putting the benchmark on course for its biggest weekly gain since the early days of the Russia-Ukraine war. In response to the spike, the Trump administration moved to ease pressure by rolling back some U.S. sanctions on Russian oil. The Treasury issued a waiver on Thursday allowing India to purchase Russian oil stranded at sea and separately authorized transactions with the German branch of Russia's Rosneft state oil company.

WSJ

Trump Ousts DHS Secretary Noem After Congressional Testimony Sparks His Fury

President Trump ousted Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after her congressional testimony Tuesday in which she stated under oath that Trump had signed off on $220 million in ads that promoted her personally. Trump disputes this account, creating a direct contradiction: either Noem testified falsely under oath or the president is misrepresenting his involvement. Trump had told advisers for at least a week that he was frustrated with infighting and drama at DHS, but the testimony accelerated his timeline. That evening, Noem's top adviser Corey Lewandowski attempted to save her job in a brief White House meeting, but Trump ended the discussion quickly and told advisers his decision was final. Trump appointed Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin as her replacement.

WSJ

Pentagon Deploys Potentially Banned AI Tool to Strike 1,000 Iranian Targets in Campaign's First Day

The U.S. military used its most advanced artificial intelligence system to identify and strike roughly 1,000 targets in the first 24 hours of its campaign against Iran. The Pentagon's Maven Smart System, built by Palantir, processed classified data from satellites, surveillance and other intelligence sources to provide real-time targeting and prioritization. Embedded within the system is Anthropic's AI tool Claude, which was potentially banned by the Pentagon last week following disputes over the terms of its use in warfare. Military planners say Claude, paired with Maven, suggested hundreds of targets, issued precise coordinates and prioritized strikes according to importance, turning what had been weeks-long battle planning into real-time operations. The system also evaluates strikes after they are initiated.

Washington Post

U.S.-Israeli Strikes Decimate Iran's Top Leadership but Fail to Shake Regime's Grip on Power

The U.S. and Israeli air campaign has killed the highest ranks of Iran's political and military leadership, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and destroyed critical command-and-control infrastructure. In Tehran, the succession process has been disrupted after the body charged with choosing a new supreme leader was targeted, forcing a shift to remote voting. However, European and Arab officials briefed on regime assessments say major military operations have not threatened the Iranian government's hold on power six days into a war that has now touched 11 countries. Iran's command structures, built to survive a decapitation strike, appear substantially intact, enabling retaliatory strikes within hours of the initial attacks. Despite President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth touting the elimination of senior leaders and potential successors, there are no reports of significant defections within regime ranks or popular uprisings, according to U.S., European and Arab assessments.

Washington Post

March 6 2001: The death spiral of Napster begins

After a string of adverse legal decisions, Napster, Inc. begins its death spiral on March 6, 2001, when it starts to comply with a Federal court order to block the transfer of copyrighted material over its peer-to-peer music-sharing network.

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Sources

1. WSJ — Iran Missile Degradation
2. WSJ — Oil Prices / Markets
3. WSJ — Noem Ouster
4. Washington Post — AI in Iran Campaign
5. Washington Post — Iran Regime Leadership