March 19, 2026 | Thursday
Tags: brooke-rollins, kristi-noem, susie-wiles, pete-hegseth, donald-trump
U.S. forces launch air raids on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz to reopen the vital waterway, requesting $200 billion in funding amid projections of prolonged conflict and oil price surges. President Trump directs advisors to abandon mass deportation plans, scaling back arrests and raids to avoid political backlash ahead of midterms.
U.S. and allied forces launched air raids on Iranian ships, land targets, and coastal positions around the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, marking the start of a multi-stage Pentagon operation to forcibly reopen the vital waterway closed by Iran since early March. A-10 Warthog jets and Apache helicopters targeted Iranian naval vessels, drones, mines, and cruise missile sites, with Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Kane stating at a Pentagon briefing that suppressing threats would require weeks of sustained strikes. The Strait, 24 miles wide at its narrowest, faces relentless Iranian drone and missile barrages launched from hundreds of miles inland, rendering full suppression improbable given Iran’s vast stockpiles and production capacity, which includes hundreds of daily drone launches. Crude oil prices surpassed $120 per barrel Thursday amid attacks on Iran’s Kharg Island oil terminal and South Pars gas fields, exacerbating global supply constraints entering the conflict’s fourth week.
Pentagon officials project at least three additional weeks to achieve partial safe passage, admitting no guarantee of 100% security even then, as Iran’s tunnel networks and mobile launchers persist. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed a $200 billion funding request to the White House during a Thursday press conference, surpassing the $188 billion spent on Ukraine aid since 2022 and adding to the $30 billion already allocated for Iran operations. Republicans plan to expedite approval via budget reconciliation, bypassing the Senate’s 60-vote threshold with a simple majority, a tool Trump previously dismissed for 2026 but now embraces for war funding. Approximately 4,500 Marines on three ships depart for the Middle East next week, potentially for amphibious assaults on Iranian islands in the Strait to establish beachheads for anti-missile defenses and logistics, timed after USS Gerald Ford carrier repairs in Greece conclude in one week following a kitchen fire.
This offensive commits the U.S. to prolonged engagement, as Iranian capabilities mirror those that evaded suppression in Yemen despite 1,000 strikes last year, now scaled across Iran’s larger territory and industrial base resupplied from China and Tajikistan. Oil at $140-$200 per barrel by late April risks sustained inflation, energy shortages in Asia and Europe, and depleted U.S. munitions stocks including Patriots and THAAD systems. Island invasions expose Marines to IEDs, shoulder-fired missiles, and drone swarms, likely yielding dozens or hundreds of casualties without regime collapse or Strait control. The $200 billion, potentially rising, funds escalation rather than replenishment, locking in a trajectory toward tactical nuclear options or full ground invasion absent Iranian capitulation, as retreat would validate Tehran’s veto over global energy and embolden rebuilding of drone-missile arsenals for future confrontations.
A Wall Street Journal exclusive Thursday confirmed President Trump directed advisors, including Susie Wiles and Melania Trump, to abandon “mass deportations” phrasing and scale back operations, deeming them unpopular ahead of 2026 midterms. Arrests dropped to a rolling seven-day average of 900 daily from 1,500 during Minnesota raids, projecting under 365,000 annually, fewer than 2025 and Obama’s 2009 interior removals. New DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, replacing fired Kristi Noem amid contract scandals, halted warrantless home arrests and high-profile raids in blue cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Minneapolis, where surges previously boosted numbers but sparked riots killing two protesters. Mullin aims to keep ICE “out of the news,” cooperating with local governments over confrontation, while Trump mandates focus on “criminals” only.
Deportations in Trump’s first year post-inauguration totaled 230,000-360,000 despite $200 billion Homeland Security authorization, including $100 billion for ICE agents, detention, and wall segments, hiring 10,000 personnel. Stephen Miller targeted one million annually; current trajectory yields one-quarter or less of 20 million pledged in 2024, equating to 250,000-300,000 yearly after attrition. Noem’s ouster and policy reversals align with White House pressure, as Trump blamed headlines for midterm risks, echoing 2018 family separations ended after “kids in cages” backlash cost midterms. House Republicans, post-Florida retreat, ceased promotion, shifting to “self-deportation” via unverified bank account restrictions despite $90 billion ICE funding.
Trump’s reversal stems from aversion to media scrutiny and approval dips, prioritizing elite validation over voter mandates from 2024’s popular vote, Electoral College, House, and Senate wins on explicit mass deportation promises. Advisors like Brooke Rollins, representing agriculture interests reliant on migrant labor, prevailed over Miller and Noem, blocking job site raids at Nebraska plants and Hyundai facilities. This capitulation amid 10 million Biden-era entrants subsidizes urban healthcare overloads, like Chicago’s Venezuelan tent cities and third-world emergency rooms, forfeiting quality-of-life gains for unpopular optics. Midterm viability hinges on concealing the pivot, as $200 billion DHS investments yield minimal removals, institutionalizing amnesty while external groups like the Coalition for Mass Deportations plead internally for pressure Trump ignores.