United States

Iran

Military & Security

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the deployment of the USS Tripoli, an America-class landing helicopter amphibious assault ship, and its attached 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is comprised of about 2,200 marines, to the Middle East, Axios reported on March 13.

U.S.: Pentagon Orders USS Tripoli, Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Middle East

Russia

Economics

Energy

The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a 30-day license authorizing the delivery and sale of Russian crude oil and petroleum products loaded onto vessels on or before March 12 and currently at sea, Reuters reported on March 13.

Russia: U.S. Waiver Will Ease Near-Term Oil Tightness but Complicate Russia Sanctions Strategy

Cuba

Politics

The Cuban government has engaged in talks with the United States, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel confirmed in a TV broadcast on March 13.

U.S., Cuba: Havana Confirms Talks With Washington

Middle East and North Africa

Israel

U.S.-Iran Relations

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on March 12 that Israel would create the "optimal conditions" for Iran's regime to fall, though he acknowledged that he was uncertain that Iranians would overthrow the government, the Times of Israel reported March 13. 

MENA: Netanyahu Seeks To Create "Optimal Conditions" for Iran Regime Collapse

Afghanistan

Pakistan

The U.S. Department of State notified Congress the week of March 9 of its intent to close the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, claiming it would save $7.5 million a year and have limited impact on the United States' diplomatic influence in Pakistan, AP reported on March 11. 

U.S., Pakistan: U.S. To Close Consulate in Peshawar, Purportedly To Cut Costs

South Korea

South Korea's National Assembly passed a bill to carry out Seoul's pledge to invest $350 billion in U.S. projects, fulfilling a portion of the U.S.-South Korea trade deal signed in October 2025, Yonhap News Agency reported on March 12.

South Korea: Investment Bill To Prevent U.S. Tariff Hike for Now

Chile

Far-right leader Jose Antonio Kast took office as Chile's president and promised an "emergency government" to fight crime and irregular migration to deliver order, liberty and justice to Chileans, El Pais reported on March 11.

Chile: Kast's Presidency Heralds Stricter Border Protection, Fiscal Discipline and U.S. Alignment

Lebanon

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that if Lebanon does not prevent Hezbollah from attacking Israel, Israel "will take the territory and do it ourselves," and Katz, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ordered the Israeli military to prepare for an expanded operation, Reuters reported on March 12.

MENA: Israel Is Poised To Escalate Against Lebanon as Strikes on Iran Continue

Media

Podcasts

What will happen to U.S. interest rates if the war continues?

The Decision Advantage: Economic Impacts of the War on Iran

Assessments

Smoke and flames rise at the site of airstrikes on an oil depot in Tehran, Iran, on March 7, 2026.

Limited commando raids are Trump's most viable option, as larger ground incursions in Iran would face severe logistical, political and strategic risks and remain unlikely without a major shift in regional and U.S. domestic support.

Strategic Risks and Political Hurdles for a U.S. Ground War in Iran

Tracking U.S. Naval Power

This map shows the approximate locations of U.S. Carrier Strike Groups and Amphibious Ready Groups.

U.S. Naval Update Map: March 12, 2026

Canada

Australia

Japan

India

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney walks with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra, Australia, on March 5, 2026. 

Canada's push to deepen economic and security ties with India, Australia and Japan faces constraints and may inadvertently strengthen the U.S.-led regional structure Ottawa is trying to hedge against.

The Promise and Limitations of Canada's Push to Diversify Strategic Partnerships

China

North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Feb. 22, 2026. 

Kim Jong Un's latest directives suggest a willingness to pursue high-level negotiations with the United States and China in pursuit of critical economic concessions.

North Korea's Party Congress Points to Diplomatic Window of Opportunity

Ecuador

U.S. President Donald Trump greets Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa at his "Shield of the Americas" summit, a gathering with heads of state and government officials from 12 countries in the Americas at the Trump National Doral Golf Club on March 7, 2026, in Doral, Florida. 

The United States' increasing interventionism across the Americas has led to joint military operations with Ecuador, which, if sustained, could successfully reduce cartel violence there.

U.S.-Ecuador Military Operations Expand Washington's Regional Interventionism

Snapshots

Demonstrators wave Iranian national flags and hold pictures of the country's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, at Enghelab Square in central Tehran on March 9, 2026.

The selection of hard-line cleric Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his slain father will entrench Tehran's resolve to continue the war and preserve its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.

Iran's New Supreme Leader Will Strengthen Hard-Liner Influence

Iraq

Jordan

Syria

Jordanian Armed Forces, U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps forces and other international forces conduct a combined Arms Live Fire Exercise on May 23, 2024 in the desert near Azraq, Jordan. 

As the United States prepares to withdraw its final troops from Syria, Amman will likely expand cross-border security operations to counter Islamic State and disrupt drug smuggling networks.

Jordan Likely To Step Up Anti-Islamic State, Countersmuggling Operations in Syria

Colombia

Germany

Greece

France

United Kingdom

Cyprus

Netherlands

Spain

Italy

Plumes of smoke rise following reported explosions in Tehran on March 2, 2026, after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top military leaders, prompting a new wave of Iranian retaliatory missile attacks across the region. 

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: War in the Middle East, U.S.-China Trade Talks

Egypt

Turkey

A an Iranian missile that landed March 4 near the Turkish border in the Qamishli district of al-Hasaka, Syria. Although direct strikes as part of Iranian regional retaliation remain unlikely, the escalating conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran threatens Egypt and Turkey with energy disruptions and security challenges.

Although direct strikes as part of Iranian regional retaliation remain unlikely, the escalating conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran threatens Egypt and Turkey with energy disruptions and security challenges.

Evaluating the Spillover Risks of the Iran War for Egypt and Turkey

Indonesia

Vietnam

The U.S. Supreme Court in October 2024 in Washington.

The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling against the Trump administration's tariffs imposed under the IEEPA still leaves Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam vulnerable to other trade escalation mechanisms.

Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam Assess Their U.S. Trade Deals After IEEPA Tariffs

Members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) participate in a military drill in an outpost near Arbil, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, on Jan. 15, 2026.

Although arming Iranian Kurdish factions might increase pressure on Tehran, such an uprising alone would be unlikely to collapse the regime, while significantly raising the risk of drawing Turkey and Iraq into the conflict.

The Risks and Constraints of a U.S.-Backed Kurdish Uprising in Iran

The United States encompasses territory spanning from the Arctic Circle and Central Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico and the North Atlantic.    The Greater Mississippi Basin is the United States' core and serves as the underpinning of its role as a global superpower.    The basin hosts an extensive network of navigable rivers that overlay the world's largest contiguous piece of arable land. This naturally interconnected river system facilitated integration among settlers and allowed for cheap transport of goods, providing the United States with the ability to feed itself efficiently and rapidly build up industry and capital to expand west. The Midwestern core gave early America strategic depth, while an expanding U.S. coastline, naturally indented with deep harbors, provided its opening to the world.    After reaching the Pacific coast in the mid-19th century, the United States found itself insulated by two oceans. On the continent itself, geography again has worked in the country's favor: lakes to the north and deserts to the south insulate the United States' population centers, with both Canada and Mexico facing too many natural constraints of their own to seriously rival it.    This unparalleled level of wealth and protection gives the United States options that few to no countries can claim. For one, the United States has used its wealth and security to build up the world's largest navy. Control of the world's major sea-lanes gives the United States the power to facilitate or deny trade to allies or rivals of the day. The onus therefore is on the United States to carefully manage its engagements abroad and build up strategic allies to protect its overseas interests and preserve its strength at home. 

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S.: Pentagon Orders USS Tripoli, Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Middle East

Russia: U.S. Waiver Will Ease Near-Term Oil Tightness but Complicate Russia Sanctions Strategy

U.S., Cuba: Havana Confirms Talks With Washington

MENA: Netanyahu Seeks To Create "Optimal Conditions" for Iran Regime Collapse

U.S., Pakistan: U.S. To Close Consulate in Peshawar, Purportedly To Cut Costs

South Korea: Investment Bill To Prevent U.S. Tariff Hike for Now

Chile: Kast's Presidency Heralds Stricter Border Protection, Fiscal Discipline and U.S. Alignment

MENA: Israel Is Poised To Escalate Against Lebanon as Strikes on Iran Continue

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