Trump Postpones Attack on Iran’s Electricity Infrastructure
March 23rd, 2026Update: Trump Says He and the Ayatollah, “Whoever the Ayatollah Is” Might Control the Strait of Hormuz
[???]
President Trump says the Strait of Hormuz could come under joint control with Iran following regime change:
TRUMP: It would be jointly controlled.
REPORTER: By whom?
TRUMP: Maybe me. Me and the Ayatollah, whoever the Ayatollah is! There’ll also be a form of a very serious form… pic.twitter.com/10PyTGZkVq
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 23, 2026
—
Update: Iranian Media Say No Talks Have Taken Place
Via: Daily Mail:
Iranian state television has boasted Donald Trump has ‘backed down’ in the Iran war after the US President declared a five-day halt in military strikes against energy infrastructure in the country.
Trump announced a pause on attacking Tehran’s energy assets this morning after holding what he described as ‘very good conversations’ about ending hostilities in the Middle East.
But Iranian media say no talks have taken place and Trump has retreated after he issued a 48-hour ultimatum to reopen the partially closed Strait of Hormuz or face power plants being bombed
‘Trump, fearing Iran’s response, backed down from his 48-hour ultimatum,’ read a graphic on IRIB state television.
The financial markets immediately reacted to Trump’s post with the price of oil and gas dropping as stocks rebounded across Europe.
—
My guess is that Trump was hoping to get the Iranians to blink by threatening attacks on their electricity infrastructure. That didn’t happen and Iran instead threatened increased attacks on energy, information technology and water desalination facilities in the region.
It’s hard to know what to make of Trump’s statements, since he routinely whipsaws from one position to another. Maybe the intensity of the conflict will remain stable for a few days, or maybe not.
Two U.S. Marine Amphibious Ready Groups remain en route. The USS Tripoli group will be in the region within the next couple of days. The USS Boxer group is still three weeks away.
Via: AP:
President Donald Trump on Monday extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz to international shipping, saying the U.S. would hold off on strikes against Iranian power plants for five days.
Shortly after Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social site, Iranian state television put up a graphic that read: “U.S. president backs down following Iran’s firm warning.” The reprieve came hours ahead of Trump’s self-imposed deadline later in the day.
Project NOMAD: Knowledge That Never Goes Offline*
March 22nd, 2026* Assuming that you have electricity and an EMP hasn’t destroyed your Project NOMAD server. 🙂
Via: Project NOMAD:
Beware The Energy Shock
March 21st, 2026Via: Peak Prosperity:
President of Mexico: Digital Payments Mandatory for Fuel and Road Tolls This Year
March 21st, 2026Via: The Last American Vagabond:
In an interview with Bloomberg, Romano stated, “The central bank is preparing to publish protocols to drive the adoption of payments sent by mobile phones.”
He noted, “Authorities are studying separate measures that could include eliminating cash payments for some services and products, such as gas stations and toll roads.” [emphasis added]
Romano also emphasized that these changes are being made because in Mexico, “roughly 85% of small transactions are done in cash,” largely due to Mexicans not trusting their government and seeking to avoid taxation. “Easing concerns about how the government assesses income will help,” he said.
President Sheinbaum reiterated the plan to end cash payments for gas stations and toll roads in her speech on Thursday night, stating, “Our goal is that this year we make it mandatory to pay for gasoline and toll booths digitally. This will allow us to promote accessible digital payments that allow us to advance the digitization of the country through many other schemes.”
Energy Lockdowns? It’s Like Covid, But Different
March 21st, 2026Via: Off Guardian:
Sri Lanka and Thailand have already brought in rationing measures. In Vietnam they will be grounding flights, beginning in April, due to jet fuel shortages.
On Friday it was reported that a “global fuel shortage may be just days away”.
Pakistan, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Thailand have also instituted remote work for government employees.
In Denmark, it’s not policy yet, only a suggestion. With government ministers begging – “please, please, please” – not to drive and to reduce their energy usage at home. Australia is going the panic-buying-causes-shortages route.
Bloomberg is warning that the fuel crisis may threaten the global food supply.
It’s all kinda familiar isn’t it…
In case you’re not picking up what we’re putting down here, the Financial Post is warning that…
Oil prices could get high enough to force a COVID-level lockdown
TRUMP TO IRAN: OPEN STRAIT OF HORMUZ WITHIN 48 HOURS OR U.S. WILL ATTACK POWER PLANTS
March 21st, 2026Via: Donald Trump – Truth Social:
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! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP
Iran Might Have Intermediate-Range Missiles
March 21st, 2026Via: Daily Mail:
Iran’s ballistic missile strike on a British military base in the Chagos Islands has escalated fears that major European capitals are now within reach of another attack by the extremist regime – with London moving ‘closer to the edge of vulnerability’.
Two ballistic missiles were fired towards Diego Garcia, a base in the Indian Ocean jointly operated by the US and the UK, on Friday night.
The significant escalation in hostilities came as Keir Starmer gave the green light for Donald Trump to use UK-based bombers threatening the Straits of Hormuz.
Sources reported that one of the missiles failed in flight, while the other was intercepted by a US warship in what is believed to be the first ever strike on the military base.
The precise timing of the incident is as yet unknown, though the Government confirmed on Saturday that it took place before Starmer provided the go-ahead to the US – with Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch now accusing the Prime Minister of a ‘cover up’ on the details and questioning why the public were not told ‘sooner’.
Defence experts have suggested the incident is significant in that it marks the first time intermediate-range missiles have been deployed in the conflict – ones that can cover far greater distances than Iranian weapons were previously known to be capable of.
Diego Garcia lies around 3,800km (2,360 miles) from Iran – undermining the regime’s previous assertion that its ballistic missiles could only reach 2,000 km (1,240 miles).
Experts have warned that if Iran has proven its capabilities are far greater, the missile threat could now extend to most capital cities in Western Europe.
This includes Paris, which is 4,198km (2,609 miles) from Tehran, while London lies on the ‘edge of vulnerability’ at around 4,435km (2,750 miles).
“Drones Hovering Above Rubio and Hegseth’s Homes Leave Military Officials Baffled”
March 20th, 2026Via: Independent:
A series of “unidentified” drones have been spotted hovering over the Washington D.C. military base where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth live, prompting the U.S. government to consider relocating them.
The military is closely monitoring potential threats to senior government figures amid the Trump administration’s war on Iran, but according to a Washington Post report, the origin of the drones that have breached the airspace above Fort Lesley J. McNair remains a mystery.
The newspaper spoke to three people briefed on the matter, who, on condition of anonymity, said multiple sightings occurred on a single night within the past 10 days, prompting an immediate security review and a White House meeting on how to respond.
Related: ‘Multiple Waves’ of Unauthorized Drones Recently Spotted Over Strategic U.S. Air Force Base
Pentagon to Adopt Palantir AI as Core U.S. Military System
March 20th, 2026Via: Reuters:
Palantir’s Maven artificial intelligence system will become an official program of record, Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg said in a letter to Pentagon leaders, a move that locks in long-term use of Palantir’s weapons-targeting ?technology across the U.S. military.
In the March 9 letter to senior Pentagon leaders and U.S. military commanders, Feinberg said embedding Palantir’s Maven ?Smart System would provide warfighters “with the latest tools necessary to detect, deter, and dominate our adversaries in all domains”.
…
Maven is a command-and-control software platform that analyzes battlefield data and identifies targets. It is already the primary AI operating system for the U.S. military, which has carried out thousands of targeted strikes against Iran over the last three weeks.
Designating Maven as a program of record will streamline its adoption across all arms of the military and provide ?stable, long-term funding, Feinberg said.
Related: Palantir Technologies: “We Stand with Israel”
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.
