United States

Middle East and North Africa

Iran

Israel

Yemen

Military & Security

Politics

U.S.-Iran Relations

On March 28, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis announced they had launched a barrage of ballistic missiles toward Israel overnight, Reuters reported the same day.

Middle East: Yemen's Houthis Attack Israel, Join Iran War

China

Economics

U.S.-China Relations

China's commerce ministry on March 27 initiated two probes, one into U.S. actions affecting global trade and another into U.S. actions impacting trade in "green products," including curbs on imports and technology cooperation.

China, U.S.: Beijing Prepares Retaliation for U.S. Section 301 Investigations

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Pro-Iranian hacktivist group Handala publicly stated on its website that it breached and leaked data from the personal inbox of U.S. FBI Director Kash Patel on March 27, Reuters reported the same day.

U.S.: Iranian Threat Actors Claim To Breach FBI Director's Email Inbox

Panama

China has intensified inspections on Panamanian ships and detained at least 70 vessels from the country as of March 8, according to a U.S. Federal Maritime Commission estimate, Reuters reported on March 26.

Panama, China: Beijing Detains Panamanian Ships Amid Port Dispute

Energy

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a delay until April 6 of the deadline for Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz or risk U.S. attacks against power plants after claiming that U.S.-Iran discussions were going "very well," AP reported on March 26. 

U.S., Iran: Trump Delays Power Plant Attacks Deadline Until April 6

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

The Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group has withdrawn from several localities in the Lubero and Walikale territories of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's North Kivu province since the night of March 23-24, Jeune Afrique reported on March 27. 

Congo: Rwandan-Backed Rebels Withdraw From Parts of North Kivu

A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking the Department of Defense from labeling Anthropic, the artificial intelligence lab behind the Claude family of AI models, a supply chain risk, NPR reported on March 26.

U.S.: Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Administration's Punitive Actions Against Anthropic

Europe

Ukraine

Russia

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Pentagon is considering diverting air defense munitions originally intended for Ukraine to support U.S. operations in the Middle East, The Washington Post reported on March 26, citing sources familiar with internal deliberations.

Ukraine, U.S.: Pentagon Considers Diverting Ukraine-Bound Weapons

Assessments

Cuba

People on March 15 in Tehran, Iran, clean up rubble from a missile attack. The Iran war will almost certainly continue through the next week amid Israeli threats to escalate and expand strikes due to Iranian attacks targeting Israeli civilians and the U.S. deployment of additional military assets to 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: The Iran War Continues, a European Parliament Delegation Visits China

Bahrain

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

The Burj Khalifa skyscraper (L) and the Burj al-Arab hotel (R) on March 11 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With further Iranian provocation, several Gulf Cooperation Council states would be willing to join the war against Iran, but doing so would likely deepen Iran's targeting of their critical infrastructure, exacerbate the globally disruptive impacts of the war and potentially pull the GCC into a permanently hostile relationship with Iran.

Joining in could deepen Iran's targeting of GCC critical infrastructure, exacerbate the globally disruptive impacts of the war and pull the bloc into a permanently hostile relationship with Iran.

Will the Gulf States Join the Iran War, and What Would Happen if They Did?

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 26, 2026

India

A medicine distributor stores Mounjaro (tirzepatide) self-injecting GLP-1 prefilled pens and vials in a fridge at his office in Thane, India, on March 20, 2026. 

India's pharmaceutical and medical technology sectors are set to grow significantly over the next several years amid manufacturing incentives, regulatory reforms and trade deals.

The Growth Outlook for India's Pharmaceutical Sector Remains Strong, Despite Global Uncertainties

Columns

On Geopolitics

Lebanon

Syria

Photos of prominent Hezbollah leaders are seen at the site of a reported Israeli airstrike which killed 6 members of the same family, on March 19, 2026 in Baalbek, Lebanon.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The trajectory of the war will be increasingly defined by a clash of strategic objectives that makes a quick resolution of the conflict unlikely.


The Impact the Israel-Hezbollah War Will Have on Lebanon

Denmark

France

Italy

The European Parliament building in 2019 in Strasbourg, France. Parliament is set to hold a plenary vote March 26 on implementing the 2025 EU‑U.S. trade framework agreement.

The Weekly Rundown: A Vote on the EU‑U.S. Trade Framework, the Iran Conflict Continues

People walk along the corniche area on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Abu Dhabi on March 20, 2026.

Global Trade

Disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will compel Gulf Cooperation Council states to invest in alternative trade routes and more resilient physical infrastructure.

Gulf Arab States, Shaken by Iran War, Plan Economic Pivot

U.S. Naval Update Map: March 19, 2026

Japan

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi addresses a news conference at the Prime Minister's office in Tokyo on Feb. 18.

The Japanese prime minister may offer economic and security concessions during her upcoming summit with the U.S. president to avoid direct entanglement in the Iran conflict while preserving the relationship with Washington.

Iran War Heightens Stakes of Key Takaichi-Trump Summit

Commercial vessels are pictured offshore in Dubai on March 11, 2026. 

A U.S.-led naval mission to protect ships from Iranian attacks would likely begin only after the war's intensity decreases, and even then, it would take weeks to organize and yield only a limited return of maritime traffic through the strait.

The Obstacles Facing the U.S. Plan for Strait of Hormuz Naval Escorts

A large plume of smoke rises March 7 over Tehran after explosions were reported in the Iranian capital during the night.

The Weekly Rundown: The Iran War Continues, Takaichi Meets With Trump

Media

Podcasts

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

The Decision Advantage: Economic Impacts of the War on 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

Middle East: Yemen's Houthis Attack Israel, Join Iran War

China, U.S.: Beijing Prepares Retaliation for U.S. Section 301 Investigations

U.S.: Iranian Threat Actors Claim To Breach FBI Director's Email Inbox

Panama, China: Beijing Detains Panamanian Ships Amid Port Dispute

U.S., Iran: Trump Delays Power Plant Attacks Deadline Until April 6

Congo: Rwandan-Backed Rebels Withdraw From Parts of North Kivu

U.S.: Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Administration's Punitive Actions Against Anthropic

Ukraine, U.S.: Pentagon Considers Diverting Ukraine-Bound Weapons

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