News and Analysis 3/13/26

Khamenei “also warned neighbouring countries to stop hosting US bases” …

Iran’s New Supreme Leader Vows to Block Strait of Hormuz in First Statement (BBC)

… while Iran’s “UN Ambassador said on Thursday … that “Iran fully respects and remains committed to the principle of freedom of navigation under the law of the sea” …

Iran’s UN Envoy Says Not Going To Close Strait Of Hormuz (NDTV)

… already “[s]ix ships have been attacked in the Gulf in less than 48 hours, bringing the total of vessels attacked since the start of the war to 18”:

Tracking the Wave of Ship Attacks that Has Choked Off Strait of Hormuz (BBC)

The costs of war …

Pentagon Tells Lawmakers Iran War Costs Top $11.3bn – but True Price Unknown (The Guardian)
Getting Congress to Pay for the Iran War Won’t Be an Easy Sell (Politico)
Why the Iran War Hurts Trump’s Plans to Expand LNG (EE News)
US TTemporarily Lifts Sanctions on Russian Oil at Sea as Iran War Sees Global Prices Surge (The Guardian)

… are not just economic:

4 Dead After U.S. Air Force Refueler Crashes in Iraq While Supporting Iran War (Washington Post)

Israeli war crimes continue …

Israeli Government Approves New Funding for Violent Settlers Under Cover of the Iran War (New Jewish Narrative)
While the War in Iran Gets Attention, What’s Happening in Gaza? (NPR)
The Price of Return: Interrogation and Steadfastness at Rafah (Palestine Deep Dive)
The Palestinians Forced to Demolish Their Own Homes by Israel (Aljazeera)

… as do civilian casualties of the Iran war:

Lebanon Appeals to Israel’s Allies to Intervene and Says Hundreds Are Killed (Washington Post)
Explosions near Tehran al-Quds Day March in Solidarity with Palestinians (Aljazeera)

“Military claims it hits Shin Bet headquarters and the Palmachim and Ovda airbases as Israel announces another round of ‘wide-scale’ strikes on Iran”:

Iran Says It Targets Israeli Bases, Accuses Israel of Targeting Hospitals (Aljazeera)

The Chinese Communist Party blames the plight of China’s ethnic minorities, including the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region … on … imbalances in regional development, complex ethnic interactions and external interference“:

China Codifies Ethnic Assimilation with New ‘Unity’ Law as It Counters the West (SCMP)

“The Trump administration, for more than a week, has suggested that U.S. Navy vessels would escort oil tankers through the strait without that happening”:

Iran War: U.S. Navy Will Escort Oil Tankers Through Strait of Hormuz When ‘Militarily Possible,’ Bessent Tells Sky News (CNBC)

“The differences between what Trump and Netanyahu want out of this war are increasingly starting to show and complicating how, when and on what terms it will end”: