The Rest of the World Report | Thursday, March 26, 2026 — Morning Edition

DAY 27 MORNING EDITION IS LIVE The deadline expires tomorrow. There is no deal. Brent is $106. ① The five-day window Trump declared on Monday at ~11:30 AM UTC expires Saturday March 28 at approximately 11:30 AM UTC — no deal, no confirmed talks, no Islamabad meeting. Overnight: Pakistan intervened to prevent Israel from assassinating Iran's foreign minister and parliament speaker. "If they are killed, there is no one left to talk to." Saturday is the most consequential deadline of the war. ② Iran has been laying traps and moving troops to Kharg Island — which handles 90% of Iran's crude oil exports — in preparation for a possible US operation to seize it. Two Marine amphibious units are in the region. Trump's Treasury Secretary has called it a potential "US asset." Gulf allies are privately urging the US not to do it. Iran is ready for them if they do. ③ A 21-year-old Israeli soldier was killed in Lebanon overnight — the third IDF soldier dead in the renewed ground operation. 1,072 people have been killed in Lebanon in less than four weeks. Lebanon has expelled Iran's ambassador. Israel is operating inside Lebanese towns. One of its cabinet ministers is calling for annexation. This is a war. ④ Republican members of the House Armed Services Committee walked out of a classified Pentagon briefing and said on the record they don't know what this war is for. Rep. Nancy Mace: "The justifications presented to the American public for the war in Iran were not the same military objectives we were briefed on today." 59% of Americans say the US made the wrong decision. A supplemental war funding bill is coming. ⑤ Saudi Arabia is cutting oil exports to China and India for the second month in a row because the bypass pipeline cannot cover what the Strait of Hormuz normally moves. Brent is $106 this morning — up 61% since February 28. Japan is releasing its largest ever oil reserves. The IEA calls this the biggest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market. The rest of the world is watching. We translate it for you. Link in bio. 🔗