Loading summary
Transcript14 lines
- [00:04]
Podcast Host
You are listening to an art media podcast.
- [00:16]
Deborah Pardes
It's Tuesday, March 17, 2026. I'm Deborah Pardes and this is Arc News Daily.
- [00:26]
Political Analyst
I'm demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory because it's the place from which they get their energy. They should come and they should help us protect
- [00:38]
Deborah Pardes
On Monday, US President Donald Trump ramped up efforts to open the Strait of Hormuz. According to reports he's expected to announce this week, a coalition of states to protect the passage from Iranian fire control of the strait has emerged as one of Iran's strongest weapons in resisting the US And Israeli assault. With oil and gas shipments through the strait largely blocked, energy prices have spiked, creating economic anxiety worldwide. Trump is under growing pressure to either solve the problem or end the war. After promising last week that the US Will secure shipping going through the strait, Trump claimed on Monday that seven countries have already agreed to join the coalition but remain vague on who they are. But Trump has been more clear about his growing impatience with American allies who have not yet stepped up to help. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday, Trump made clear that he views the Strait of Hormuz as the world's problem. He noted that Europe and China are heavily reliant on the Gulf oil that passes through the strait, while the United States is relatively energy independent.
- [01:51]
Political Analyst
You could make the case that maybe we shouldn't be there at all because we don't need it. We have a lot of oil.
- [01:57]
Deborah Pardes
Trump also started threatening NATO on Sunday. He said the military alliance could face, quote, a very bad future if its members don't join the coalition. And on Monday, he added that the U.S. will, quote, remember who helped and who didn't. The international response to Trump's remarks was less than enthusiastic. Following a meeting of European Union foreign ministers on Monday, EU foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas said there was, quote, no appetite to expand an EU naval mission in the Middle east to the Strait of Hormuz.
- [02:31]
Podcast Host
Nobody wants to go actively in this war and of course everybody's concerned what will be the outcome? What was stressed as well was the diplomatic outreach to have solutions.
- [02:45]
Deborah Pardes
Leaders of Britain and Germany on Monday ruled out NATO involvement in the war, and Japan's defense minister said Tokyo was not currently considering a maritime security operation. China's foreign Ministry said Beijing was in communication with all sides about the situation in the strait and reiterated calls for a ceasefire in the war. But Trump seemed less keen on a diplomatic solution. According to reports on Monday, Trump is preparing to ramp up attacks on Iran's energy reserves and has told Israeli officials to prepare for several more weeks of warfare if Iran keeps the strait shut. In fact, when asked on the possibility of negotiations with Iran, Trump said on Monday that as far as he's concerned, Iran isn't ready to make that deal.
- [03:33]
Political Analyst
I don't think they're ready, but they're getting pretty close.
- [03:39]
Deborah Pardes
Israeli troops push deeper into Lebanon on Monday in a new campaign to expand Israel's buffer zone in the south of the country. Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, said the offensive will destroy Hezbollah infrastructure in the and prevent the Iran backed terrorist group from returning. He said the hundreds of thousands of displaced Lebanese will not be allowed to move back into their homes until the safety of residents in northern Israel was guaranteed. Israeli officials did not specify how deep they intended to push into Lebanon, but Axios reported on Friday that the goal of the operation would be to capture the entire south of the country up to the Litany River. At the same time, Israel and Lebanon are expected to hold direct talks in the coming days. With US And French involvement, the negotiations would seek a durable ceasefire and the disarmament of Hezbollah, according to reports. Ron Dermer, a close confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Jared Kushner, Trump's son in law, are reportedly leading the diplomatic effort. On Monday's episode of ARC Media's Call Me Back podcast, contributor Nadav Eyal said that a decis defeat of Hezbollah would by itself make the war a strategic success.
- [04:59]
Nadav Eyal
If the end of this war, Diane, is that Hezbollah is disarmed even if we get the same Iran at the end of the day, or very much the same if you're on just slightly degraded. But Hezbollah, its main militia in Lebanon, it's been threatening Israel for so many years, is disarmed by the Lebanese society. I'm buying this as a result of the war.
- [05:21]
Deborah Pardes
You can find a link to the episode in the show.
- [05:23]
Nadav Eyal
Notes
- [05:26]
Deborah Pardes
Iran continued raining down missiles and drones across the Middle East. Videos show billows of smoke rising near the Dubai airport and a major Emirati oil facility. Four rockets landed near the Baghdad airport in the second attack in as many days. Saudi Arabia also came under heavy drone bombardment on Monday. The leaders of the United Emirates and Saudi Arabia condemned the recent attacks on their countries by Iran as a dangerous escalation threatening regional security and stability, according to Saudi state media. The New York Times reported that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been speaking regularly with Trump throughout the war, urging the president to keep hitting the Iranians hard. Even Hamas appears to be fed up with Iran. On Saturday, the terrorist group, which is the only Iranian proxy that hasn't joined the war yet, called on Iran to stop attacking its Gulf neighbors. In another apparent act of defiance against Iran, Hamas has sent representatives to negotiate with Trump's Board of Peace about preserving the Gaza ceasefire with Israel. This according to a Reuters report on Monday, Iran also persisted with its attacks on Israel. Several missile salvos on Monday damaged homes in the center of the country. One cluster bomb explosion left a woman injured, and in the north, Hezbollah rockets sparked a fire that wounded six people, including four min. Since the war began, more than 3,300 people have been treated in Israeli hospitals as a result of the conflict. According to Israel's health ministry, 12 people, all of them civilians, have been killed by missile fire. Also on Monday, schools in areas deemed lower risk opened for the first time. This offered some relief to parents who have been home with their children for nearly three weeks. But according to Israel's Education Ministry, less than half of eligible students return to their classrooms, with many parents still concerned about the security situation. I'm Deborah Pardes and this is ARC News Daily. Arc news daily is written by andrew tobin. Arc media's executive producer is adam james levin eridy. Our production manager is brittany cohen. Sound and video editing is by liquid audio. Music is by yuval simo. Our community manager is ava wiener. See you tomorrow.