A Headless Iran Stumbles & Trump Replaces Noem | 3.6.26

Summary

Morning Wire | "A Headless Iran Stumbles & Trump Replaces Noem"

Date: March 6, 2026
Hosts: John Bickley, Georgia Howe
Main Guests: Tim Pierce, Cassia Akiva, Jenny Tar, Bev Turner

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Episode Overview

This episode examines the mounting turmoil in Iran as its regime falters under military assault and a leadership vacuum, with direct U.S. and Israeli involvement. Domestically, President Trump replaces Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, signaling changes in immigration policy. The episode also analyzes the evolving U.S.-UK alliance in the Iran conflict, and considers the international economic and geopolitical ramifications.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Iran’s Leadership Crisis & Operation Epic Fury

[03:09 – 07:54]

• Military Situation:

  • Tehran is facing unprecedented pressure as Operation Epic Fury cuts down Iranian military capacity.
  • The Iranian Navy is neutralized and the Air Force "blown up," with the threat of a ground invasion looming. (Tim Pierce, [03:09])
  • U.S. and Israel have targeted thousands of Iranian sites; Iranian regime is reeling and isolated.

• Battle for Successor:

  • The late Ayatollah’s son, Mostoofah Khomeini, emerges as the top Supreme Leader candidate—seen as "more ruthless than his father," but there's hesitancy about hereditary succession. (Tim Pierce, [03:34])
  • The Assembly of Experts is divided; the Revolutionary Guard exerts pressure in leadership selection.

• Technological Edge:

  • U.S. videos reportedly show high-energy lasers intercepting Iranian drones. Israel potentially using "Iron Beam" system—though publicly unconfirmed, experts believe laser systems are impacting battle dynamics. (John Bickley, [05:22])

• Kurdish Involvement:

  • U.S. reportedly contacts Iranian and Iraqi Kurdish groups, who may pivot against the regime if U.S./Israel neutralize more missile threats and can guarantee long-term support.

    “They're waiting for those [missiles] to get more depleted and they're waiting for the US and Israel to take more of the rocket launchers out.” (Cassia Akiva, [04:46])

  • Kurdish groups seek assurance they will not be "abandoned" after risking their lives.

• Foreign Minister’s Position:

  • Iran claims readiness to fend off a ground invasion, but the reality is increasingly grim for the regime.

2. Global Economic Ramifications—Strait of Hormuz Disruption

[05:22 – 06:49]

• Trade Impact:

  • Traffic through the critical Strait of Hormuz is down 90%—vital for global energy shipments.
  • Despite this, oil prices have not surged as expected.

    “The Strait of Hormuz has been nominally closed for five days and we still haven’t seen half of the move in oil markets that we saw when Russia invaded Ukraine.” (Dr. Peter Earle, [06:17])

  • The importance of the Strait may be "overvalued," or markets are banking on a quick resolution.

• U.S. Insulation From Oil Price Spike:

  • Americans are somewhat shielded, but gas prices have jumped over 10% in a week.

3. China’s Geopolitical Stakes

[06:49 – 07:54]

• Diplomatic Jockeying:
  • U.S. and Chinese officials to meet in Paris soon, aiming to reach trade agreements before a Trump-Xi summit.
  • China, a key trading partner of both Venezuela and Iran, faces secondary pressure from U.S. military action disrupting these alliances.

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4. Kristi Noem’s Dismissal as Homeland Security Secretary

[08:57 – 13:05]

• Controversies Leading to Ousting:

  • Noem implicated Trump directly in costly anti-illegal immigration TV ads during congressional testimony; the $200 million campaign awarded via dubious contracting tied to her former spokesperson’s husband.
  • Trump claims ignorance about the ad buys, prompting questions about Noem’s loyalty. (Jenny Tar, [09:16])
  • Mishandling of Minneapolis deportation raids—specifically, fatal shootings of Alex Preddy and Renee Good after Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino’s aggressive tactics. Trump replaced Bovino with Tom Homan in response.
  • Concerns over Noem’s leadership style—lack of law enforcement background, favoritism, and controversial advisory relationships.

• Successor Named:

  • Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullen tapped to replace Noem.

    “It’s just, you know, pretty humbling...A little kid from Westville, Oklahoma gets to serve in the president’s cabinet. That’s pretty neat.” (Sen. Mullen, quoted by John Bickley, [01:09])

  • Rank-and-file DHS officials welcome the appointment due to Mullen’s close alignment with Trump and law enforcement experience. Loyalty to Trump appears crucial in the administration's considerations. (Jenny Tar, [11:29])

• Noem’s New Role:

  • She’ll lead a Western Hemisphere initiative targeting cartels—a demotion, but she remains within the administration.

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5. U.S.-UK Tensions Over Iran Campaign

[13:38 – 18:13]

• Strained Relationship:

  • UK PM Keir Starmer is balancing domestic (especially Muslim) political pressures with international alliances. He avoided joining initial U.S. strikes on Iran, striving for neutrality.

    “He’s just held a press conference because he’s getting so much criticism...he has not spoken to the president in all of that time. And that is very indicative actually of the strained relationship between these two men.” (Bev Turner, [14:11])

  • Substantial UK's Muslim electorate causes Starmer to tread carefully, with public displays of support for both Iranian people and Palestine on UK streets. (Bev Turner, [15:42])

• Military Cooperation:

  • Britain initially refused U.S. requests to use UK military bases but relented after pressure—allowing access to Diego Garcia and bases in Cyprus.

    “We are now allowing Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands to be used by America. We've got bases in Cyprus that America is now being permitted to use.” (Bev Turner, [16:47])

  • The UK is sending only one warship (“the Dragon”), but it will take two weeks to arrive, highlighting military limitations.

• European Partnership Questioned:

  • Trump repeatedly frustrations about European and British allies' reluctance to share operational burdens.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Our capabilities are overwhelming and gathering still, as are those of our Israeli partners. Our munitions are full up and our will is ironclad, which means our timeline is ours and ours alone to control.”
  — US War Secretary Pete Hegseth, [03:09]

• “They're waiting for those [missiles] to get more depleted and they're waiting for the US and Israel to take more of the rocket launchers out. Now they're also hoping that they have a long-term partnership formed in the United States.”
  — Cassia Akiva, [04:46]

• “Upon the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, [one] would have expected much, much higher oil prices than we see right now.”
  — Dr. Peter Earle, [06:44]

• On the UK’s initial reluctance:

  “We’re not going to get in the way. We’re not going to stop you, but we’re not going to help you. I mean, those are the kind of friends you need in times of need, right?”
  — Bev Turner, [16:47]

• Political Realignment:

  “In the end, this was really about Noem going against the President and essentially throwing him under the bus.”
  — Jenny Tar, [11:29]

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Segment Timestamps

• Iran Military Update & Leadership Crisis: [03:09–07:54]
• Strait of Hormuz Economic Impact: [05:22–06:49]
• China Angle: [06:49–07:54]
• Kristi Noem Dismissal & DHS Shake-up: [08:57–13:05]
• UK-U.S. Tensions Over Iran: [13:38–18:13]

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Episode Takeaways

• Iran’s regime is faltering militarily and politically, with U.S. and Israeli advances and absence of a strong leader.
• Kurdish militias may soon join the conflict, but only after western assurances.
• Despite massive disruption to global oil routes, markets remain calm—for now.
• Trump’s cabinet shuffle underscores the importance of loyalty and signals a tougher immigration stance.
• The U.S.-UK “special relationship” faces stress, as Britain hedges its bets with limited support for U.S. actions, citing internal political realities.

This episode provides a clear-eyed, fast-moving overview of shifting global and domestic dynamics, focusing on leadership, loyalty, and the evolving lines of modern warfare and politics.

Transcript

[John Bickley]

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[John Bickley]

As operation Epic Fury nears, the one week mark Tehran scrambles to fill a deepening leadership vacuum, a process Trump says he must be involved in. Ultimately, I think the president's having a heck of a say in who runs Iran, given the ongoing operation we have. I'm Daily Wire Executive editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, March 6th. This is Morning Wire.

[Georgia Howe]

President Trump announces that Chris Kristi Noem is out as head of Homeland Security and Senator Mark Wayne Mullen is stepping in.

[John Bickley]

It's just, you know, pretty humbling when you start thinking about it. A little kid from Westville, Oklahoma gets to serve in the president's cabinet. That's pretty neat. And as the conflict in the Middle east rages on, the UK Comes under fire for trying to walk a thin line. I took the decision that the UK Would not join the initial strikes on Iran. But when Iran started attacking countries around the Gulf and the wider region, the situation changed.

[Georgia Howe]

Thanks for waking up with MORNING wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. I am extremely excited to tell you about our sponsor today, Quince. Quince is a website that sells high quality, classic clothing and home items made of real materials like cotton, European linen, 100% silk, cashmere, and they sell them for extremely affordable prices. I've previously discussed quince sweaters, which is how I first got hooked on the brand years and years ago. But it was it wasn't until 2024 when I bought my first set of bedding. From them. I got some cotton percale sheets and I was so impressed with those sheets that I immediately ordered sets for all the beds in my house. And I also got down comforters and a few summer weight blankets, all of which have been excellent. And my sister and my mom were so impressed that now they only use Quince for their bedding. So if you also have expensive taste, but you like to get a good bargain, please check out quince.com. if you use that link, you'll support our show and you'll be eligible for free shipping and 365 day returns. This also, by the way, applies to Canadian listeners. That's Q-U-I-C-E.com wire and that really supports our show. Plus you'll get that free shipping and a full year to decide if you like your items. As the joint military operation in Iran closes in on its first week, Tehran is in the middle of a leadership crisis.

[John Bickley]

Here to talk about the latest in Operation Epic Fury is Daily Wire contributor Tim Pierce. Morning, Tim. So things looking increasingly grim for what's left of Iran's very much isolated regime at this point. Where does the military operation stand now? Yeah, Iran's navy has effectively been neutralized, its air force blown up, and it looks like it could be facing a ground invasion from domestic opposition. Right now, one of Tehran's top priorities is stabilizing its leadership and appointing a new supreme leader. The top candidate appears to be the late Ayatollah's son, Most of AH Khomeini. He has a more ruthless reputation than even his father. But Tehran's assembly of Experts is somewhat split over concerns about hereditary leadership to that position and because of pressure from Iran's Revolutionary Guard. In the process, while Iran tries to keep its leadership breathing, the US And Israel have knocked out thousands of Iranian military targets. War Secretary Pete Hegseth gave an update in a press conference yesterday. We have only just begun to fight and fight decisively. Our capabilities are overwhelming and gathering still, as are those of our Israeli partners. Our munitions are full up and our will is ironclad, which means our timeline is ours and ours alone to control. One of the next big questions is whether President Trump will order ground forces into Iran. Iran's foreign minister has said he's confident that they can counter any such invasion. But we've seen reports that Trump has reached out to Kurdish forces in Iran and Iraq. We brought on Daily Wire foreign Affairs reporter Cassia Akiva to talk about that.

[Jenny Tar]

Iranian Kurdish groups based in Iraq are considering returning home to Iran and taking up arms against the Islamic regime. Now, they're not doing it yet, despite any reports. You see, they're waiting for a few things to happen. First of all, they cannot defend themselves adequately against the drones and the missiles of the Islamic regime. So they're waiting for those to get more depleted and they're waiting for the US And Israel to take more of the rocket launchers out. Now they're also hoping that they have a long Term partnership formed in the United States. They want to make sure that if they risk their lives enjoying this fight, they will be protected and that the US Will not abandon them for whatever shiny new government comes next in Tehran.

[John Bickley]

Now, Iran has still not landed a significant blow in the conflict. And part of that is due to the state of the art defensive capabilities of the US And Israel. Videos released by US Central Command appear to show the use of a high energy laser to take out drones. And Israel has reportedly been able to stop Iranian missiles and drones zones in part by using its own iron beam. While neither side has confirmed the use of lasers in the conflict, military experts believe that they are making a difference on the battlefield. Now, the operation has taken a toll on international shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. That's a very important trade route between Asia and the Middle East. What kinds of effects are we seeing from the disruption there? Yeah, it's definitely a problem with the amount of energy especially that is shipped through the strait. Traffic through the strait has dropped off about 90% over the past week. Morning Wire spoke to Dr. Peter Earle. He's the of Economics at the American Institute for Economic Research, and he raised some good questions about the Strait.

[Jenny Tar]

One thing I would say, though, is that the Strait of Hormuz has been nominally closed for five days and we still haven't seen half of the move in oil markets that we saw when Russia invaded Ukraine.

[John Bickley]

So the wonder right now is has

[Jenny Tar]

the Strait of Hormuz, its importance been sort of overvalued in the years? Has it been overstated?

[John Bickley]

Or are the markets just that optimistic that this will be resolved quickly?

[Jenny Tar]

So it's kind of an interesting quandary

[John Bickley]

because one would have, would have expected

[Jenny Tar]

to see upon the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, much, much higher oil prices than we see right now.

[John Bickley]

Earl also said that for Americans, we're somewhat insulated from price spikes in energy. That said, the price of oil in the US has risen well over 10% since the operation started last week. Yeah, I think most of us have seen the price at the pump going up a bit over the last few days. Now, I wanted to ask you about the China angle before you go. What is going on with China in relation to this operation? Yeah, top officials are expected to meet in Paris at the end of next week. That meeting will reportedly involve Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and Trade Representative Jameson Greer for the US and the Vice Premier for China. The meeting is aimed at finalizing trade deals before Trump and Xi meet in Beijing at the end of the month. Officials on both sides have talked about improving the relationship between the US And China. But recently the US Military action may add some new tension to those discussions. As Venezuela and Iran were two of Beijing's top trading partners until very recently. Right. The US has taken direct aim at two of their allies. I'm sure Beijing is shaken somewhat by this. Tim, thank you so much for coming on. Thanks for having me.

[Jenny Tar]

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[John Bickley]

Kristi Noem is out as Secretary of Homeland Security and President Trump has announced her replacement.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire immigration reporter Jenny Tar joins us now with more. So, Jenny, you've been reporting on Kristi Noem and her various controversies for months now with her leadership at dhs. What ultimately led to her firing.

[Jenny Tar]

Right. So what ultimately was the straw that broke the camel's back appears to be Noam's testimony this week where she had said before a congressional committee that it was President Trump who ultimately decided to run these TV ads encouraging deportation and against illegal immigration. And these ads came at a huge cost, $200 million. She said it was a competitive bidding process, but it turns out it really wasn't. According to documents that we've obtained here at the Daily Wire, it seems that this was all set up so that a company that was stood up by her Former spokesperson's husband, that they went to that company essentially because it was done through, like, a subcontracting agency, and it was set up that way. And not to mention the large bill that went with. Appears that Trump had really no idea about them. That's what he said before her firing was ultimately announced. There's been a number of other things that have led up to this. Of course, her handling of the Minneapolis deportation raids. There was some issue with that when the two shootings happened, the two fatal shootings of Alex Preddy and Renee Good. And so that led when, when Noem had sent in Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino. He was there on leading the operation. He was swiftly taken out after those shootings. He's a very aggressive type of law enforcement agent who is known for his roving, sweeping patrols. And that was getting a lot of backlash then. And she was ultimately sidestepped by the President, who took Bovino out of there and put in Tom Homan. That was another thing that led up to this. So it was the contracts, it was the handling of Minneapolis that's led to this. Um, and of course, going after him and essentially blaming him for this, it wasn't a good look and really made the president question her loyalty.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, President Trump says he's going to tap Oklahoma Senator Mark Wayne Mullen for this job. What does that mean about DHS's new direction going forward?

[Jenny Tar]

Yeah, I think this is something that career law enforcement agents and officers at DHS are currently wondering. I've talked to a number of sources about this, because one of the big things that made them take issue with Secretary Noem was the fact that she was not a law enforcement official like them, and she didn't have that experience. And she often would sidestep the career law enforcement officials leading things like Customs and Border Protection and Border Patrol and even ice that she was looking towards people like apparently Corey Lewandowski, who was her senior advisor at DHS and is also alleged to be engaged in an affair with her. So that was. That's their biggest concern. Like the rank and file at DHS really were concerned about that. You know, what we know about Mullen is that he's a staunch Trump ally. And that's something that we can tell from this whole situation is something that the President really values, because in the end, this was really about Noam going against the President and essentially throwing him under the bus.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, the President announced that he does have plans for Noem in the future. What does he want her to do next?

[Jenny Tar]

So at this point. Secretary Noem will be continuing as the secretary through the end of the month. And then from there, she's essentially getting a demotion. But she's going to be leading kind of like this Western hemisphere initiative to go after the cartels. So she'll still be in the Trump administration just in a position that's at a lower level.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, it'll be interesting to see what direction Mullen takes the department. Jenny, thanks for reporting.

[Jenny Tar]

Thank you.

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[Georgia Howe]

The relationship between the US And UK has been strained this week amid British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's reluctance to aid the operation against the Iranian regime.

[John Bickley]

Joining us to discuss is Bev Turner, host of GB News Late Show Live. Bev, good to have you back on.

[Bev Turner]

My pleasure.

[John Bickley]

So we've been watching with great interest how the UK has responded to the war from day one. We're nearly a week in here and tensions have just been really rising by the day with Trump and Starmer. What's the latest from the UK how have they responded to this operation against Iran?

[Bev Turner]

The prime minister is under huge pressure, massive pressure in the UK at the moment to respond in a way that is apparently trying to keep everybody happy at the same time. And frankly, it's an impossible task for him. He's just held a press conference because he's getting so much criticism. And in this press conference, one of the most striking elements of, for me is that somebody said to him, have you been talking to the president? And he said, I spoke to the president on Saturday night. Now, as you've just pointed out, this year, we are six, seven days into this now and the bombing started early Saturday morning. That means that the prime minister has just revealed to the world that he has not spoken to the president in all of that time. And that is very indicative actually of the strained relationship between these two men. And Keir Starmer has been at pains every time he stood up in the UK to say we weren't involved in the strikes on Iran. We have not been involved. We're taking a defensive position. And partly, guys, this is because in the uk, the Muslim voter is incredibly influential, and we have so many Muslims now who are politically engaged in the UK who take democracy very seriously. And so Keir Starmer is trying to keep everybody happy and keeping nobody happy.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, by and large, do you see that the Muslim population is sympathetic with the Ayatollah, or are they sympathetic with the Iranian people who we've largely seen celebrating?

[Bev Turner]

I think that's a really good question, and I think it's impossible to lump everybody into one Venn diagram of how they feel about that. However, we have seen a lot of Iranian people in the UK celebrating on the streets, as you've seen here in America as well. We've seen, for the first time ever, actually, Jewish people celebrating alongside Iran, Iranian people alongside Christian people. And that is wonderful. But for some of the Muslim population, they were obviously felt very strongly about the Palestine conflict. They felt very strong. We have on the streets of the UK every weekend pro Palestine marches which bring London to a standstill. That is no exaggeration. I think the Iranian situation is obviously more complicated.

[John Bickley]

As you said, Starmer emphatically came out early on and said, hey, we had nothing to do with these initial strikes, but we've now seen the UK agree to least not get in the way of the us. What is the latest, logistically? What are they providing or not providing for this campaign?

[Bev Turner]

Yeah, that's a really good point. Yeah, we're not going to get in the way. We're not going to stop you, but we're not going to help you. I mean, those are the kind of friends you need in times of need. Right? You see, we have all of these military bases, of course, around the world, and our understanding is that the President asked Keir Starmer, can we use your bases? And we understand that, he said no. Now, that is the kind of thing that President Trump will not forget easily. Subsequently, in the preceding 72 hours or so, it looks like we changed our mind on that. And we are now allowing Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands to be used by America. We've got bases in Cyprus that America is now being permitted to use. But we have one big ship, basically, that is able to go. It's called the Dragon. It is not breathing any fire. It's going to take it two weeks to get to the area. Our military has been so depleted over so many decades now that we really are incredibly ill equipped to deal with a situation like this. And in the sense that the President has been saying repeatedly, we are carrying the weight of the world where is Europe. Where is the uk? He's been saying all of this before it kicked off in Iran and it turns out he's been proved right.

[John Bickley]

So one ship on the way.

[Bev Turner]

One ship.

[John Bickley]

Not the kind of response you'd expect from the UK a few decades back. Bev, thank you so much for joining us. Great to have you back on.

[Bev Turner]

Thank you.

[Georgia Howe]

Thanks for waking up with us. And if you're listening to the show now, you can watch for free on Daily Wire. We'll be back later this evening with more news you need to know.