Hormuz Tensions Spike & Cuba Crisis Deepens | 3.16.26

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary

Episode: Hormuz Tensions Spike & Cuba Crisis Deepens | 3.16.26
Hosts: John Bickley, Georgia Howe
Date: March 16, 2026

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Overview

This Morning Wire episode focuses on escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf as the US and allies confront Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, increasing turmoil and protests in Cuba as its government commences negotiations with Washington, and new legal challenges facing the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement. Additionally, there are updates on recent terror attacks within the US linked to international groups. The hosts are joined by correspondents and experts to break down these urgent global and domestic developments.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

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1. Iranian War & Strait of Hormuz Blockade

Segment Begins: [02:06]

• Ongoing US-Iran Conflict:

  • The US has intensified bombardment in Iran, targeting over 6,000 sites and sinking 65+ naval vessels.
  • Iran’s ability to launch ballistic missiles and drones has been reduced by 90% and 95% respectively.
  • Notably, the US struck Kharg Island, essential for Iran’s oil exports.

  Cabot Phillips:

  "The White House says we've now hit more than 6,000 targets across the country, sinking more than 65 naval vessels." [02:28]

  • President Trump emphasizes military-only targets and threatens to escalate if Iran continues its blockade.

  Cabot Phillips:

  "He also threatened to destroy in the future the island's oil infrastructure if the Iranians maintain their blockade..." [02:28]

  • Iran threatens repercussions:

    "If this happens, all oil and gas infrastructure in the region in which the US and its allies have interests will be set on fire and destroyed." [03:11]

• Strategic Impact:

  • Trump claims complete victory over Iran’s military, but Cabot notes ongoing strategic hurdles as the Strait remains blocked.
  • The blockade is causing dramatic increases in oil and gas prices (25% spike in US gas, oil back over $100/barrel).

  Cabot Phillips:

  "As long as Iran is actively blocking Strait of Hormuz, that it will be very difficult to end this conflict and pull out completely." [03:30]

  • Energy Secretary Chris Wright acknowledges price pressures, contrasts current situation to previous administration’s policies.

  • President Trump urges international action (including from China and European powers) to help end the blockade, with some response—but specifics unclear.

  Quote:

  "Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and others…will send ships to the area so that the Hormu Strait will no longer be a threat." [04:34]

• US Casualties:

  • The US death toll has reached 13, including 6 servicemembers killed in a refueling plane crash attributed to possible midair collision, not enemy fire.

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2. Domestic Terror Attacks: Virginia and Michigan

Segment Begins: [05:30]

• Incident Updates:

  • In Michigan, Ayman Muhammad Ghazali (Lebanese immigrant) drove a car of explosives into a synagogue; his brother, a Hezbollah commander, was killed by Israel—possible motive.
  • In Virginia, Mohammed Jalo (Sierra Leone immigrant) attempted a mass shooting at Old Dominion ROTC classroom. He was previous convicted for ISIS-related plot, released under Biden administration in 2024.

  Cabot Phillips:

  "Jalo was convicted back in 2017 of trying to provide material support to ISIS…he was sentenced to 11 years in prison, but was ultimately released under the Biden administration in 2024." [06:25]

• Political Fallout:

  • GOP lawmakers demand answers on why Jalo was released early despite his terror record.

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3. Cuba: Economic Crisis & Unrest

Segment Begins: [07:56]

• Crisis Escalation:

  • Following Venezuela’s Maduro’s arrest, Cuba lost its main fuel supplier. Prolonged energy shortages, rolling blackouts, and food scarcity have led to rising anger and open protest—the headquarters of Cuba’s Communist Party was set on fire by demonstrators.

  William Leogrande (Expert Quote):

  "The economic situation is really desperate and it's getting worse every day. The electricity is out more hours of the day than it's on in most parts of the island." [08:45]

• Negotiations with US:

  • Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canal is publicly admitting talks with the US to lift the oil embargo—a sign of desperation.
  • Lack of organized opposition in Cuba keeps government’s grip intact, though unrest is notable.

  William Leogrande:

  "One of the problems is that there isn't really any organized opposition in Cuba…most of your real leaders of opposition in Cuba today live in Miami or Madrid." [10:18]

• Potential Reforms:

  • Negotiations reportedly involve possible economic concessions and allowing Cuban-Americans to invest in private business.

  William Leogrande:

  "The ongoing negotiations focus really on the Cuban government making economic concessions to both their own private sector and also to the United States...One other area that I think we're going to hear more about is the ability of Cuban Americans to invest directly in Cuba and own some of these small businesses." [11:00]

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4. Trump Immigration Agenda Faces Legal Obstacles

Segment Begins: [12:22]

• ICE Detention Challenges:

  • A surge in detainees filing habeas corpus petitions (challenging detainment in federal district courts vs. immigration courts) is enabling prolonged stays and more chances to avoid deportation.
  • This tactic moves their cases from faster-moving immigration courts to more lenient district courts.

  Jenny Terre:

  "They’re finding that filing habeas petitions…is really a successful tool right now to get them out of ICE custody." [12:47] "[It] gives them the opportunity to actually find ways to get some form of status in the United States…in the years that it would take to adjudicate their cases..." [13:36]

• Systemic Burden:

  • The US Attorney for the District of Arizona calls the influx of cases a "systemic burden," diverting DOJ resources from other areas.

  Jenny Terre:

  "He said those cases, you know, they were seeing maybe 10 before Trump came into office and now they're at nearly a thousand of habeas cases..." [15:34]

• Policy Tension:

  • DOJ may need to respond with new policies. The current situation may undermine Trump’s aims to keep detainees in custody and accelerate deportations.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On US strikes in Iran:
  "We've now hit more than 6,000 targets across the country, sinking more than 65 naval vessels."
  — Cabot Phillips [02:28]

• Iran's retaliatory threat:
  "If this happens, all oil and gas infrastructure in the region in which the US and its allies have interests will be set on fire and destroyed."
  — Iranian spokesperson (via Cabot Phillips) [03:19]

• On economic upheaval in Cuba:
  "The electricity is out more hours of the day than it's on in most parts of the island...there's not enough food in the stores that people can afford to buy."
  — William Leogrande [08:45]

• On immigration legal tactics:
  "They're finding that filing habeas petitions...is really a successful tool right now to get them out of ICE custody."
  — Jenny Terre [12:47]

• On the systemic burden to DOJ resources:
  "We were seeing maybe 10 before Trump came into office and now they're at nearly a thousand..."
  — Jenny Terre (quoting US Attorney for District of Arizona) [15:34]

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• US-Iran/Strait of Hormuz Updates: [02:06] – [05:30]
• Terror Attacks in Virginia & Michigan: [05:30] – [06:53]
• Cuban Economic Crisis/US Negotiations: [07:56] – [11:45]
• Immigration Policy Legal Obstacle: [12:22] – [16:12]

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This episode delivers an urgent overview of how international conflict, economic crises, and shifting legal strategies are impacting US foreign and domestic policy. The tone remains factual and urgent, with the hosts seeking clarity from reporters and expert guests, often highlighting the wider strategic or political implications for listeners.

Transcript

[John Bickley]

The situation in Iran is going very well. We'll see what's happening with the Straits. After the US Takes out a critical Iranian target in the Persian Gulf, Trump calls on other countries to join the effort to open the Strait of Hormuz.

[Georgia Howe]

And we learn more about the terror suspects who struck Virginia and Michigan last week.

[John Bickley]

I'm Daily Wire Executive editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Monday, March 16th. This is Morning Wire.

[Georgia Howe]

Facing economic turmoil, Cuba opens up talks with Washington and Cubans torch a Communist Party headquarters building.

[John Bickley]

And the Trump administration's mass deportation effort faces yet another major obstacle in the courts.

[Georgia Howe]

Thanks for waking up with MORNING wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

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[Georgia Howe]

as the war in Iran enters its third week. The US Looks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz amid increased threats of terror at home.

[John Bickley]

Cabot Phillips, host of Wired in Live, joins us now to break it down. Morning, Cabot. So new details coming in about the terror attacks last week here at home. We want to get to those, of course, but first let's start with the latest from Iran.

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, the bombardment continued all weekend long. The White House says we've now hit more than 6,000 targets across the country, sinking more than 65 naval vessels. And then Iran's ballistic missile attacks are now down 90% from the start of the war, while drone attacks are down 95% and over the weekend, the US for the first time targeted Kharg Island. That is a critical landmass in the Persian Gulf, through which about 90% of Iran's oil supply passes. President Trump said those strikes focused only on military targets like air defense systems and underground storage facilities for mines. But he also threatened to destroy in the future the island's oil infrastructure if the Iranians maintain their blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. For their part, the Iranians said, quote, if this happens, all oil and gas infrastructure in the region in which the US and its allies have interests will be set on fire and destroyed.

[John Bickley]

All right, so threats that this will backfire on us if we take that action.

[Cabot Phillips]

Correct.

[John Bickley]

Now, as you've mentioned, the Strait of Hormuz continues to be the focus focus in this campaign. Now, have we made progress on that front?

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, President Trump says that we have. He reiterated over the weekend that the U.S. has, quote, beaten and completely decimated Iran and destroyed 100% of their military capability. Now, from a tactical standpoint, Trump is no doubt well on his way to achieving his pre war objectives of destroying the regime's nuclear program, missile supplies and production capabilities. But the reality here is that as long as Iran is actively blocking Strait of Hormuz, that it will be very difficult to end this conflict and pull out completely. Gas prices in the US have already jumped by about 25% since the war began and oil has increased to back over $100 a barrel globally. And that is likely to get worse the longer this blockade remains in place. For his part, Energy Secretary Chris Wright acknowledged this weekend that oil prices are likely to remain elevated as long as this conflict goes on and the straight is blocked. But he was quick to shift the conversation to how much higher prices were under President Biden. So you can hear some of the White House messaging on that front. We were very aware, very aware that we would have short term disruption. Prices today are still far below what they were in the Biden administration where they were begging, bartering and bribing Iran to behave better. And another interesting development, this weekend, President Trump began urging other nations, even China, to join our effort to open the street. He wrote on Truth Social, quote, hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and others are affected by this artificial constraint will send ships to the area so that the Hormu Strait will no longer be a threat. He went on to tell NBC that at least some countries had answered that call, but it's not yet clear who that might be. And as this war enters its third week, the US death toll now sadly has reached 13. The Pentagon confirmed that six more service members were confirmed dead after a refueling plane crashed over Iraq. An Iranian terror proxy claimed responsibility for that incident, but the Pentagon says it was caused by neither hostile nor friendly fire. They're investigating to determine exactly went wrong, but there is widespread speculation it was caused by a midair collision.

[John Bickley]

That's something we hate to hear and our hearts definitely go out to those families. Now, as we mentioned at the top, new details about the Virginia and Michigan attacks have come to light. What have we learned now?

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, both incidents are being investigated as acts of terror, though it appears they were not coordinated. Over the weekend, we learned that the attacker in Michigan who drove a car full of explosives into a synagogue before being killed following a shootout with security was 41 year old Ayman Muhammad Ghazali, a Lebanese immigrant living in Dearborn, Michigan. And get this, according to the Israeli Defense Forces, Ghazali's brother was a high ranking commander in Hezbollah, the Iran backed terror group, and he had recently been killed by an Israeli airstrike. So obviously that is being investigated as a motive for this terror attack. And in Virginia, we now know the attacker who attempted a mass shooting in an ROTC classroom at Old Dominion was Mohammed Jalo, an immigrant from Sierra Leone. Jalo was convicted back in 2017 of trying to provide material support to ISIS. At the time, he had plans to carry out a mass shooting on a military base. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison, but was ultimately released under the Biden administration in 2024. And in the aftermath of Thursday's attack, as you can imagine, GOP lawmakers have been demanding answers regarding why he was released early, given his clear desire to carry out acts of terror just like this one.

[John Bickley]

Yeah, I'm sure this is not the last we hear about both of these cases. Cabot, thanks so much for supporting.

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[John Bickley]

as civil unrest rocks Cuba, the communist regime there has admitted to negotiations with the US in an attempt to stabilize its teetering government.

[Georgia Howe]

Here to discuss the latest on Cuba and the discussions between Washington and Havana is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce. So, Tim, there have been some overt signs that President Trump's economic pressure campaign on Cuba is working. What can you tell us about that?

[Tim Pierce]

That's right. It feels like there's real movement here. It's now been over two months since the arrest of Venezuela's Maduro, which cut Cuba off from its one supplier of fuel. There are now signs that Cuban society has started to fracture and Cuba's communist regime seems worried about its future unless the US Lifts its oil embargo. Morning Wire spoke to American University professor William Leogrand. He's an expert on US Foreign policy toward Cuba. Here's what he said about the situation.

[William Leogrande]

Well, the economic situation is really desperate and it's getting worse every day. The electricity is out more hours of the day than it's on in most parts of the island. Water is out if you live in a multi story building where the water gets pumped up to you on electric pumps and there's not enough food in the stores that people can afford to buy. So people are frustrated and angry at the situation. And as I say, it's only getting worse since the United States imposed this oil blockade which is preventing fuel from getting into the country. Cuba depends on the import of oil for about 60% of its energy supply. So without any imports at all, the economy just can't continue to function.

[Tim Pierce]

And that's after months of economic pressure from Washington. Some of that frustration erupted over the weekend with protesters torching the Communist Party's headquarters. And late last week, Cuba's President Miguel Diaz Canal made an extraordinary statement about ongoing talks with Washington to lift the embargo, a clear sign that he is worried.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, I imagine the Cuban government doesn't appreciate their offices being torched. So what kind of actions are they taking to quell this kind of thing?

[Tim Pierce]

Yeah. Well, the government is at a weak point right now. Leo grand said the chances of protests actually toppling the government are still small. Those protesters who burn the Communist Party headquarters could face stiff penalties from the government.

[William Leogrande]

One of the problems is that there isn't really any organized opposition in Cuba. There's really broad, diffuse discontent with how things are. But when people try to organize an opposition, they either end up or being forced into exile. And so most of your real leaders of opposition in Cuba today live in Miami or Madrid.

[Tim Pierce]

So the Cuban regime has done a good job at keeping domestic opposition too fragmented to represent much of a threat right now.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, in terms of the negotiations, what would it take for President Trump to lift the embargo and allow oil back to Cuba?

[Tim Pierce]

That's not entirely clear, but Diaz Canal has suggested he is willing to negotiate. Here's Leo Grand.

[William Leogrande]

The reports that we've heard so far about the ongoing negotiations focus really on the Cuban government making economic concessions to both their own private sector and also to the United States. One other area that I think we're going to hear more about is the ability of Cuban Americans to invest directly in Cuba and own some of these small businesses. That's something the Cuban community abroad has been asking for for a long time, and the government has been reluctant to to allow that.

[Tim Pierce]

So it seems like some economic reforms are in store. We'll see if that can satisfy the Trump administration or if it will end up pushing for more significant changes to the regime as well.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, it must be a tenuous situation there. Tim, thanks for reporting.

[Tim Pierce]

Thanks for having me on

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[Georgia Howe]

Illegal immigrants are using a new strategy to get released from ICE detention and it's posing a new challenge to the Trump administration.

[John Bickley]

Daily Wire immigration reporter Jenny Terre joins us now. Morning, Jenny. So you've been digging into this new trend that's starting to look like it could really set back Trump's agenda on immigration. What exactly are illegal immigrants doing to get set free from ICE detention? And does this have Any effect on their deportation cases?

[Jenny Terre]

Right. So, as you mentioned, we're seeing this growing trend of illegal immigrants getting released from ICE detention, and it's because they're finding that filing habeas petitions, which are contesting their detention, is really a successful tool right now to get them out of ICE custody. And it does prolong, essentially their time in the United States, according to some experts that we've spoken to. And so when they're filing these, it moves their cases from the immigration courts to district courts, where judges are essentially more favorable to them and allow them to have more opportunities for relief in immigration courts. Right now, that's really not the case under the Trump administration. What's happening as a result, when they're getting released, it's affording them more time in the United States, and that gives them the opportunity to actually find ways to get some form of status in the United States or to at least harden their claims to be here so they could have children. In the years that it would take to adjudicate their cases, in the cases where they're detained, things are usually speedier. They don't want to hold people for long periods of time. They don't want detention to be punitive, so they try to adjudicate cases more quickly, like months or weeks. And now you're talking about having an extended period here for years.

[John Bickley]

All right, so this is prolonging the process and opening up ways to sort of further exploit it. When did this begin? How did this all come about?

[Jenny Terre]

Yeah, so in July, the Trump administration actually issued a directive to federal immigration authorities, and they said that detention essentially had to be mandatory for millions of illegal immigrants. And so that gave them the authority to detain more of them. More meant that more were gonna contest their. Their detention there. This created kind of like the perfect storm as immigration judges were denying them bond, which is what the Trump administration really wanted here, is that they wanted bond to be used very sparingly. They didn't want immigration judges to just release people constantly. Like what was happening before under the Biden administration, It wasn't just people being released at the border. It was also from ICE detention, as you've laid out.

[John Bickley]

This all sounds like it could really thwart Trump's immigration agenda. I imagine the administration's not happy about this. How are they responding to this?

[Jenny Terre]

Yeah, so we spoke with the U.S. attorney in the District of Arizona about this, because he's seeing a flood of these cases, these habeas petitions being filed that the government has to respond to. And in a lot of cases. He said they are losing to these illegal immigrants and they're getting granted bond in these district courts. He said those cases, you know, they were seeing maybe 10 before Trump came into office and now they're at nearly a thousand of habeas cases that have been filed. In our interview, he actually called it a, quote, systemic burden because he's had to move a lot of personnel from, you know, criminal cases and other cases that are ongoing that need attention to just looking at these habeas petitions and finding ways to respond because there's just too many for them to handle.

[John Bickley]

But we'll see if the DOJ makes any policy changes in response to all of this. Jenny, thank you so much for reporting.

[Jenny Terre]

Thank you.

[Georgia Howe]

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

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