🇺🇸🙏🇮🇷 Iranian diplomatic source to IranNow:

The U.S. has reportedly, for the third time today, sent a message via a regional intermediary requesting a halt to the war.

This time, the request was accompanied by a threat to escalate assassinations inside Iran if Tehran does not comply.

Iran reportedly responded that its position remains unchanged: no ceasefire until its objectives are achieved.

🔗 Iran Now

🇺🇸⚔️🇮🇷 U.S. Marines Are Rushing to Join the War on Iran

USS Tripoli (LHA-7), an America-class amphibious assault ship, and USS New Orleans (LPD-18), a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, were both spotted yesterday transiting the Strait of Malacca en route to the Middle East.

🔗 EGYOSINT

🇨🇳🇺🇸 Chaos over Donald Trump’s China trip likely to further test Beijing’s patience with US

The US leader’s call for a delay as he focuses on the Iran war follows reports of growing frustration at the White House’s erratic behaviour

Visits to China by foreign leaders are tightly choreographed and meticulously planned affairs, even by the usual standards of international diplomacy.

But the chaotic nature of Donald Trump’s White House and his request to delay a planned visit to China in the wake of his decision to attack Iran are widely believed to be causing increasing frustration in Beijing.

The South China Morning Post has previously reported that preparations for the visit had been dogged by problems, with the Chinese side said to be “apoplectic” about the way Washington’s approach had been increasingly shaped by a president dismissive of norms and traditions.

Trump had initially planned to visit China between March 31 and April 2, but as the war with Iran intensified and Tehran tightened its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, he said his trip would be delayed by “five or six weeks”.

Sun Chenghao, a fellow at Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy, said Trump kept changing his reasons for the delay – first linking it to China’s willingness to help ease the blockade, then saying it was because of logistics.

He said this might lead Beijing to conclude “that the problem lies in the internal coordination chaos on the US side and a failure to separate crisis management from summit preparations”.

He added that a delay would send a signal that, “under this Trump-style diplomacy, even highly important leader-level meetings will be strongly disrupted by external crises and internal divisions”.

Trump’s efforts to pressure China, as well as major US allies, to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz suggested he was “subjectively changing the way he views the China visit”, Sun added.

“He no longer sees it simply as a bilateral summit between China and the US, but is attempting to embed it within a broader framework of global crisis management and transactional diplomacy.

“It means that it is difficult for Trump, at the current stage, to treat the China visit … as a highly focused, resource-concentrated and protocol-prioritised strategic visit.”

🔗 https://archive.ph/BgkzR

🛢 The market is largely pricing in a US oil export ban: Brent less WTI spread is the widest in decades (ex the negative WTI print).

Export ban would landlock US oil, sending it sharply lower while sending Brent soaring

🔗 Zerohedge

⚠️💻 Copper starting to price in recession: Mining stocks underperform as copper gave up its gains for this year and gold declined for a seventh day. Newmont (NEM) falls 7% and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) declines 4%.

🔗 Zerohedge

🛢 A spike in oil prices always coincided with a global recession

@CIG_telegram

🇰🇷🤝🇷🇺 South Korea considers importing Russian oil, naphtha, Industry Ministry says — Reuters

South Korea has stopped imports of ​Russian crude oil since December 2022 following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, according to data, opens new tab from the Korea National Oil Corporation.

Russian crude oil ​accounted for 5.6% of South Korea's shipments in ​2021, a report from the state-run think tank Korea Institute for ‌International ⁠Economic Policy said.

The country's energy exposure to the Middle East has increased because of the conflict in Ukraine, the report said.

South Korea imports around 70% of ​crude oil ​and half ⁠of naphtha through the Strait of Hormuz, according to South Korean lawmakers and the ​industry ministry.

It is also a big importer ​of ⁠naphtha, which is broken down into petrochemicals used in plastics for automobiles, electronics, clothing and construction.

📝Angelica Oung: Russia has spent billions and billions of dollars building ghost pipelines to serve the Japan and SK markets. They are still incomplete but it would be barely an inconvenience to finish them.

I assume they would want to sign nice long contracts and the Asian counterparties would be relieved not to be dependent on Middle East for energy.

Bad news for Europe if all this goes down…their gas at preferential prices might never come back.

🔗 https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/south-korea-considers-importing-russian-oil-naphtha-industry-ministry-says-2026-03-19/?taid=69bb9a4b227d84000121b167

🇺🇸🤝🇮🇷 Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, told Fox Business that the U.S. may lift some sanctions on Iranian oil to help countries import oil.

This is a massive betrayal to the American allies in the GCC who, due to the actions of the U.S. can no longer export oil and have to sit back and watch Iran continue to export its own oil.

Bessent also floated the idea of releasing more oil from the already depleted Strategic Petroleum Reserve to keep the prices of gas stable and prevent them from rising further, which won't fix anything in the long term.

@CIG_telegram

🇹🇭🇰🇷🇹🇼🇻🇳🇵🇭🇯🇵🇮🇳 Government efforts through out South, Southeast and East Asia to mitigate rising fuel prices as a result of the 3rd Gulf War.

@CIG_telegram

🇺🇸⚔️🇮🇷 Hegseth confirms the Pentagon is seeking about $200 billion for the Iran War: "It takes money to kill bad guys."

🔗 Disclose.tv (@disclosetv)

🇺🇸🙏🇪🇺 Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent says a “global coalition” could be formed to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

“It would be VERY disappointing for those who benefit the most [Europe] not to do something!”

📝: The world's "greatest" naval power is now begging European navies to help it repair what the U.S. destroyed through its careless actions.

🔗 Open Source Intel (@Osint613)

🇶🇦🇮🇷⚡️ — BREAKING: Iran’s attack has knocked out about 17% of Qatar’s LNG capacity, damaging two of 14 LNG trains and one GTL facility, which will sideline roughly 12.8 million tons per year for 3–5 years while it's being repaired, QatarEnergy's CEO told Reuters.

➡️ The disruption could lead to around $20 billion in annual revenue losses and threatens energy supplies to Europe and Asia.