HEGSETH FLIES TO AN ISRAELI STRIKE BASE AND NOBODY WANTS TO TALK ABOUT IT

Hegseth met Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz at Ovda Air Base in the Negev on Monday, unannounced. 4CRD US war chief meets Netanyahu, 'regional representatives' during unannounced Israel trip11YNT Report: Hegseth secretly visits Israel, meets Netanyahu amid talk of renewed strikes on Iran The Pentagon declined to comment. Hegseth's own social media post admitted he visited troops in CENTCOM's area of responsibility without naming Israel or Netanyahu. Ovda is a forward military installation currently hosting US refuelling aircraft and fighters, not a diplomatic venue, and multiple sources confirm the meeting explicitly covered resuming large-scale strikes on Iran. 4CRD US war chief meets Netanyahu, 'regional representatives' during unannounced Israel trip11YNT Report: Hegseth secretly visits Israel, meets Netanyahu amid talk of renewed strikes on Iran The White House has not authorised anything, but Trump reportedly encouraged preparation, and Israel's Channel 12 noted representatives from unnamed regional countries were also present, which suggests active coalition-building rather than early-stage brainstorming. 4CRD US war chief meets Netanyahu, 'regional representatives' during unannounced Israel trip The one piece of internal friction worth tracking: Vance publicly declined to endorse Netanyahu on the same day Hegseth was sitting across from him at a strike base. 8CNN Vance declines to endorse Netanyahu’s reelection bid, breaking with Trump

The IRGC named seven specific undersea cables beneath the Strait of Hormuz and flagged them as future targets. 9AAM Iran’s Revolutionary Guard cites 7 internet cables under Strait of Hormuz, warns of ‘new targets’ Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary had already pointed at data centres and AI infrastructure as potential targets if war resumes. 9AAM Iran’s Revolutionary Guard cites 7 internet cables under Strait of Hormuz, warns of ‘new targets’ Tehran is deliberately expanding its deterrence beyond oil and ships into global data and financial communications infrastructure, a category that insurance markets and corporate IT departments are genuinely not equipped to price. This threat has now been made twice in two weeks by two senior Iranian officials, which is not the IRGC's usual style unless they are either preparing to act or trying to raise the cost of a specific decision they know is coming.

The IRGC confirmed both tanker attacks and the drone shootdown on Tuesday, noting the MQ-9 was brought down by a new air defence system inside Iran's integrated network. 5TSN 2 Tankers Set Ablaze, Halted in Strait of Hormuz: IRGC7TSN Iran Shoots Down 54th US Drone over Strait of Hormuz The drone count is now 54. Brent is at $108.50, barely off yesterday's $109.40 despite the attacks, suggesting the market has already priced in the strait's dysfunction at this level. What it has not priced in is a second US-Israel strike campaign. Northrop Grumman jumped nearly five percent overnight. Frontline tanker stock is down from $59.45 to $49.76 in a week. Nobody wants to own tankers right now.

Lavrov left Tehran calling Iran's war against the US and Israel "a just cause" and offered Moscow as a mediator. 2JPO Iran hosts Russia’s FM Lavrov as Moscow seeks benefit from US sanctions relief - analysis Chinese Premier Li Qiang called the February 28 strikes "blatant aggression" at the SCO summit in Dushanbe and reaffirmed "full support" for Iran's position. 14PTV Chinese premier condemns ‘blatant’ US-Israeli aggression against Iran in SCO talks Pakistan's army chief was also in Tehran this week. 2JPO Iran hosts Russia’s FM Lavrov as Moscow seeks benefit from US sanctions relief - analysis Three major public statements from Moscow, Beijing, and Islamabad within 48 hours is coordinated posture, not coincidence. Make of that what you will.

Iran completed the 730-kilometre Chabahar-Zahedan railway, connecting its southern port to the Afghan border and linking into the Russia-India-Iran North-South Transport Corridor. 6RTN Iran completes key rail link in new trade route (VIDEO) The line runs through 39 tunnels and 201 bridges and should be operational within two to three months. Transit volumes through Chabahar are already up tenfold year-on-year. 6RTN Iran completes key rail link in new trade route (VIDEO) The US maritime pressure strategy was designed to strangle Tehran economically by making Hormuz unusable. Tehran just finished building the answer to that.