Saudi Arabia Urges U.S. To Intensify Campaign Against Iran — Global & U.S. News Roundup

Saudi Arabia has urged the United States to escalate military pressure on Iran and is weighing whether to join the conflict directly, a Saudi intelligence source told reporters, confirming reporting in the New York Times.

The source said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pressed President Donald Trump not to curtail operations against Tehran and described the U.S.-Israeli campaign as a “historic opportunity” to reshape the Middle East. Trump appeared to acknowledge the crown prince’s stance, telling journalists: “Yeah, he’s a warrior. He’s fighting with us.”

Saudi Arabia and Iran have long been regional rivals, each claiming leadership of Sunni and Shia communities across the Middle East. A leaked 2008 U.S. State Department cable reportedly quoted the late King Abdullah urging U.S. forces to “cut off the head of the snake,” a reference to Iran’s theocratic government in Tehran.

There are no confirmed reports of Saudi military operations in the nearly four-week conflict so far. A Saudi political analyst told reporters Riyadh might intervene directly if Pakistan-led peace efforts fail.

Domestic And International Headlines

DHS Funding Standoff: House Republicans rejected Senate-passed legislation that would have funded most of the Department of Homeland Security while withholding funds from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and parts of Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The vote imperils attempts to end a 42-day partial government shutdown that has left thousands of DHS employees unpaid and caused long airport security lines.

Email Breach: Hackers claiming links to Iran said they accessed the personal email account of Kash Patel, a former Trump administration aide, and published photographs and documents online. The FBI confirmed it was investigating the reported intrusion and the release of materials.

U.S. Timetable: The U.S. Secretary of State said officials expect operations against Iran to conclude in “weeks, not months,” despite ongoing regional violence and warnings from Israel that it may escalate attacks.

Industry Influence Over Formaldehyde Rules: Newly released documents from chemical manufacturers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reveal an industry campaign that helped prevent stricter regulation of formaldehyde, a toxic substance used in products from furniture to cosmetics.

Election Overhaul Proposal: Peter Ticktin, an 80-year-old Florida lawyer with ties to some 2020 election challengers, is publicly advocating for an emergency executive order to overhaul U.S. voting procedures by ending certain forms of machine and mail-in voting.

Near-Miss at Sea-Tac: The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating an incident in which a military Black Hawk helicopter returning from training crossed into the flight path of a passenger airliner. Pilots of the commercial flight, carrying 162 passengers and six crew, aborted their descent and leveled off to avoid a collision.

Other Notable Items: A Guardian investigation found a senior modeling-agency executive had a close friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and introduced him to agency clients. A Republican California sheriff seized additional special-election ballot materials amid a dispute with state lawmakers. A U.S. Secret Service agent assigned to former First Lady Jill Biden accidentally shot themselves in the leg at Philadelphia International Airport and is under investigation. Reports say efforts are underway to block the promotion of four military officers — two women and two Black men — to one-star general ranks. Law enforcement foiled an assassination plot targeting New York–based Palestinian American activist Nerdeen Kiswani and arrested a suspect.

Catching up? Here’s what happened Thursday, 26 March.