Hi all, Ben here. It’s Saturday, and I hope you are enjoying some time off. What a week it’s been. As always, there’s a lot to get to, so let me run through the top stories we’re tracking before diving in.
Top Stories This Week:
Iran ignores Trump’s 48-hour deadline entirely and publicly escalates, asserting control over undersea internet cables in the Strait of Hormuz
Marco Rubio promised a response from Iran “any minute now” on Friday morning — it never came
Zero commercial vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz in the last 24 hours
Netanyahu is pushing the U.S. to destroy Iran’s entire energy infrastructure, with several Arab countries reportedly backing that position
U.S. intelligence now says Iran’s supreme leader is actively shaping war strategy — contradicting weeks of contradictory spin from the administration
Pete Hegseth is out here calling his negotiating team “Deal Team Six”
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Alright, let’s get into it.
Iran didn’t just ignore Trump, but escalated
