Tuesday morning news: March 17, 2026

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Iran update » The war in Iran is likely to be wrapped up “soon.” That’s the word from President Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House. But he did not elaborate on what soon might mean.

The president says the U.S. and Iran have had talks about a potential peace deal to end the war, but he stresses that he does not believe Iran is ready to agree to a deal, and he believes that may be tied to questions about the country’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, 

Some question whether he is truly in charge, or even if he's still alive.

TRUMP:   Now they think maybe the son is gone. They're all gone. My biggest problem is I have no idea who we're talking to because nobody ever heard of any of these people. They're all dead. But we did a job for the world, not a job for us, for the whole world.

The president has refused to rule out using ground troops in Iran, and told reporters that he's not about to tip his hand.

TRUMP:  Why would I tell you if they'd like that?

The Pentagon recently deployed some 2,500 Marines to the Middle East.

Analysts largely believe their role in the conflict would likely be limited, defensive, or deterrence missions.

Israel Lebanon » In Israel…

SOUND: [Tel Aviv sirens]

… air raid sirens blared in Tel Aviv last night, and flashes lit the night sky as Israeli interceptors neutralized incoming Iranian missiles.

Israel's foreign minister accused Iran of targeting civilians of all faiths. That after shrapnel from ballistic missiles landed just a few meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Christ's resurrection.

MARMORSTEIN: The Iranian regime is targeting holy sites in the old city of Jerusalem. They are targeting Muslims, they are targeting Christians, and they are targeting Jews.

Meantime in Southern Lebanon…

SOUND: [Southern Lebanon]

...columns of smoke poured into the sky as Israel continued its military campaign against the terror group Hezbollah.

Israeli ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon:

DANON: Israel supports diplomacy. But diplomacy only works when agreements are enforced.

Danon added that Hezbollah is not supposed to operate south of the Litani River, yet the group continues to fire rockets into Israel.

Trump Cuba » Cuba is in the dark—plunged into a nationwide blackout for the third time in just over four months as an American oil blockade squeezes the island.

And President Trump is hinting the U.S. may force a resolution soon.

TRUMP: You know, all my life I've been hearing about the United States and Cuba. When will the United States do it? I do believe I'll be the honor of having the honor of taking Cuba.

The president did not spell out exactly what he means by “taking Cuba.” 

No oil has reached the island since early January, crippling its power grid and deepening an already dire economic crisis.

But Havana may be looking for a way out. Cuba's Deputy Prime Minister told NBC that the island is open for business—and announced Cuba will now allow Cuban-Americans to invest and own businesses there.

Trump has confirmed the two sides have begun talks.

Presidential Religious Liberty Commission hearing » The Justice Department’s Commission on Religious Liberty heard testimony on Monday about obstacles to faith in healthcare and social services.

WORLD’s Harrison Watters has more now from Washington.

HARRISON WATTERS: Nurse practitioner Abby Sinnett was among the witnesses. She told commissioners that Colorado settled a lawsuit over treatments to reverse chemical abortions. But other states have not.

SINNETT: In states like California and New York, they’re still targeting religious providers who would offer abortion pill reversal.

WATTERS: Other witnesses and board members pointed at government policies violating freedom of religion … in issues tied to so-called transgenderism, abortion, and assisted suicide.

President Trump formed the Commission last May to investigate the foundations of religious liberty in America…and challenges facing it.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick chairs the commission.

PATRICK: So many of our witnesses, they've been punished, and that is evil and America had better wake up.

WATTERS: The Commission is down two members following a contentious hearing on anti-Semitism in February.

Catholic conservative influencer Carrie Prejean Boller was fired after challenging fellow board members on Zionism. Then last week, Muslim advisory board member Sameerah Munshi resigned in protest.

The commission meets once more in April before submitting its final report in May.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Harrison Watters in Washington.

Severe weather » Some schools and businesses across the East Coast are reopening this morning after extreme wind and rain from a powerful storm system slammed the region.

Brian Hurley with the National Weather Service says millions from New Jersey all the way down to northern Florida were under high wind alerts and tornado watches on Monday.

At the same time, Midwesterners were being buried under feet of snow.

HURLEY: A foot and a half to 20 inches or so in parts of Upper Michigan… they could get another 20 inches over what's already fallen, which is almost 20 inches. So, a lot of snow in the Upper Midwest, but especially parts of Southeast Minnesota into Wisconsin and Michigan.

The aggressive wind and snow knocked out power in many places and created treacherous driving conditions.

Perkins obituary » Civil rights leader and evangelical pastor Reverend John M. Perkins has died at his home in Jackson, Mississippi. He was 95.

Known for a lifetime of preaching racial reconciliation, Perkins built a network of ministries across the country and wrote more than a dozen books. A University of Virginia historian called him the most influential African American Christian leader since Martin Luther King Jr.

His daughter Elizabeth said that to the world, her father was "a voice for justice, reconciliation, and the gospel of Jesus Christ." "But," she said, "to me, he was Daddy."

I'm Kent Covington.

And straight ahead: analysis on the war in Iran with an expert on military strategy. Plus, a collapsing Cuba.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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