Omega-3s are an amazing family of fats that our bodies can’t make efficiently on their own. Long used for general heart and inflammation support, research shows that when formulated with a heavy emphasis on DHA plus targeted eye nutrients, they can support brain structure, cognitive performance, memory, attention, and eye/retinal health. 

Most people get very little DHA from their modern diet, especially with high intake of processed seed oils that compete with omega-3s. Studies suggest that boosting DHA intake with a targeted formula can support brain function in everyday healthy adults.

But before we get into the science…

We sell this unique Omega-3 formulation, so this is obviously an ad. As always, whether or not you buy from us – you should take note of what these studies have found when considering your daily supplement stack. 

Long story short, what we sell is a specialized 5:1 DHA-to-EPA ratio fish oil fortified with lutein and zeaxanthin (more on that below). It’s designed specifically for brain and eye support. Support yourself & support the site – buy some here. 

Actual product:

And now for the science

Most people think “omega-3 = fish oil = heart health.” That’s true for many standard formulas, but the type and ratio of omega-3s matter a lot when targeting the brain and eyes.

DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is the dominant omega-3 actually built into brain cell membranes and retinal photoreceptors (making up ~50-60% of PUFAs in the retina and a major part of brain gray matter). It supports membrane fluidity, neural signaling, and visual processing. EPA is more involved in inflammation pathways. Standard cheap fish oils are often balanced or EPA-heavy. A DHA-dominant approach (like 5:1) better aligns with how the brain and eyes use these fats.

Brain Benefits in Healthy Adults

Studies on DHA-rich or high-DHA omega-3 supplementation in healthy (non-demented) adults have found:

• Improvements in memory performance, including episodic memory, working memory, and delayed recall
• Faster attention and quicker processing speed
• Particularly noticeable memory gains in healthy older adults or those with lower dietary DHA intake
• Benefits for cognitive function in people with suboptimal omega-3 status
• Associations with better brain structure measures (e.g., larger hippocampal volumes, greater white matter volume, and entorhinal cortex thickness)
• Modest but consistent effects across multiple randomized trials and meta-analyses

A 2025 dose-response meta-analysis of 58 studies (Nature) found that omega-3 supplementation was associated with modest but consistent improvements in attention, perceptual speed, language, primary memory, visuospatial function, and global cognition in adults. A 2013 randomized controlled trial showed that DHA supplementation improved episodic memory and reaction time of working memory tasks in healthy young adults with low dietary DHA intake (with some sex-specific effects).

The Eye Health Advantage: Lutein + Zeaxanthin

What really sets this formula apart is the addition of lutein and zeaxanthin – the only two carotenoids that accumulate in the macula (the central part of the retina responsible for sharp, detailed vision). 

They help:

• Filter blue light
• Reduce oxidative stress
• Support visual performance in high-screen environments

This matters because the retina is not separate from the brain – it is an extension of it. DHA provides structural support to retinal cells, while lutein and zeaxanthin provide protective and performance-enhancing effects.

The landmark AREDS2 trial and its long-term follow-up showed that lutein and zeaxanthin can safely support eye health and may help slow progression toward advanced age-related macular degeneration in certain populations, particularly those with lower dietary intake.

Why This Isn’t “Regular” Omega-3

Cheap fish oils are inexpensive because they’re often EPA-focused or balanced for broad inflammation/cardio support. IQ Ultimate is intentionally engineered differently:

• A much higher DHA-to-EPA ratio (5:1) to better match brain and retinal biology
• Fortified with lutein + zeaxanthin for direct macular support – something most standard omega-3s completely lack

If you’re spending hours in front of screens, noticing subtle changes in focus or visual comfort as you age, or simply want to be proactive about long-term brain and eye resilience, this targeted formulation addresses needs that basic supermarket fish oil typically doesn’t.

Safety and Practical Takeaways

Omega-3 fatty acids in triglyceride form have a strong safety record at standard supplemental doses. High-purity products tested for contaminants (like this one) are preferred. Consult your doctor if you’re on blood thinners or have specific health conditions.

Cheap omega-3s are everywhere because they’re easy to manufacture. This one is different because it’s built for the two organs that run everything else in your life – your brain and your eyes.

We take it daily for that reason. If you’re ready to upgrade from generic fish oil to something more targeted, grab a bottle of IQ Ultimate Omega-3 here.

This is for informational purposes only and not medical advice. Consult your doctor before starting any supplement.

Submitted by Tsvetana Paraskova of OilPrice.com,

Coal is back with a bang in Asia’s power generation, as countries scramble to contain the LNG supply shortage due to the war in the Middle East.

Coal hasn’t really left most Asian economies, which rely on the fuel for much of their power generation. Amid the squeeze of natural gas supply due to the de facto closed Strait of Hormuz and the sky-rocketing LNG prices that few buyers in Asia can afford, nations are scrapping previous restraints to the use of coal-fired power generation.

Developed economies like Japan and South Korea are raising the use of coal-fired power generation, while developing nations China, India, Bangladesh, and most of Southeast Asia are leaning even more on coal as gas has become scarce and much more expensive.

Asian countries “are opening the tap on coal generation to help offset rising gas prices and supply risk,” Anthony Knutson, global head of coal at Wood Mackenzie, told the Financial Times.

Coal cannot fully replace the lost gas supply, but it creates a welcome buffer to help Asia go through the biggest supply disruption in energy markets, ever.

China, India, South Korea, Japan, and the whole of Southeast and South Asia are using the coal buffers they have created in recent years. Their insistence that diversification and energy security are more important than headline emission reductions is paying off as spot LNG prices in Asia surged by 70% to three-year highs that few countries in Asia Pacific can afford.

The current loss of gas supply, with Qatar’s LNG offline, could be immediately partly offset by higher coal use and coal will take market share from gas and LNG in the power sectors in Japan, South Korea, China, India, and Southeast Asia, analysts at Wood Mackenzie said during the first week of the now five-week-long war.

Ramping up renewables and increased focus on domestic gas production, where possible, could also mitigate the gas supply losses from the Middle East, but these are not immediate solutions, according to WoodMac.

So coal remains the immediate fuel to replace gas. Although coal prices have increased by 17% since the war began, the rise is small compared to the 70% jump in Asia’s spot LNG prices.

The transgender movement is widely regarded as a political insurgency rather than a civil rights movement, and for good reason.  Leftist activists often declare themselves to be “trans” as a political statement, even when they don’t actually suffer from gender dysphoria, a rare mental illness that has little to do with gay rights or “social justice”. 

Children, by extension, are easily manipulated by such activists in the form of parents and teachers, and they tend to declare they are trans in order to please the brainwashing lunatics in their lives.  

The idea that gender is an amorphous condition separate from biological sex is pure theory based on little or no scientific data.  In a non-political and truly scientific environment gender identity claims are treated as ideological, not tangible.  In other words, trans is a trend, not an inherent sexual identity group that needs to be protected from discrimination.

The purpose of the transgender movement is to further deconstruct western society and inject concepts of relativity.  It is designed to make us question concrete reality and abandon objective logic in favor of a perception-based society, a moral desert. 

Thankfully, nearly half of the states in the US are rejecting this madness and passing laws to prevent it from taking hold yet again.  It took ten years, but the idea of catering to transgenders is in swift retreat. 

Much to the chagrin of Democrats, Idaho has recently passed one of the strictest transgender bathroom laws in the U.S.  House Bill 752 requires people to use bathrooms, locker rooms, or changing rooms matching their biological sex, but that’s not all.

The new law applies to both government buildings and private businesses with facilities of public accommodation.  This means any public bathroom, locker room, changing room etc. in any business is subject to the law.  This helps to eliminate the corporate activism loophole, which has in the past allowed male-to-female transgenders to enter women’s spaces, putting women and young girls at risk.  

“Knowingly and willfully” entering a facility designated for the opposite sex is a misdemeanor with a potential for 1 year in jail for a first offense.  Repeat offenses are a felony with suspects facing up to 5 years in jail. The bill passed the legislature in late March 2026 and awaits the governor’s signature (with a veto-proof majority).

At least 19 states, including Idaho, already have laws barring transgender people from using bathrooms and changing rooms that align with their gender in schools and other public places.  Three other states (Florida, Kansas and Utah) have made it a criminal offense in some circumstances to violate similar bathroom laws. 

But, none of the other state laws apply as broadly to private businesses as the Idaho bill. The legislation includes nine exceptions for situations like performing janitorial work, responding to emergencies, helping children or cases when someone has “dire need” of a restroom (this would require proof that no other options were available). 

It’s unfortunate that these laws need to be considered at all and there are going to be critics who will argue that these measures violent private property rights, but the past decade has taught the American public that if you give leftists an inch, they will take a mile.  There’s far more at stake than the question of who gets to use which bathroom; this issue is about the right of some groups to have secure separation from other groups.  It’s about the fundamentals of civilization. 

A zero tolerance policy for transgender intrusions into normal and separate biological facilities is the only way to ensure that there is no room for activists to take advantage.  

At bottom, being “transgender” is an act of political disruption, a form of protest that crosses the line of protected free speech into the realm of degenerate intrusion that has no place in bathrooms and locker rooms.  Every man certainly has a right to access a bathroom, but he doesn’t have a right to access women’s bathrooms.  A man has the right to pretend he’s a woman, he just doesn’t have the right to force everyone else to pretend he’s a woman.   

The trans laws being implemented across the US are a fail-safe to protect the rights of the majority so they’re not forced in the future to conform to the demands of a mentally ill minority.  Felony charges and the potential for jail time is the only threat that activists seem to understand.     

Authored by Debra Heine via American Greatness,

In the span of nine months, nine top-level scientists in the United States have died or vanished without a trace.

Seven of them were connected to the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) or the institutions it directly funds.

AFRL develops and transitions the most sensitive aerospace technologies in the United States’ defense arsenal.

1) Monica Jacinto Reza vanished June 22, 2025 while hiking with friends in the Angeles National Forest in California.

She was last seen waving to a hiking companion approximately 30 feet behind the group. Despite an extensive search involving helicopters, drones, and canine units, only a beanie and lip balm were recovered, and her body was never found.

Reza, 60, was an aerospace engineer and Technical Fellow at Aerojet Rocketdyne who later moved to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)and co-inventor of Mondaloy.

Mondaloy is a family of nickel-based superalloys developed by Aerojet Rocketdyne to withstand oxygen-rich environments and extreme heat in rocket engines. Its unique achievement is balancing high oxygen compatibility with structural strength, solving a critical challenge where traditional oxygen-resistant alloys were too weak for use in high-pressure components like preburners and turbine rotors.

She worked closely with Retired Major General William Neil McCasland, who commanded the AFRL from 2011 to 2013 and oversaw the government funding for her alloy program. McCasland disappeared in February.

Dallas Hardwick, Reza’s mentor and co-inventor of Mondaloy, died on January 5, 2014, apparently of natural causes.

2) Melissa Casias has been missing since June 26, 2025, in Taos County, New Mexico.

She was last seen walking alone on Highway 518 near Talpa around 2:15 p.m., wearing a light-colored shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes, with a backpack containing personal items.

Casias, 53, was an administrative assistant at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), a facility known for nuclear weapons research and national security science.

Her job at LANL links her to McCasland, who worked closely with LANL on national security projects at Kirtland Air Force Base, according to the Daily Mail. She vanished just four days after Reza mysteriously disappeared.

3, 4, 5) Jacob Prichard, Jaymee Prichard, and 1st Lt. Jaime Gustitus all died on October 25, 2025.

Jacob Prichard, 34, was the Acquisition Project Manager in the AFRL Sensors Directorate at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, specializing in technologies for air and space reconnaissance and surveillance.

Jacob’s wife, Jaymee Prichard, 33, was a finance specialist at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson. The couple had three children.

Gustitus, 25, was a U.S. Air Force Operations Analysis Officer who worked in a top secret capacity at the 711th Human Performance Wing at Wright-Patterson.

Jacob allegedly killed his wife Jaymee and placed her body in the trunk of their car, then drove to Sugarcreek Township, broke into Gustitus’s apartment and fatally shot her around 2 a.m.

He then drove to the West Milton Municipal Building, opened the trunk for police to discover Jaymee’s body, and at around 4:23 a.m., committed suicide by gunshot in the parking lot. The act was reportedly captured on security cameras.

6) Carl Grillmair, astrophysicist and astronomer at the Caltech Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC), was shot dead on the front porch of his home in Llano, California on February 16, 2026.

Grillmair was celebrated for his groundbreaking research in astronomy, including the discovery of dozens of stellar streams (remnants of ancient galactic collisions) and the first detection of water signatures in the atmospheres of exoplanets. For over nearly 30 years at IPAC, he worked on numerous projects including the NEOWISE Science Data Center, where he validated data pipelines for detecting asteroids and comets that could impact Earth.

Grillmair’s role involved testing new instrumentation and ensuring the NEO Surveyor’s instruments performed to specification to identify dark, cold objects against the black of space.

7) William Neil McCasland, former AFRL Commander, former research commander at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, vanished from his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on February 27, 2026.  A “Silver Alert” was issued after the 68-year-old disappeared.

He reportedly left his phone and glasses but took his wallet, boots, and a .38 revolver, with the FBI now assisting in his search.

McCasland held some of the most sensitive positions in the U.S. military, including Director of Special Programs at the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, giving him critical knowledge of the nation’s most classified programs.

He reportedly oversaw $4.4 billion in classified aerospace research and development, running the lab at Wright-Patterson and serving as the executive secretary of the Special Access Program Oversight Committee, the body with full purview of every SAP in the Department of Defense. His name appears in WikiLeaks emails coordinating a UAP disclosure meeting with the Clinton campaign and the head of Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, according to the Sentinel Network.

McCasland’s association with UFO research and brief professional association with Tom DeLonge and the To The Stars Academy have drawn significant public and media attention to the case.

According to The Sentinel, these mysterious deaths and disappearances do not amount to  “a loose collection of people who happened to work in defense.”

This is one documented system, traceable through patent filings, congressional testimony, DTIC records, and federal contract databases.

Reza vanished in LA County. Grillmair was killed in LA County. Both in the shadow of the JPL/Caltech corridor where America’s planetary defense infrastructure is built. McCasland vanished in Albuquerque, home of Kirtland AFB and Sandia National Labs. The Wright-Patterson deaths were in Dayton. These are not random locations. They are the three geographic nodes of American defense aerospace research. Southern California. New Mexico. Ohio. The triangle where AFRL lives.

And at every node, the same institutional silence. JPL said nothing about Reza. NASA said nothing. The AIAA said nothing. Caltech’s statement about Grillmair said he “passed away suddenly” without using the word “shot.” Wright-Patterson offered counseling services. In every case, the institution that lost someone chose the minimum possible disclosure. The silence is its own pattern inside the pattern.

8) Nuno F. Gomes Loureiro, a prominent Portuguese plasma physicist, was fatally shot at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, on December 15, 2025 and died from his injuries the following day.

Authorities connected his murder to Cláudio Manuel Neves Valente, who had committed a shooting at Brown University two days prior; both men were classmates at the Instituto Superior Técnico in Portugal.

Loureiro, 47, held joint appointments as a professor in MIT’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering and Department of Physics and director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center.

He joined MIT in 2016 and was known for his work on nonlinear plasma dynamics, including the development of the Viriato simulation code and his research on solar flares and fusion confinement.

9) Jason Thomas, a chemical biologist, was reported missing on December 13, 2025, after leaving his home on the night of December 12 without his phone, wallet, or identification. He was found dead in Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, Massachusetts, on March 17, 2026.

Thomas, 45, was the assistant director at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research with over 4,500 citations in chemical biology and chemoproteomics.  His work reportedly included active contracts with the Department of Defense.

Commenting on the string of deaths and disappearances, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) told podcaster Benny Johnson last week that “Something dark is going on.”

“I know these scientists and researchers. They have testified. We’ve got to get to the bottom of it,” he said.  “It’s just too much, too much is going on right now—and by the way, I’m not suicidal.”

*  *  * Thank you for your ongoing support

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

U.S. health officials on March 30 informed hospitals they must provide patients with more nutritious food.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) stated in a memorandum to hospitals across the country that they must comply with certain conditions to receive federal funding, including making sure that menus and diets meet the nutritional needs of patients.

Officials noted the January release of new dietary guidelines, which emphasize limiting ultra-processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and sugar-laden products in favor of whole foods such as whole milk and meat.

Hospitals “should review and revise food and nutrition service policies, standard menus, therapeutic diet protocols, and food procurement practices to align with the [guidelines], which support contemporary evidence on diet quality and health outcomes,” the letter stated.

A good diet for a patient might feature steel-cut oats with berries and nuts for breakfast, grilled salmon with quinoa and roasted vegetables for lunch, and a lentil-based entree with a side salad later in the day, according to the document.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., at an event in Florida that was held in part to coincide with the memo, said that it was “essentially a federal mandate” that would help incentivize hospitals to serve better food.

“The food at hospitals is so uniformingly, appallingly bad that it is now a pejorative,” he said. “If you tell somebody that this tastes like hospital food, it’s not a compliment.”

CMS is a division of Kennedy’s Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of CMS, said in a statement that “hospitals are meant to heal—but too often, the food they serve holds patients back.”

“It’s time for hospitals to prioritize real, nutrient-dense food, cut ultra-processed options, and align meals with evidence-based medical needs.”

Oz and Kennedy said that revamping menus would lead to faster recovery and lower readmission rates for patients.

The event also included the announcement that Nicklaus Children’s Hospital had committed to sourcing 5 percent of its food from local farmers in Florida.

The hospital will look to add 1 percent to that percentage each year moving forward.

“This means that kids getting cancer treatment will eat real protein, from the producers here in Florida,” said Hannah Anderson, director of the Healthy America campaign from the America First Policy Institute, which hosted the event.

“This means that kids getting treatment for debilitating diseases will get whole milk. And this means that the kids who are fighting infection are getting the vitamin C and vitamin A from food that’s grown right here in Florida.”

There’s a new wrinkle in the case against Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old charged with assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Defense attorneys revealed last week that federal ballistic analysis cannot link the bullet that killed Kirk to the rifle prosecutors say Robinson used.

Robinson faces charges of aggravated murder, along with multiple felony counts, for the September 10, 2025, killing of Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. The case seemed, from the outside, fairly straightforward: Robinson reportedly confessed to his father, who told a youth pastor with ties to the U.S. Marshals Service, and Robinson himself surrendered to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office the following night. 

Prosecutors say DNA consistent with Robinson’s was recovered from the trigger, the fired cartridge casing, and two unfired cartridges on the rifle found near the scene.

However, in a motion filed Friday, Robinson’s attorneys disclosed that they had received an ATF summary report with an unexpected finding. “Regarding the firearm evidence, the defense has been provided with an ATF summary report which indicates that the ATF was unable to identify the bullet recovered at autopsy to the rifle allegedly tied to Mr. Robinson,” the motion reads. The defense added, “Although the State has not indicated an intent to produce this report at the preliminary hearing, the defense may very well decide to offer the testimony of the ATF firearm analyst as exculpatory evidence.”

Authorities recovered an old German bolt-action Mauser Model 98 .30-06 caliber rifle used in both World Wars from a forested area near the shooting site. The FBI is conducting additional ballistic tests, but the results are still pending. Until they arrive, the defense is sitting on an ATF report that they believe actively undermines the state’s physical evidence narrative.

Here’s, by the way, what a .30-06 does:

DNA questions are also piling up alongside the ballistic ones. Defense attorneys point out that forensic reports show multiple people’s DNA on some items, which they argue demands more sophisticated analysis than a standard single-contributor examination. 

“As these cases indicate, determining the number of contributors to a DNA mixture, and determining whether the FBI and the ATF reliably applied validated and correct scientific procedures … is a complicated process which requires the assistance of various types of experts, including forensic biologists, geneticists, system engineers, and statisticians, all of whom must review and evaluate” several categories.

The defense has received roughly 20,000 files – 61,500 pages, 31 hours of audio, and more than 700 hours of video spread across 5,000-plus clips. Defense attorneys say it will take at least 60 days to make a first pass through the material, and are now asking the court to push the May 18 preliminary hearing back by at least six months.

The preliminary hearing itself is not a trial. It’s the moment prosecutors must demonstrate sufficient cause to proceed. That makes the ATF report strategically critical right now. If the defense can successfully use it to cast doubt on the state’s physical evidence package at this early stage, the downstream implications for a capital case are significant.

However, it’s debatable how crucial it really is. Prosecutors still have DNA evidence, an alleged text message in which Robinson reportedly told his romantic partner he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred,” and witness testimony from Robinson’s parents and roommate. The confession to his father remains a cornerstone of the state’s case.

The defense is also pushing for a televised trial, insisting that having the court proceedings “as public as possible helps to quell and contradict the tide of misinformation,” and will limit conspiracy theories.

Authored by Matt Van Swol via X,

I think I know why everything sucks…

…and it’s because everything is fake

We are getting fake college degrees that cost 4 years and six figures that teach you fake education and get you fake jobs.

We are eating fake food, with fake ingredients, funded by fake research.

We are scrolling through fake lives, with fake relationships, who take fake, curated vacations to promote brands that make fake products.

We are voting for fake candidates, who run on fake promises, inside a fake system that was never designed to fix anything.

We are raising kids in fake schools that teach fake history, fake science, which quietly produce fake adults who can’t think for themselves.

We are watching fake news, about fake crises, produced by fake journalists, for fake outrage.

We are borrowing fake money that was printed from nothing, to fund a fake economy that would collapse in an afternoon if people stopped pretending it was real.

We are buying fake organic food that’s just a paid label, and drinking fake juice with two percent juice in it, and putting fake cheese on cheeseburgers that’s just “cheese product” on fake burger meat.

We are donating to fake nonprofits where the money never makes it to the people and then funding fake foreign aid that buys real weapons to prop up fake governments.

We are going to fake therapy that teaches fake coping skills instead of telling you hard truths.

We are buying fake furniture made of fake wood that’s actually compressed sawdust and glue that looks like wood, ships in fourteen boxes with instructions written in a fake language that isn’t quite any language, requires tools it doesn’t include, takes 4 hours to build, wobbles on day 1, and is totally destroyed in 6 months.

We are downloading fake “free” apps that charge a subscription after three days for AI features that don’t work, hidden behind a paywall we didn’t see, protected by a privacy policy we didn’t read, buried inside Terms of Service written by lawyers specifically so we wouldn’t read them, that we agreed to by tapping a button the size of a thumbnail, that gave a company we’ve never heard of the right to sell our data to companies we’ll never hear of, to build a profile on us we’ll never see, to influence decisions we’ll never know were made.

IT. IS. ALL. FAKE.

And we all yearn for what was once real.

Don’t you remember? Did you forget?

There was a time with a simple handshake between men was a contract.

When bread went stale because… well, that’s what real bread does!

When kids played outside all day until it was dark, and nobody tracked them.

When a family could live off a single income.

When music was made by people who LIVED something real and you could feel it.

When schools was HARD… and that was the point!

When doctors knew your name and your family, they even came to your house.

When you bought something once… and it was yours forever.

When the chair your grandmother bought once lasted 70 years and she passed it onto your dad.

And now nothing is real, and that’s why everything sucks.

I think I know why everything sucks…

…and it’s because everything is fake

We are getting fake college degrees that cost 4 years and six figures that teach you fake education and get you fake jobs.

We are eating fake food, with fake ingredients, funded by fake research.… pic.twitter.com/lmhoUGVi23

— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) March 30, 2026

Summary

• President Pezeshkian: prepared to end war with guarantees against further attacks.

• IRGC warns it will hit 18 US tech companies in region, says Siemens in Israel already attack

• China, Pakistan issue broad five-point framework for peace (document below); France, Italy begin to block airspace for Iran-related US ops

• WarSec Hegseth saw “upcoming days will be decisive”, strikes will continues without any deal – says “regime fragmenting”

• President Trump signals off-ramp, tells world “go get your own oil”, says Iran ‘decimated’. Tells NYP the strait could ‘automatically open’

• Isfahan, home to much of Iran’s enriched uranium and a sprawling ‘missile city’ – was pounded hard overnight by US 2,000-pound bunker buster bombs.

*  *  *

Iran FM Clarifies Not Negotiating with US, But Messages Sent

Iran’s Foreign Minister Aragchi has clarified some things to AI Jazeera regarding diplomatic engagement with the US on potentially ending the war. The main takeaway is his explanation that what is happening now does not constitute negotiations in Tehran’s view, but an exchange of messages directly or through our friends in the region (namely Pakistan).

He said that all communication concerning diplomacy and the war is routed through the Foreign Ministry and overseen by the National Security Council. They have neither responded to reported US proposals nor submitted their own, stressing that no decision on talks has been made. Instead of a ceasefire, Iran is calling for a full regional end to the war, along with guarantees against future attacks and compensation for damages.

Aragchi emphasize that Iran is acting defensively, not initiating conflict, and is targeting only US assets – not regional allies per se. The Strait of Hormuz remains open to friendly shipping but could be restricted for adversaries, he continued. While warning they are prepared for escalation, Iran also acknowledges tensions with neighboring countries may rise, though they believe trust can eventually be restored.

Oil Plunges on Iran Overture

A big developing headline has sent oil plunging…

IRAN’S PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN STATES THEY ARE PREPARED TO END THE WAR IF THEY RECEIVE GUARANTEES

Iranian President Pezeshkian says Iran seeks no war but is prepared to end it with guarantees against further attacks, per state PressTV:

• The US-Israeli military aggression against Iran is an unprecedented crime and a flagrant violation of international law.
• Iran engaged in good-faith talks with the US, only to be illegally attacked mid-negotiation—proving the US rejects diplomacy.
• Neighboring countries hosting US bases failed to prevent their territories from being used to attack Iran.
• The solution is an end to aggression; Iran seeks no war but is prepared to end it with guarantees against further attacks.
• Europe should drop its destructive approach and engage with Iran professionally and in line with international law.

A big question will be whether this could represent an IRGC vs. civilian government divide, as far as whether this peace overture sticks. Also, the US and Israel would have to both agree to halt the ongoing aerial strikes, but it’s not at all clear whether the Netanyahu government would be on board with ceasefire, given many believe Israel’s objectives are much more expansive, oriented toward total regime collapse.

Trump: Hormuz Strait to ‘Automatically Open'(?)

“When we leave the strait will automatically open,” President Trump has told the New York Post Tuesday, when asked whether he’s considering ending action in Iran without reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

“Well, I think it’ll automatically open, but my attitude is, I’ve obliterated the country. They have no strength left, and let the countries that are using the strait, let them go and open it… because I would imagine whoever’s controlling the oil will be very happy to open the strait,” Trump continued. “But we won’t have to be there much longer – but we have more work to do in terms of killing their offensive, whatever offensive capability they have left.”

AntiWar.com’s Dave DeCamp points out a certain circular reasoning and sad reality of where the situation stands: “The goal of the war has become fixing a problem that didn’t exist before the war.“

IRGC Threatens US Tech Companies in Region

The IRGC has reportedly threatened to target the Middle East operations of 18 US technology companies starting Wednesday night. It warned of this escalation should any more senior military commanders or government leaders be assassinated. Among companies named in a statement include Apple, Google, Tesla, Microsoft, Intel, Oracle, IBM, Meta, Nvidia, Boeing, and others.

This may have already started happening in terms of the ongoing Iranian bombardment of Israel – though the ballistic missiles are said to be less frequent compared to opening weeks of the war. Newsquawk: “Iran’s Army says they have targeted industries belonging to Siemens and AT&T in Ben Gurion and Haifa.” Confirmed in state media (based on emerging reports, they are Cisco, HP, Intel, Oracle, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta, IBM, Dell, Palantir, NVIDIA, JPMorgan, Tesla, General Electric, Spire Solutions, G42, Boeing)

Iran’s IRGC issued a warning against 18 American technology companies, among them Microsoft, Apple, Google, Intel, and Boeing, stating that they will be considered legitimate targets in response to terrorist operations carried out by the US and Israel. pic.twitter.com/NcHJZRz4rE

— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) March 31, 2026

US Claims Iran Fragmenting, High Level Desertions

Among Hegseth’s earlier themes which we said signaled preparation for an ‘offramp’ is that he asserted that heavy US strikes on Iran are fragmenting the regime, and greatly dampening morale among Tehran authorities.

“Our strikes are damaging the morale of the Iranian military, leading to widespread desertions, key personnel shortages and causing frustrations amongst senior leaders,” Hegseth said at the morning Pentagon briefing on Tuesday. Also, Gen. Caine added that “The joint force continues to degrade and destroy Iran’s ability to project power and threaten stability beyond its borders.” President Trump has followed in words given to NYP that he doesn’t expect the war to continue for much longer, telling Americans they can ‘soon’ expect an end – in a repeat of similar remarks from last week.

France, Italy Block Airspace for Some US Planes Operating In Iran

France has reportedly refused to allow the United States to use its airspace to transport weapons for the Iran conflict -marking the first such denial since the war began, according to Reuters. This follows a similar move by Spain, signaling growing reluctance and angst among key European allies to facilitate US military logistics. At the same time, Italy has denied certain US aircraft access to an airbase in Sicily, though officials there insist the issue stems from procedural violations, specifically that the Pentagon failed to obtain proper authorization before requesting landing clearance.

Italian officials emphasize that all requests must comply with established agreements and legal frameworks, which require case-by-case approval and, in some cases, parliamentary oversight. This legal positioning provides the Meloni government with a way to limit involvement (and so domestic fall-out among largely anti-war youth) while maintaining formal cooperation, even as domestic opposition to the conflict and unease over US interventionism continue to grow.

China-Pakistan Issue 5-Point Peace Framework

China and Pakistan on Tuesday issued a five-point initiative for restoring peace in the Gulf and Middle East, after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing. These countries have taken the lead, with Islamabad playing host to shuttle diplomacy – after earlier Egypt and Turkey also sent their top diplomats for a Sunday summit. In short, it is broken down according these five points and headings, laying out a broad path for Iran war ceasefire and permanent truce:

I. Immediate Cessation of Hostilities: China and Pakistan call for immediate cessation of hostilities and utmost efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading.

II. Start of peace talks as soon as possible.

III. Security of nonmilitary targets.

IV. Security of shipping lanes.

V. Primacy of the United Nations Charter.

Notably, there’s nothing in here about ‘denuclearization’ of Iran or anything touching on what might be US-Israeli strategic aims, but instead it is quite ambiguous and broad as a proposed starting point. This comes as the US has signaled it could be open to an offramp or peace deal even if the Hormuz Strait remains under Iran’s de facto control. Here is the document issued by Pakistan’s official Ministry of Foreign Affairs accounts on social media:

Secretary of War Hegseth Says ‘Upcoming Days Will Be Decisive’, ‘Damaging Iran Military Morale’

WarSec Hegseth’s comments were not quite a “Mission Accomplished” but definitely a reflection on the courage and completion of “systematically destroy” Iran’s military capabilities. Hegseth said he visited US troops involved in operations against Iran over the weekend, describing a campaign that is intensifying as American firepower ramps up while Iran’s capabilities decline.

He stressed that “upcoming days will be decisive,” acknowledging Iran is still expected to launch missiles but adding, “we will shoot down” incoming threats. According to Hegseth, sustained US strikes are not only degrading military assets but also “damaging Iran military morale” and triggering “widespread Iran military desertions.” And another key line:

“We would much prefer to get a deal. If Iran was willing to relinquish material they have and ambitions they have, open the strait, great. That’s the goal. We don’t want to have to do more militarily than we have to.”

He went further, claiming “regime change has occurred in Iran,” while warning that if Tehran refuses to make a deal, Washington will press ahead. “If Iran isn’t willing to make deal, US will continue,” he said, adding that strikes will persist “with more intensity” in the absence of an agreement.

Hegseth on Iran:

If Iran is wise, it will cut a deal. Trump doesn’t bluff, and he does not back down.

The new Iranian regime should understand that by now. Regime change has occurred. This new regime should be wiser than the last.

Trump is willing to make a deal, and the terms… pic.twitter.com/FPqJluewKW

— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 31, 2026

*  *  *

Off-Ramp Imminent? Trump Tells World “Go Get Your Own Oil” Via Strait After ‘Decimating’ Iran

There’s been a lot of speculation that the White House is preparing to find a ‘mission accomplished’ declaration moment, as ‘any offramp will do’ as a way to avoid a costly potential quagmire of introducing ground troops, and we may be seeing the start of one.

After comments apparently leaked to The Wall Street Journal overnight that Trump is willing to leave Iran with the Strait unopened, the President has clarified his thinking in his out loud voice this morning.

President Trump has posted on social media this morning, clearly signaling he is further down the road towards an off-ramp:

All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you:

Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and

Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT.

You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us.

Iran has been, essentially, decimated.

The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!

President DJT

The reaction was a drop in the price of oil…

…and stocks rising…

Nothing dramatic in either – as traders remain nervous of Trump-Talk still – but nevertheless, as Goldman’s Rich Privorotsky noted overnight (in a seemingly precognitive comment before Trump’s tweet), this is shaping up like an off-ramp:

After ~5 weeks of conflict “President Trump told aides he’s willing to end the U.S. military campaign against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed” (WSJ).

Politically messy (especially in GCC…less so domestically), but probably the least bad short-term pathway (can argue LT worse).

There’s a press conference at 8am EST from the Defense Department.

Overnight saw meaningful escalation… Iran struck a heavily laden oil tanker in Dubai port… a very explicit signal around control of shipping.

Likely in response to US actions around nuclear facilities in Isfahan

(Trump on his Truth Social posted uncaptioned video of large explosion 5 hours ago).

BREAKING 🚨: US dropped 2000 lb bomb over #Tehran#Trump and #netanyahu destroying #Iran#IranWar‌ #ısrael pic.twitter.com/7CbrsHtqGu

— Pak-China Today (@PakChinaToday) March 31, 2026

The most bullish near term outcome would be a “mission accomplished” style announcement…

i.e. nuclear capabilities set back materially (say 10–20 years), allowing the US to step away.

No edge here, frankly could be anything but will be watching.  

…

The key shift then remains the Strait.

If the US pauses while Iran maintains some level of disruption, the pressure flips… China, Korea, Japan, India, Europe and the GCC all become directly incentivized to force flows back online.

Even partial restrictions (e.g. US/Israeli vessels) are manageable…so a unilateral victory could actually restart flows and shift pressure to ROW to get strait moving. 

2,000-pound Bunker Buster Bombs Hit Isfahan Hard Overnight

Videos and reporting from the region has made clear that the central Iranian city of Isfahan has been hit very hard in the latest US-Israeli strikes. A major ammunition depot and other “military-linked” sites were attacked using 2,000-lb bunker busters. Isfahan is the Islamic Republic’s third-most populous city and is believe to host majority of the nation’s highly enriched uranium as well as a sprawling “missile city”.

The Wall Street Journal reported that a “high volume of bunker busters, or penetrator munitions, was used for the strike” at a large ammunition depot, creating immense fireballs.

US forces have now hit more than 11,000 targets over the monthlong war, focusing heavily on degrading Iran’s missile, drone, as well as nuclear power and development sites.

CBC has written, “The attacks were testament to the intensity of the month-long war the U.S. and Israel launched against Iran, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested in an interview that Israel has achieved more than half of its war aims.”

The heavy overnight explosions were widely recorded, being viewed for miles around:

🚨🇮🇷BREAKING: Citizens from Isfahan are reporting HEAVY EXPLOSIONS a short time ago.

What’s going on there?! pic.twitter.com/h7dPxdLQet

— Eli Afriat 🇮🇱 (@EliAfriatISR) March 30, 2026

“Isfahan is home to one of three sites earlier attacked by the U.S. military last year. NASA fire-tracking satellites suggest explosions happened in a mountainous region on the city’s southern edge,” the report described further, noting that Iran has yet to confirm the attack. President Trump previously warned on Truth Social, “Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business’. He continued: “we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet ‘touched’.”

As for the ordinance used, “bunker buster” refers to a class of bombs engineered to drive deep beneath the surface – particularly through rock, soil, or reinforced concrete – before detonating. The technology was honed and widely used by the US during the Persian Gulf War of 1991.

*  *  *

American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson, who reports primarily on Middle Eastern and Afghan affairs, was kidnapped in Baghdad earlier today. She has written for outlets including Al-Monitor, Foreign Policy, BBC News, Politico, and others.

Alex Plitsas, a CNN national security analyst and former senior Pentagon official under former President Barack Obama, confirmed on X that Kittleson was “abducted and may have been taken hostage in Baghdad by Kataib Hezbollah.”

🚨🚨🚨 I can confirm that my friend Shelly Kittleson was abducted and may have taken hostage in Baghdad by Khatib Hezbollah. Whereabouts and condition unknown. I am her designated U.S. point of contact. If you have information please provide to law enforcement and send me a DM.

— Alex Plitsas 🇺🇸 (@alexplitsas) March 31, 2026

Middle East-based Al Sharqiya TV cited the Iraqi Interior Ministry, stating: “A vehicle belonging to the kidnappers of the American journalist overturned during a security pursuit, and one of them was apprehended.”

الداخلية العراقية: انقلاب عجلة تابعة لخاطفي الصحفية الأميركية أثناء مطاردة أمنية والقبض على أحدهم#الشرقية_نيوز pic.twitter.com/vlwl6Bask1

— AlSharqiya TV – قناة الشرقية (@alsharqiyatv) March 31, 2026

Footage of the kidnapping has circulated on X.

American 🇺🇸 journalist Shelly Kittleson has been kidnapped in central Baghdad, Iraq 🇮🇶 by unidentified perpetrators affiliated with Iranian 🇮🇷 backed Iraqi Shiite militias

There is no official confirmation yet, but @shellykittleson‘s colleagues whom I spoke to say her… https://t.co/Zn6tjbp83h pic.twitter.com/yTPlDMGer8

— Saad Abedine (@SaadAbedine) March 31, 2026

Iraqi 🇮🇶 Interior Ministry said American 🇺🇸 freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped by unidentified armed men (Iranian 🇮🇷 backed militias) in central Baghdad & that during a pursuit the vehicle belonging to the kidnappers was intercepted which overturned as they… https://t.co/cOAwUZn6hq pic.twitter.com/ciUo05iUbF

— Saad Abedine (@SaadAbedine) March 31, 2026

*Developing…

NASA is gearing up for Artemis II, its first crewed mission to the moon since the Apollo era—but this one is more of a high-speed dress rehearsal than a landing, according to KSL.com. Four astronauts will take a roughly 10-day trip that loops around the moon and comes straight back, with no orbiting or moonwalks.

The crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—marks a few firsts: the first woman, first person of color, and first non-American assigned to a lunar mission. Koch already holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, while Glover previously made history aboard the International Space Station. Hansen, representing Canada, is the only rookie in the group.

They’ll launch aboard NASA’s massive Space Launch System rocket, with the Orion capsule on top. After liftoff, the plan is to spend about a day in an elongated orbit around Earth, practicing navigation by flying close to a spent rocket stage—without docking, just eyeballing the distance. As commander Wiseman put it, “Sometimes simple stuff is the best.”

KSL writes that from there, Orion will fire its engine and send the crew on a long arc toward the moon, roughly 244,000 miles away. Using a “free-return” trajectory—basically letting gravity do most of the work—they’ll swing around the far side and travel about 5,000 miles beyond it, farther than any humans have gone before. The moon will loom large during the flyby, and the crew is expected to document rarely seen regions of its far side.

After about six days, they’ll slingshot back toward Earth, wrapping up the mission with a Pacific Ocean splashdown just under 10 days after launch. Engineers will be paying close attention to Orion’s heat shield during reentry, since it took heavy damage during an earlier uncrewed test.

The mission hasn’t been perfectly smooth so far—fueling issues like hydrogen leaks have already caused delays—but Artemis II is still a crucial step. NASA ultimately wants to return astronauts to the lunar surface, and this flight is meant to prove they can get there—and back—safely.