MIDDLE EAST — The Pentagon is assembling plans for weeks of ground operations in Iran, including raids on Kharg Island and coastal sites near the Strait of Hormuz. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the Pentagon was providing the president “maximum optionality.”

MIDDLE EAST — U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that USS Tripoli (LHA-7) and approximately 3,500 sailors and Marines arrived in the CENTCOM area of responsibility on March 27.

MIDDLE EAST — Iran has formally rejected the United States’ 15-point ceasefire proposal and issued five counter-demands, including a claim of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, according to an Iranian official.

MIDDLE EAST — A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on March 12, killing all six crew members aboard. U.S. Central Command confirmed the loss occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury and stated the incident was “not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”

MIDDLE EAST / INDIAN OCEAN — Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical oil transit choke-point carrying approximately 20% of global crude supply, according to U.S. intelligence reporting.