Iran Update March 18, 2025
The Houthis have reportedly rejected Iranian requests to halt attacks on international shipping and to reduce tensions with the United States and Israel.[31] The Houthis’ refusal to “dial down” tensions with the United States and Israel, despite Iran’s reported call for calm, demonstrates how the Houthis are aligned with Iran but do not answer directly to Iran.[32] The Houthis launched several drones and cruise missiles targeting the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and a US destroyer in the Red Sea on March 17.[33] The Houthis separately resumed their attack campaign against Israel on March 18 by launching two ballistic missiles at the Nevatim Air Base in central Israel. The Houthis claimed that the attack was in response to Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.[34] The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intercepted a Houthi missile before it entered Israeli airspace.[35] Iranian officials may be trying to distance Iran from Houthi attacks against international shipping and Israel to try to prevent the United States from retaliating against Iran for Houthi attacks.[36]
Iran, Russia, and China continue to signal their intention to strengthen trilateral cooperation. Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Russian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Grushko in Tehran on March 17 to discuss strengthening bilateral relations and trilateral ties between Iran, Russia, and China.[70] Iranian, Russian, and Chinese officials recently demonstrated their alignment by condemning the US “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran and defending the Iranian nuclear program during a meeting on March 14.[71] Iran, Russia, and China also conducted a joint naval exercise on March 11 and 12.[72]
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-march-18-2025
President Trump’s letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei included a two-month deadline for reaching a new nuclear deal, one U.S. official and two sources briefed on the letter told Axios. It isn’t clear whether the two month-clock begins from the time the letter was delivered or from when negotiations start. But if Iran rejects Trump’s outreach and doesn’t negotiate, the chances of U.S. or Israeli military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities would dramatically increase.
Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz said on Sunday that Iran needs to “hand over and give up” all elements of its nuclear program including missiles, weaponization and enrichment of uranium “or they can face a whole series of other consequences,” adding that “Iran has been offered a way out of this.”
https://www.axios.com/2025/03/19/trump-letter-iran-nuclear-deal
Iran Update March 19, 2025
US President Donald Trump warned Iran against sending supplies to the Houthis on March 19.[22] Houthi Foreign Minister Jamal Amer told Iranian media that ”Iran does not interfere in our [Houthis] decision-making” and refuted reports from March 18 that Iran requested the Houthis to de-escalate tensions with the United States and Israel in the Red Sea.[23] The Houthis are aligned with Iran and Iran is almost certainly still supplying them with weapons, but the Houthis sometimes act without direct Iranian approval.[24]
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-march-19-2025