John Reed

President Trump tells CNN he's not worried whether Iran becomes a democratic state
https://cnn.it/4svPDol

Why Trump won’t clean up his own mess [FREE TO READ] Chaos and instability are a feature, not a bug, of the US president’s approach to foreign policy

Why Trump won't clean up his own mess @gilliantett.bsky.social
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noem's dog looking down from heaven

Donald Trump fires controversial homeland security secretary Kristi Noem [FREE TO READ] DHS leader was seen as responsible for the administration’s heavy-handed immigration crackdown

as.ft.com/r/ab1d182e-d...

This war isn’t an emergency that requires us to give the president more latitude. It’s a monstrosity that requires that judges, lawmakers and above all citizens work to preserve the integrity of elections and the republic.

Kurds backed by Mossad, CIA could lead next phase of war in Iran It could potentially increase pressure on Iran's regime.

Kurds backed by Mossad, CIA could lead next phase of war in Iran www.axios.com/2026/03/05/i...

Peter Mandelson offered to take me clubbing in Riyadh

“.. as Iranian missiles deplete stocks of Patriot interceptors that Ukraine needs for its defense.”

@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/world/europe...

Wealthy Dubai residents race back to UAE to avoid tax bills Some risk spending too few days in the emirate and too many in the UK

Tax exiles stuck in London desperately trying to get *back* to Dubai to avoid becoming tax resident in the UK? Just great stuff. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

Instagram Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you.

Explainer reel: Why is the Strait of Hormuz so important?
www.instagram.com/reel/DVeDJdd...

Why has oil not hit $100 a barrel? [FREE TO READ] Crude has surged as flows through Strait of Hormuz dry up, but so far reaction is muted compared with past oil shocks

Why has oil not hit $100 a barrel?
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More softening the ground for "boots on the ground."

A map showing casualties. Iran – killed: 1,045, injured: hundreds Israel – killed: 11, injured: hundreds US soldiers – killed: 6, injured: 18 Bahrain – killed: 1, injured: 4 Iraq – killed: 2, injured: 5 Jordan – killed: 0, injured: 5 Kuwait – killed: 4, injured: 35 Lebanon – killed: 50 injured: 335 Oman – killed: 1, injured: 5 Qatar – killed: 0, injured: 16 Saudi Arabia – killed: 0, injured: 0 United Arab Emirates – killed: 3, injured: 68

Al Jazeera has a useful tracker of who is getting killed and injured.

www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/...

Be glad of Starmer’s caution over Iran [FREE TO READ] Bellicose critics of the UK prime minister have learnt nothing from the recent past

"The Tories make much of the fact that Canada and Australia backed Trump from the start. Well, Australia sent combat troops to the Vietnam war, too. Britain, like the rest of Europe, did not. If the Tories regret that abstention as a betrayal of the Anglosphere, they should let us know."

Energy prices up, markets down

We done a pod innit

Me + @robarmstrong.bsky.social + FT oil nerd @jamiesmythft.bsky.social on The Obvious featuring:

-oil 📈
-Gas 🚀
-anyone fancy piloting a ship through the Strait of Hormuz? Anyone? 🚢
-markets 🤮
-sausage rolls 🥧
-2026 is going *just great* 👍🏻

open.spotify.com/episode/3h5w...

Middle East conflict: Israel vows to kill next Iranian leader [FREE TO READ] Spain’s prime minister brands war ‘disaster’ in defiant response to Donald Trump’s criticism

"Spain’s Pedro Sánchez likened the US war to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, after Donald Trump threatened to cut trade ties with Spain over its opposition to the conflict."
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Trump says Starmer is 'no Winston Churchill' over Iran strikes Sir Keir Starmer had refused to grant the US permission to use the Diego Garcia military base.

How much did that state visit cost, again? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Pahlavi just got the full Maria Corina Machado treatment. bsky.app/profile/atru...

Donald Trump struggles to explain why he launched another Middle Eastern war [FREE TO READ] Reason for conflict that has already killed hundreds of Iranians and six US soldiers remains unclear

Donald Trump struggles to explain why he launched another Middle Eastern war as.ft.com/r/c398ecfe-d...

Explainer reel: Who’s running Iran after Ayatollah Khamenei? www.instagram.com/reel/DVYq2Ah...

You won’t win this, Henry

Overheard in a newsroom (not the FT), years ago:
“Is our house style Iran or Iraq?”

Military briefing: Iran’s new retaliation strategy [FREE TO READ] Islamic republic launches constant barrages at Israel while targeting civilian sites around the Gulf

"As it did last year, Iran appears to be using its least advanced missiles first in an effort to deplete US and Israeli interceptors, potentially saving more advanced missiles for later in the conflict."
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The battle for the world’s most coveted elements Dozens of substances in the periodic table are in growing demand, including for green technologies and military uses

This was a fun story to work on, first time building something as complex as a periodic table in CSS grid 🎉

www.ft.com/content/de4d...

NEW: Bahrain skyscrapers and Dubai hotels are now being hit by Iranian drones.

This is insane. Trump has unleashed chaos and carnage.

(🎥 Al Jazeera)

And then there were none.

Apart from an Air India that didn't get the memo.

Israel launches air strikes against Iran [FREE TO READ] State says it is a ‘pre-emptive’ attack to ‘remove threats’

as.ft.com/r/3e69a5cd-d... Israel launches air strikes against Iran

The attention economy is coming for investment research Plus: credit default risk, index stuffing, loot boxes, Ponzi schemes, and Jimi Hendrix

This week's everything, in one handy email.

ftav.substack.com/p/the-attent...

The Trump family’s media group is weighing plans to spin off the Truth Social social media platform that is extensively used by Donald Trump, as it seeks to reposition itself as a major player in nuclear energy.

You can have no idea where this sentence is going as.ft.com/r/4860d9c4-7...

UK citizenship applications surge as Reform vows settlement crackdown [FREE TO READ] Data shows sharp rise in Americans applying, but overall number of people granted British citizenship fell last year

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