The Wire - March 2, 2026

0:00This is the wire for 1800 Zulu, March 2nd, 2026. Presidents' routine information cut off is 1700. Bottom line up front. Terror attacks, strikes Texas, Gulf War continues in Middle East as Iranian forces strike American bases and oil fields. Multiple American aircraft shot down in friendly fire incidents. Kotar shoots down to Iranian fighters over Persian Gulf. Beginning with international events, in the Middle East, the Gulf War continues to expand with nearly every nation throughout the region being involved as air strikes and drone and missile attacks remain regular around the clock. In Kuwait, this morning three separate American F-15s were shot down due to alleged friendly fire incidents after allegedly being engaged by Kuwaiti air defense systems. All six pilots and weapons officers ejected and were rescued from the desert by Kuwaiti forces. Analysts comment. This situation was rather dicey as local Kuwaitis on the ground initially thought that the Americans parachuting down were Iranians. This is possibly due to the American parachutes from the Aces to ejection seats being in

1:01the standard colors of orange, white and green, which has been a standard for a long time. Unfortunately, this also looks very similar to the colors of the Iranian flag as is descending on a residential neighborhood. As a result, several Kuwaitis responded to the crash side with weapons drawn until it became clear that they were Americans. After the Americans were identified, they were protected and rendered aid until they were recovered safely back to American lines. In Saudi Arabia, most of the targeting efforts by the Iranians have focused on hitting oil infrastructure. This morning, the Rostenora refinery was shut down completely following Iranian drone strikes, which halts roughly 16 percent of Saudi Arabia's total oil production capacity. In Qatar, all liquefied natural gas or LNG production has been halted due to Iranian strikes, and the airport and Doha remains closed at the moment. This morning, Qatar forces down to Iranian SU-24 fighters, which were sorted to conduct targeting within their nation. Analysts comment. If this report is accurate, this would be the first indication that the Iranian still maintain some limited-air combat power, even though the runways and most of the airports

2:01have been cratered. In the Emirates, Iranian forces have been hitting Dubai and Abu Dhabi hard over the past two days. Power plants, oil terminals, and other energy infrastructure have been targeted, along with more military targets. The French naval base in Abu Dhabi was hit by Iranian munitions, and the fires have been burning overnight. In Bahrain, the semi-former headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet has been heavily damaged with a significant portion of the base being completely destroyed. This morning, Iranian forces struck an American strategic oil tanker, the merchant tanker Stena Imperative, as she was sitting in port. In Cyprus, the British airbase at Akratiri Airport has been targeted by Iranian missiles and drones several times over the past two days, with heavy smoke being reported at the installation sporadically yesterday afternoon. In Israel, substantial targeting efforts continue by the Iranians, with many ballistic missile strikes being carried out overnight. Rocket attacks by Hezbollah cells and Lebanon continue with the idea of continuing several air strikes in downtown Beirut in response yesterday evening. Regarding civilian infrastructure in the Middle East, most major airports throughout the entire region are closed for flights, most notably Kuwait International Dubai, Abu Dhabi,

3:06and Bahrain. Right now, the main logistical hub for citizens fleeing the region is Riyadh, however the Saudis stated overnight that King Khalid International Airport was targeted by Iran. The ballistic missiles were successfully intercepted, but the window for evacuations throughout much of the region is probably closed for a while. Some airlines in Dubai are attempting to recommence evacuation flights this evening, pending any attacks on the airport. Concerning American casualties so far, four American servicemen have been killed as a result of Iranian strikes throughout the region. In Pakistan, attacks at the US consulate in Karachi have escalated, as rioters have began engaging Marines inside the compound with small arms. Pakistanis have taken pod shots from pistols at the consulate throughout the day, and the Marine Security Detachment has been able to hold the compound so far. On the hunt front, in Texas, Saturday night, a terror attack was reported at a bar in Austin, which resulted in a mass casualty event. One gunman entered Buford's bar on 6th Street, and began shooting the patrons inside before being killed during the attack. The suspect has been identified as Indiyagadiyagni, a naturalized US citizen originally from

4:08Senegal, concerning casualties to fatalities have been reported along with 14 wounded as a result of the attack. Analysts comment. And now most assumptions regarding this attack jumped to the conclusion that this individual was one of the infamous Iranian sleeper cell agents that has been, quote unquote, activated in response to events in the Middle East. At this moment, the evidence points to this being a lone wolf attack, as the suspect was wearing a pro-Islam sweatshirt during the attack and underneath, he was also wearing a shirt, porturing the flag of Iran. Beyond these basic details, it will be crucial for the investigation to determine whether this guy was a random lone wolf, or if there was some prior communication and coordination regarding this attack. In short, we don't know if he was communicating with the Iranians or not, but he very likely conducted the attack due to the events in the Middle East. Analysts comments for this wire. Right now, there is a lot of confusion pertaining to the messaging by American officials regarding this war. On the one hand, the United States has stated frequently that most Iranian military infrastructure has been decimated, but on the other hand, everyone can see the drones hitting targets rather effectively, so what gives?

5:09Per long-standing doctrine, Iranian military leadership has substantially expanded on the idea of delegating authority to lower and lower levels of command, so as to ensure effective combat operations in the event that decapitation strikes took out most of their senior leadership. The Iranians have been planning for this eventuality for some time, and thus their military infrastructure can be described in a single word. Redundancy. It is this theory that is being proven somewhat correct right now, as Iranian forces have been able to not just continue strikes, but launch increasingly more significant missile barrages throughout the Middle East, after most of their military leadership has been killed. As a result, even the effective decapitation strikes during the initial phases of the war, while a great success, were still not enough to stop the effectiveness of the command and control efforts at lower levels. Even going back to the 1980s, Iran has been the textbook example of how cutting off the head of the snake won't result in the body giving up the fight as quickly as the United States would hope. How long the Iranians can keep this up is the $64 million question, but for now, killing

6:11the entire upper echelon of Iranian military leadership won't do much to reduce combat effectiveness in the short term. The missiles and drones that continue to fly by the minute are evidence of this doctrine, which continue to seriously threaten both civilian and military infrastructure throughout the region. All of this is supported by recent comments made by President Trump confirming that this operation could take up to a month. Over 900 sorties have been conducted by US forces so far, and the level bombers which have been forward deployed probably haven't even begun the large scale bombings yet. As with all military operations, time will tell how it goes, and in this case, the enduring question is how much damage Iran can do as their scorched earth campaign continues throughout the region. And close the wire for 1800 Zulu, March 2nd, 2026.