The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | March 16th, 2026: Trump’s Hormuz Coalition & Israel Pushes Into Lebanon

Episode Date: March 16, 2026

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: First up — the fight for the Strait of Hormuz continues. The White House is working to assemble what officials are calling a “Hormuz Coalition,” a multinational naval force aimed at reopening the critical oil chokepoint after Iran disrupted global shipping through the strait. But with many nations hesitant to commit warships, the big question remains: who is actually willing to join? Later in the show — Israel launches ground operations in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military says its forces have begun targeted operations near the strategic border town of Khiam as clashes with Hezbollah intensify along Israel’s northern frontier. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting https://PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief CBDistillery: Visit https://CBDistillery.com and use promo code VIP for 50% off your entire order! DeleteMe: Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to https://joindeleteme.com/PDB and use promocode PDB at checkout. Mars Men: For a limited time, our listeners get 50% off FOR LIFE, Free Shipping, AND 3 Free Gifts at Mars Men at https://Mengotomars.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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It's Monday, the 16th of March. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, the fight for the Strait of Hormuz continues. The White House is working to assemble a multinational naval coalition aimed at reopening the critical oil choke point. But after loudly criticizing allies over the past couple of weeks, are there going to be any takers? Later in the show, Israel launches ground operations. in southern Lebanon, as clashes with Hezbollah intensify along its northern border. But first, today's afternoon bulletin. With the state of Hormuz, quickly becoming the most critical flashpoint in the war against Iran, the White House is now working behind the scenes to assemble what officials are calling a, quote, Hormuz coalition. That just rolls off the tongue, a multinational effort aimed at reopening the narrow waterway after Tehran's attacks have disrupted global oil shipments and, of course, sent energy prices, climbing. According to reports, the Trump administration hopes to announce the coalition as soon as this

week. The idea is to bring together a group of allied nations willing to escort commercial tankers through the narrow waterway, ensuring that oil and gas shipments can once again move safely out of the Persian Gulf. The stakes here are obviously significant. Roughly 20% of the world's oil supply passes through that narrow stretch of water every day. But oil isn't the only thing. moving through the strait. About one-fifth of the world's liquefied natural gas, the LNG shipments, pass through it as well. Major energy exporters, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar all rely on this strait to move their oil and gas to global markets. As a result of the Iranian regime's threats and attacks on commercial vessels, traffic through

the strait has almost ground to a halt. Tankers carrying Iranian crude are still being allowed through, shocking, while shipments from neighboring Gulf states are being blocked. That allows Tehran to keep its own oil flowing, largely to China, with some moving to India, while squeezing global supply and pushing prices higher. The proposed coalition would attempt to break that blockade by providing armed escorts for commercial shipping. Countries participating in the mission could contribute naval warships, surveillance drones, maritime patrol aircraft, or command and control support for the operation. to Trump, who frankly spent the past couple of weeks criticizing allies for their failure to take

part in the U.S. and Israeli offensive against Iran, well, he's now pressing a wide range of allies to participate in this coalition, including NATO countries, as well as major Asian energy importers such as Japan and South Korea. He's also publicly called on China to take part. That's right, arguing that much of the oil moving through the strait is destined for foreign markets rather than the U.S. Whether Beijing would be eager to help patrol those waters is another matter entirely. Chinese shipments are reportedly passing through the strait without much interference, and China remains one of the largest buyers of Iranian oil. That leaves Beijing with little incentive to send warships into a confrontation with Tecrans.

And the fact that the Chinese leadership only acts in the best interests of the Chinese Communist Party, well, that makes it highly unlikely that Xi Jinping will want to take part in any such coalition. Now, for a very interesting assessment of China's potential involvement in this conflict, give a listen to our most recent PDB Situation Report featuring insight from retired Admiral Mark Montgomery. You can catch it on our YouTube channel, just go to YouTube, of course, and search up at President's Daily Brief. Now, the U.S. actually receives very little oil directly through the Strait of Hormuz, roughly 2 to 3 percent of American imports. because the U.S. now produces much of its own oil domestically. Disruptions in the strait, tend to show up stateside, primarily in the form of higher prices at the pump. But for Europe

and Asia, the stakes are significantly higher. Not only do they depend heavily on Middle Eastern oil moving through the strait, but many European countries again also rely on liquefied natural gas shipments from Qatar that pass through those same waters. With Russian energy supplies largely cut off, Europe has become particularly vulnerable to disqualify. disruptions in those shipments. That reality appears to be driving quiet discussions in Brussels about how Europe might contribute to reopening the strait. European Union foreign policy chief Kayakalas said Monday that EU officials are exploring options for naval involvement, noting that keeping the straight open is clearly in Europe's interest. One option under discussion

would expand the EU's existing regional naval mission, which currently protects commercial shipping in the Red Sea, extending its operations into the Persian Gulf. Another possibility would be forming what officials described as a, quote, coalition of the willing, with individual European countries, contributing ships and military assets on an ad hoc basis. So far, no country has publicly committed forces to the mission, a fact that has drawn further criticism from Trump. But despite that, officials say governments are quietly weighing their options as the situation in the Gulf continues to evolve. At the same same time, the Trump administration is reportedly considering a far more aggressive option if the blockade continues. Several U.S. officials say the president has discussed the possibility of seizing Iran's

key oil export hub on Karg Island. It's a strategic terminal located about 15 miles off Iran's southern coast that handles roughly 90 percent of the country's crude exports. Taking control of Karg Island would effectively cut off the Iranian regime's primary source of revenue, dealing what some officials have described as an economic knockout blow. But, and this won't surprise you, that option carries serious risks. Unlike a naval escort mission, seizing the island would require American troops on the ground, positioned just off Iran's coast, and well within reach of Iranian missiles, drones, and fast attack craft. All right, coming up next, Israeli forces pushing to southern Lebanon launching limited ground operations as clashes with Hezbollah intensified near the border.

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According to the Israeli defense forces, the IDF, troops from its 91st division have begun what the army describes as, quote, limited and targeted ground operations against Hezbollah strongholds along the frontier. The goal here from the IDF appears to be straightforward, destroy Iran-backed terrorist infrastructure, eliminate fighters operating near the frontier, and reduce the threat Hezbollah poses to Jewish communities.

Now, it's important to focus on where, this IDF operation is actually unfolding. One of the key flashpoints currently is the southern Lebanese city of Qiam, and if you look at a map, well, the reason quickly becomes clear. Qiam sits on elevated terrain, just a few kilometers from the Israeli border and the Latani River, giving whoever controls that ground a commanding view over northern Israel and the surrounding Lebanese plains. Israeli strikes have already been reported in and around the city, with at least three airstrikes hitting Qiam as the fighting intensifies. Military analysts who spoke with Al Jazeera say the city is also widely seen as a gateway into southern Lebanon. But Qiam isn't the only place

Israeli forces are targeting. The IDF have also been reported in several nearby towns, including a cluster of Khazbalah-controlled areas surrounding the city. Two additional airstrikes were reported there, according to Al-Jazeera. And the specific targeting of these Khazbullah strongholds comes down to supply routes. As Qiam sits near a key road junction linking the east and west sectors of southern Lebanon, one of those routes leads directly toward the Becca Valley. That's an area where Hezbollah maintains some of its most important logistical hubs and weapons stockpiles. Israeli forces appear to be trying to cut Hezbollah supply lines before the terror group can move additional weapons or fighters into positions south of the Latani River. Israeli defense

Minister Israel Katz confirmed the operation saying, quote, the IDF has begun ground operations in Lebanon to eliminate the threats and protect the residents of Galilee and the north. He also made clear that Israel intends to maintain pressure on the region until those threats are eliminated. Katz said hundreds of thousands of Shiite residents of southern Lebanon have been evacuated during the early stages of the ground operation and that none of them will be able to return to areas south of the Latani River until Israel believes its northern border is fully secure from Hezbollah threats. As of now, more than 800,000 people have fled their homes as Israeli evacuation warnings

expand across southern Lebanon and parts of Beirut in an effort to limit civilian casualties. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Monday the 16th of March. Now, if you have any questions or comments, and I hope you do, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And of course, to listen to the show Ad-Free. Well, you can do that. It is very simple. Just become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting PDB Premium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, here is the hard truth, and I'm sorry to bring this news to you, but we're all getting older.

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