U.S. Airpower Is Now Hitting Iran In The Strait & An American Cartel Takeover

March 20, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

This episode of The President's Daily Brief covers pressing security developments: tentative allied support and aggressive U.S. operations to secure the Strait of Hormuz amid shipping disruptions; a U.S. citizen assuming leadership of Mexico's most violent drug cartel; a U.S. intelligence shift downplaying near-term Chinese invasion risks for Taiwan; and Iran's mix of domestic executions and elite hypocrisy abroad.

Strait of Hormuz: Allied Hesitation and U.S. Action

European nations—Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands—along with Japan issued a joint statement expressing readiness to support "appropriate efforts" for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil chokepoint. The White House has pressed allies for help reopening the strait, disrupted since regional conflict began. Normally handling 70-100 vessels daily, including 20-30 oil tankers, traffic has dropped sharply: only about 90 ships have transited total, many as untracked "dark voyages" linked to Iranian oil exports to China, often evading sanctions. Around 20 vessels have been attacked nearby, making the route unreliable and stressing energy markets.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:54) **Strait of Hormuz Ally Signals** - Europe and Japan issue joint statement supporting "appropriate efforts" to secure passage
2 (03:19) **Strait Shipping Crisis** - Commercial traffic halted since war began, only 90 "dark voyages" total
3 (04:40) **US Airpower Operations** - A-10 Warthogs and Apaches strike Iranian boats, drones, mines, and sites
4 (09:18) **CJNG Cartel Leadership Shift** - California-born Juan Carlos Valencia Gonzalez, El Mencho's stepson, takes control
5 (10:42) **US Action Complications** - Targeting American citizen cartel leader requires FISA, AG approval, limits surveillance
6 (12:45) **Trump Admin Cartel Strategy** - Shift to narco-terrorism designation harder with US citizen at top
7 (15:22) **China-Taiwan Intel Shift** - DNI assessment: no 2025 invasion planned, no fixed timeline, prefers non-force unification

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:

A potential shift from Europe and Japan on securing the Strait of Hormuz—but as allies stop short of specifics, U.S. air power, including A-10 Warthogs, is already striking Iranian assets to reopen the waterway.
A bizarre and troubling turn in the cartel war, with a California-born figure now leading Mexico’s most dangerous drug empire, complicating any effort to take him down.
A new U.S. intelligence assessment is raising eyebrows, suggesting China may not be preparing to invade Taiwan—at least not on the timeline many had feared.
And in today's Back of the Brief — a chilling reminder of the regime’s brutality in Tehran, where a teenage champion wrestler is among those publicly executed as part of a widening crackdown on protesters.

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