Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at the Trump administration facing a legal hurdle in its Iran war, Israel intercepting a Gaza aid flotilla, and Pakistan commissioning advanced Chinese submarines.<\/p>\n
Running Out the Clock<\/p>\n
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced a second round of intense congressional scrutiny<\/a> on Thursday over the Trump administration\u2019s handling of the Iran war. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hegseth defended the $25 billion that the Pentagon estimates it has already spent on the conflict while refusing to specify how much longer the war might last or how much more money it could cost.<\/p>\n Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at the Trump administration facing a legal hurdle in its Iran war, Israel intercepting a Gaza aid flotilla, and Pakistan commissioning advanced Chinese submarines.<\/p>\n Running Out the Clock<\/p>\n U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced a second round of intense congressional scrutiny<\/a> on Thursday over the Trump administration\u2019s handling of the Iran war. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hegseth defended the $25 billion that the Pentagon estimates it has already spent on the conflict while refusing to specify how much longer the war might last or how much more money it could cost.<\/p>\n Notably, Hegseth argued<\/a> on Thursday that the U.S.-Iran cease-fire, which President Donald Trump extended last week indefinitely, has stopped the clock on the 1973 War Powers Resolution\u2019s 60-day rule<\/a>. \u201cWe are in a cease-fire now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a cease-fire,\u201d the defense secretary said.<\/p>\n Under the War Powers law<\/a>, the U.S. president has 60 days from when Congress first received formal notice of the conflict to terminate offensive operations or have Congress either declare war or authorize the continued use of military force. Trump informed congressional leadership of hostilities with Iran in a March 2 letter, meaning the 60-day countdown expires on Friday.<\/p>\n The president can extend the period for an additional 30 days to withdraw U.S. forces. However, this extension does not grant the White House authority to continue an offensive campaign. And lawmakers on both sides of the aisle appear eager for the United States to begin an exit strategy.<\/p>\n A \u201cperiod of 60 days is a fully sufficient window for presidents to take emergency measures in response to a national threat and then remit a decision to the duly elected representatives of the people as to whether a state of war should in fact be declared and continued,\u201d Republican Sen. John Curtis wrote<\/a> in an opinion piece this month.<\/p>\n It is unclear whether the Trump administration seeks to resume active fighting. However, Axios reported<\/a> on Wednesday that U.S. Central Command was set to brief Trump on a potential plan to break the current deadlock in U.S.-Iran negotiations. This plan proposes launching a \u201cshort and powerful\u201d wave of strikes on Iran.<\/p>\n News of a potential resumption in fighting has sparked concerns that the conflict could worsen. Brent crude prices briefly hit a four-year high<\/a> of more than $126 a barrel on Thursday.<\/p>\n Senate Democrats have pointed to the global energy crisis as evidence of Hegseth\u2019s mismanagement of the conflict. \u201cI am concerned that you have been telling the president what he wants to hear instead of what he needs to hear,\u201d said Sen. Jack Reed<\/a>, the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee. \u201cBold assurances of success are a disservice to both the commander in chief and the troops who risked their lives based on them.\u201d<\/p>\n But Hegseth on Thursday accused Democratic lawmakers of being \u201creckless naysayers\u201d and \u201cdefeatists from the cheap seats\u201d who refused to recognize the U.S. military\u2019s successes.<\/p>\n Today\u2019s Most Read<\/p>\n What We\u2019re Following<\/p>\n Global Sumud Flotilla. Israeli forces intercepted<\/a> an aid flotilla seeking to break the country\u2019s blockade of Gaza during an overnight operation in international waters on Thursday. According to activists in the Global Sumud Flotilla<\/a>, Israeli troops boarded 22 ships sailing near Greece, smashing engines and detaining more than 170 people. The group\u2019s ships were more than 620 miles from Gaza when the Israeli military intervened.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s actions \u201cmark a dangerous and unprecedented escalation: the abduction of civilians in the middle of the Mediterranean, over 600 miles from Gaza, in full view of the world,\u201d the Global Sumud Flotilla said in a press release<\/a>. Several foreign governments\u2014including Germany, Italy, Spain, and Turkey\u2014condemned<\/a> Israel\u2019s actions, with the Turkish foreign ministry calling it an \u201cact of piracy.\u201d<\/p>\n Israel has defended its decision. \u201cWhen dealing with a provocative flotilla of such a huge scale aiming to breach a lawful naval blockade, there is an operational necessity to act early and gradually in order to prevent escalation and to do so in a manner that avoids friction and violence,\u201d the country\u2019s foreign ministry posted<\/a> on X. All detained individuals will be disembarked on a Greek beach in coordination with local authorities, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar added<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Global Sumud Flotilla has repeatedly tried to breach Israel\u2019s blockade of Gaza to deliver humanitarian assistance to the war-torn region. Last October, Israeli forces boarded<\/a> 39 vessels that were part of the flotilla and detained hundreds of activists.<\/p>\n Advanced submarines. Pakistan commissioned<\/a> its first fleet of advanced Chinese submarines on Thursday to modernize its naval capabilities in the face of maritime security concerns. According to Pakistan\u2019s military, Islamabad will receive eight Hangor-class submarines; four of them will be made in China, while the other four will be manufactured in Pakistan under a transfer-of-technology program. Each submarine will be equipped with torpedoes, anti-ship missiles, advanced sensors, and air-independent propulsion.<\/p>\n This is \u201can important milestone to bolster our maritime defense and modernize \u200bour fleet with cutting-edge technology,\u201d Pakistan\u2019s naval chief, Adm. Naveed Ashraf<\/a>, said on Thursday. Pakistan has long relied on its submarine fleet as well as military equipment from China to deter neighboring India. Last year, Islamabad praised<\/a> the performance of its J-10 and JF-17 fighter jets, which it used in its conflict against New Delhi; both aircraft are produced by China\u2019s AVIC Chengdu Aircraft.<\/p>\n Pakistan and China are longtime allies in both the military and economic sectors. In August 2025, the two nations pledged<\/a> to expand economic cooperation under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project of Beijing\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative.<\/p>\n Fossil fuel phaseout. Nearly 60 countries pledged<\/a> to develop \u201croad maps\u201d to determine how best to end the production and use of fossil fuels during a summit in Colombia this week. Although the conference did not produce any binding commitments, experts have called the simple act of meeting a \u201chistoric breakthrough<\/a>\u201d in the fight against climate change.<\/p>\n During last November\u2019s United Nations Climate Change Conference in Brazil, several major oil- and gas-producing economies (including India, Russia, and Saudi Arabia) pushed against<\/a> proposed fossil fuels limitations, forcing the summit to end in deadlock without any substantive deal. The U.S. boycott of that meeting further weakened it; Trump has long touted climate denialism and advocated for more fossil fuel use<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, this week\u2019s gathering in the seaside city of Santa Marta injected new optimism<\/a> in climate experts\u2019 efforts to combat global warming. \u201cWe decided that the transition away from fossil fuels could no longer remain a slogan but must become a concrete, political, and collective endeavor,\u201d Colombian Environment Minister Irene V\u00e9lez Torres said. Participants of the two-day dialogue agreed to pursue<\/a> continued multilateral cooperation, including the creation of working groups to address finance and labor transitions\u2014all in an effort to ensure a global phaseout of fossil fuels.<\/p>\n Odds and Ends<\/p>\n