The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Terrorism and Unconventional Threats focused its attention Thursday on the threat Iran poses to US security. The central question for Chairman Jim Saxton (R-N.J.) is whether Iran “is advancing the lethal nexus of [weapons of mass destruction] and terrorism.” Saying Iran “presents an array of challenges to our national security,” he advocates an “innovative” response but “not one that necessarily involves a military component.” That plays well with Kenneth M. Pollack of the Brookings Institute, who told the subcommittee that from outside Iran “looks like a tough nut to crack,” but inside it has “important fissures.” Exploiting those fissures politically and economically, he says, could provide “a reasonable prospect of derailing Iran’s drive for nuclear weapons.”
KC-135 Crashes In Iraq While Supporting Iran Ops
March 12, 2026
A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker supporting Operation Epic Fury against Iran crashed during an incident involving two aircraft over Iraq March 12, U.S. Central Command announced. The aircraft were not shot down, CENTCOM added.