分类： 未分类

伊朗：霍尔木兹海峡对所有船只开放 敌人除外

发布时间 / 来源：2026年3月22日 17:30 / 联合早报

伊朗驻联合国海事机构代表穆萨维说，以色列和美国对伊朗发动袭击，是“霍尔木兹海峡当前局势的根源”。 （路透社）

伊朗驻联合国海事机构代表穆萨维说，霍尔木兹海峡对所有船只开放，但与“伊朗的敌人”有关的船只除外。

此前，美国总统特朗普威胁称，如果伊朗不在48小时内“完全开放”霍尔木兹海峡，美国将对伊朗的发电站发动袭击。

法新社报道，穆萨维（Ali Mousavi）星期天（3月22日）说，德黑兰准备与国际海事组织（International Maritime Organization）合作，改善波斯湾地区的海上安全和保护海员。

他也说，与“伊朗的敌人”无关的船只，可以通过与德黑兰协调安全安排来通过霍尔木兹海峡。

穆萨维说：“外交仍然是伊朗的首要选项，但彻底停止侵略以及建立互信更为重要。”

他还指出，以色列和美国对伊朗发动袭击，是“霍尔木兹海峡当前局势的根源”。

伊朗：霍尔木兹海峡对所有船只开放 敌人除外

2026年3月22日 17:30 / 联合早报

伊朗驻联合国海事机构代表穆萨维说，以色列和美国对伊朗发动袭击，是“霍尔木兹海峡当前局势的根源”。 （路透社）

伊朗驻联合国海事机构代表穆萨维说，霍尔木兹海峡对所有船只开放，但与“伊朗的敌人”有关的船只除外。

此前，美国总统特朗普威胁称，如果伊朗不在48小时内“完全开放”霍尔木兹海峡，美国将对伊朗的发电站发动袭击。

法新社报道，穆萨维（Ali Mousavi）星期天（3月22日）说，德黑兰准备与国际海事组织（International Maritime Organization）合作，改善波斯湾地区的海上安全和保护海员。

他也说，与“伊朗的敌人”无关的船只，可以通过与德黑兰协调安全安排来通过霍尔木兹海峡。

穆萨维说：“外交仍然是伊朗的首要选项，但彻底停止侵略以及建立互信更为重要。”

他还指出，以色列和美国对伊朗发动袭击，是“霍尔木兹海峡当前局势的根源”。

回应特朗普最后通牒 伊朗威胁打击中东关键基础设施

发布/2026年3月22日 17:59

社交媒体视频截图显示，3月18日，伊朗布什尔省的南帕尔斯天然气田附近遭到袭击，现场升起烈火浓烟。 （路透社）

伊朗军方警告，如果美国总统特朗普如所威胁般，在伊朗没有迅速重开霍尔木兹海峡的情况下“摧毁”德黑兰发电站，伊朗将攻击中东地区的关键基础设施。

伊朗军方作战指挥部星期天（3月22日）通过塔斯尼姆通讯社发表声明称：“继此前警告之后，如果伊朗的燃料和能源基础设施遭到敌人攻击，美国和波斯湾地区政权的所有能源、信息技术和海水淡化基础设施，都将成为攻击目标。”

特朗普周六（21日）晚间在自家社交媒体平台Truth Social发文称，如果伊朗在48小时内不开放霍尔木兹海峡，他将“打击并摧毁”伊朗的发电站，首先从最大的发电站开始。

彭博社说，这标志着特朗普就霍尔木兹海峡问题发表的言论出现急剧升级。周五（20日），特朗普还表示正在考虑逐步降级军事行动，将霍尔木兹海峡的治安责任移交给依赖该通道航运的国家。

与袭击其他能源资产如伊朗的南帕尔斯天然气田不同，单独打击伊朗电力设施不会立即对世界能源供应产生影响。

据彭博社汇编的数据显示，伊朗目前有98座运营中的天然气发电站。其中规模最大的包括位于德黑兰东南部的达马万德（Damavand）联合循环发电站、位于阿瓦士（Ahvaz）北部的拉明（Ramin）发电站，以及位于沙特鲁德（Chatroud）的克尔曼（Kerman）发电站。

特朗普威胁要首先打击伊朗最大的发电设施，也可能指的是布什尔（Bushehr）核电站。

回应特朗普最后通牒 伊朗威胁打击中东关键基础设施

2026年3月22日 17:59 / 联合早报

社交媒体视频截图显示，3月18日，伊朗布什尔省的南帕尔斯天然气田附近遭到袭击，现场升起烈火浓烟。 （路透社）

伊朗军方警告，如果美国总统特朗普如所威胁般，在伊朗没有迅速重开霍尔木兹海峡的情况下“摧毁”德黑兰发电站，伊朗将攻击中东地区的关键基础设施。

伊朗军方作战指挥部星期天（3月22日）通过塔斯尼姆通讯社发表声明称：“继此前警告之后，如果伊朗的燃料和能源基础设施遭到敌人攻击，美国和波斯湾地区政权的所有能源、信息技术和海水淡化基础设施，都将成为攻击目标。”

特朗普周六（21日）晚间在自家社交媒体平台Truth Social发文称，如果伊朗在48小时内不开放霍尔木兹海峡，他将“打击并摧毁”伊朗的发电站，首先从最大的发电站开始。

彭博社说，这标志着特朗普就霍尔木兹海峡问题发表的言论出现急剧升级。周五（20日），特朗普还表示正在考虑逐步降级军事行动，将霍尔木兹海峡的治安责任移交给依赖该通道航运的国家。

与袭击其他能源资产如伊朗的南帕尔斯天然气田不同，单独打击伊朗电力设施不会立即对世界能源供应产生影响。

据彭博社汇编的数据显示，伊朗目前有98座运营中的天然气发电站。其中规模最大的包括位于德黑兰东南部的达马万德（Damavand）联合循环发电站、位于阿瓦士（Ahvaz）北部的拉明（Ramin）发电站，以及位于沙特鲁德（Chatroud）的克尔曼（Kerman）发电站。

特朗普威胁要首先打击伊朗最大的发电设施，也可能指的是布什尔（Bushehr）核电站。

大批示威者周六（3月21日）在捷克首都布拉格参加反政府抗议集会。 （路透社）

（布拉格综合电）捷克首都布拉格周六（3月21日）涌入逾20万名示威者，抗议总理巴比什领导的新政府政策，批评其路线向匈牙利、斯洛伐克靠拢，恐让捷克偏离民主。

这场抗议由“百万民主时刻”（Million Moments for Democracy）发起，主办单位以“我们不会让未来被偷走”为口号，示威者高举捷克、欧盟、北约与乌克兰旗帜，表达对政府的不满。

这是继2月1日大集会后，布拉格第二次爆发反对现任内阁的大规模集会，当时约有9万人走上街头抗议。

主办方表示，希望透过这场大规模动员，唤起社会对民主倒退的关注，包括寡头政治影响力上升，以及政府削弱民主制度。

巴比什去年年底回锅出任总理，因右派背景，被称为“捷克特朗普”。示威者不满巴比什与两个边缘政党结盟，迫使他不得不在亲西方的外交政策和其盟友在国内的民族主义议程之间寻求平衡。

外界质疑，新政府拟改革公共媒体资金来源，可能威胁捷克的独立性。而政府拟削减国防预算，拨款资助公共广播机构，引发人们对政治干预的担忧。示威民众也不满巴比什政府对俄罗斯威胁采取较淡化的态度，也反对持续金援乌克兰。

高举着乌克兰国旗的示威者佩路特卡批评巴比什政府的外交政策，他说：“政府正在竭尽全力把我们拉向俄罗斯，并与匈牙利和斯洛伐克联手削弱欧盟。”

另一名示威者比特纳则告诉法新社：“我不喜欢政府的行为方式，不喜欢那种权力带来的傲慢，也不喜欢政府制定完全不同的道德标准，这实在难以接受。”

捷克爆发示威抗议新政府偏离民主

发布时间 / 来源：2026年3月22日 18:10 / 联合早报

（布拉格综合电）捷克首都布拉格周六（3月21日）涌入逾20万名示威者，抗议总理巴比什领导的新政府政策，批评其路线向匈牙利、斯洛伐克靠拢，恐让捷克偏离民主。

这场抗议由“百万民主时刻”（Million Moments for Democracy）发起，主办单位以“我们不会让未来被偷走”为口号，示威者高举捷克、欧盟、北约与乌克兰旗帜，表达对政府的不满。

这是继2月1日大集会后，布拉格第二次爆发反对现任内阁的大规模集会，当时约有9万人走上街头抗议。

主办方表示，希望透过这场大规模动员，唤起社会对民主倒退的关注，包括寡头政治影响力上升，以及政府削弱民主制度。

巴比什去年年底回锅出任总理，因右派背景，被称为“捷克特朗普”。示威者不满巴比什与两个边缘政党结盟，迫使他不得不在亲西方的外交政策和其盟友在国内的民族主义议程之间寻求平衡。

外界质疑，新政府拟改革公共媒体资金来源，可能威胁捷克的独立性。而政府拟削减国防预算，拨款资助公共广播机构，引发人们对政治干预的担忧。示威民众也不满巴比什政府对俄罗斯威胁采取较淡化的态度，也反对持续金援乌克兰。

高举着乌克兰国旗的示威者佩路特卡批评巴比什政府的外交政策，他说：“政府正在竭尽全力把我们拉向俄罗斯，并与匈牙利和斯洛伐克联手削弱欧盟。”

另一名示威者比特纳则告诉法新社：“我不喜欢政府的行为方式，不喜欢那种权力带来的傲慢，也不喜欢政府制定完全不同的道德标准，这实在难以接受。”

The war on Iran is in its fourth week. Here’s what to know

2026-03-22T08:00:33.566Z / CNN

Three full weeks of the war the US and Israel launched against Iran have shocked the world oil market, pierced a sense of safety in parts of the Middle East, and claimed the lives of US service members and civilians in multiple countries.

Most recently, the Trump administration asked for, and then said it didn’t need, outside help securing a key shipping lane threatened by Iran — and then called NATO allies “cowards” for not helping clean up the mess. Israel said it killed more top Iranian leaders, and both Israel and the US started attacking Iran’s oil infrastructure. A top US intelligence official resigned in protest over the war, thousands more US sailors and Marines are headed to the Middle East, but, despite the destruction of most of its military, Iran’s regime remains intact.

Get up to speed on the war as it enters its fourth week:

There are the beginnings of some disagreement between the allies. President Donald Trump has suggested he wants to wrap up the war soon, although he has been noncommittal on a timeline.

“It will soon be over,” Trump told reporters Thursday at the White House.

The Israelis have previously said they want to keep striking thousands of targets in Iran over the course of another three weeks or more, and on Saturday vowed to “increase significantly” the number of strikes in the coming week. Separately, Israel is trying to expel Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters from its northern border with Lebanon. The US has not been dragged into that conflict, but more than a million people in Lebanon have been displaced.

CNN spoke this week with former US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro for his analysis of what the US wants versus what Israel wants from the war. Read that here.

The US and Israel began striking at Iranian oil and natural gas production facilities in the third week of the air campaign, including Israel’s strike on South Pars, the world’s largest liquefied natural gas field, which Iran shares with Qatar. Iran responded by striking at energy production in other countries in the Middle East, including Qatar. Read more.

On Thursday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that “unsanctioning” some Iranian oil is one of the many ways the US could go about addressing the oil pinch in the coming days.

While the Pentagon and the White House controversially did not inform Congress before the war, the administration needs Congress to pay for it. The administration is set to request an additional $200 billion in taxpayer money to fund the war, although it did not offer specifics on how the money would be spent. The request came as the US national debt exceeded $39 trillion.

“It takes money to kill bad guys,” Hegseth said at a Pentagon press briefing Thursday.

Related: Why doesn’t Congress declare war any more?

The US and Israel say they have already largely destroyed Iran’s missile capabilities, its air force and its navy

The US and Israel launched the war to destroy Iran’s military capabilities and, for the second time in a year, destroy its nuclear program.

Iran is a massive country — about the size of Alaska — and has more than 90 million residents.

The US claims to have struck more than 7,800 targets, flown more than 6,500 combat flights and damaged or sunk more than 100 ships, including the first sinking of a ship by US torpedo since World War II.

US Central Command has deployed a large portion of the entire alphabet of the American arsenal, including B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers, and F-15, F-16, F-18, F-22 and F-35 fighter jets. It has not one, but two US Navy carrier strike groups in the region. It has employed a “bunker-buster” 5,000-pound bomb and also relied heavily on lower cost drones.

In the opening moments of the war, Israeli strikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei. Multiple other ranking officials were killed.

Since then, Israel has continued to target and kill remaining senior Iranian regime leaders, including key defense and intelligence figures such as Ali Larijani, the longtime public face of the regime, and Esmaeil Khatib, the intelligence minister.

And yet Iran’s government continues to survive

A multi-layered matrix rather than a top-down organization, Iran continues to show organization and a willingness to fight, a fact that suggests there will ultimately need to be a political rather than a military solution to this war.

The US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Wednesday that the regime “appears to be intact but largely degraded.”

The Ayatollah’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, is said to have been appointed by Iran’s 88-member Assembly of Experts to take over the country after the killing of much of his family in airstrikes, though he may have sustained injuries, including a fractured foot, and has not been seen in public since the war began. He still has not appeared in person or on video since the war began, but issued a new statement Friday.

The country sits on a strategic choke point between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Some 20% of the world’s oil travels through this waterway, the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has attacked some oil tankers and threatened those that would pass without its position. The US either misunderstood or miscalculated Iran’s willingness to threaten the worldwide market.

It’s a larger shock to the world energy system than the 1973 oil embargo, when oil producing countries stopped selling to the United States over US military support for Israel after the Arab-Israeli war.

Today the US has become the world’s largest oil producer and its economy is less dependent on foreign sources, but the oil market is a worldwide thing.

The US began targeting Iranian oil production facilities with military strikes in the third week of the war.

Oil has shot past $100 per barrel and is frequently above $115 per barrel. Skyrocketing gas prices, which Trump used to brag about lowering, have made Americans feel the pinch. Somewhat surprisingly given the shock oil prices have placed on the economy, Trump said Thursday he was surprised oil prices haven’t gone up more.

Rather than simply strike at US assets and Israel, Iran has responded by attacking more than a dozen of its neighbors with drones and missiles, threatening the perception of relative safety in Gulf neighbors like Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other countries that have relationships with the US and Israel.

While the US has consistently said it plans this to be an air war, it has not ruled out the use of ground forces. A Marine Expeditionary Unit is en route to the region, according to CNN’s reporting. It could be used to facilitate special operations commandos, secure oil fields, or do other tasks in Iran. A second MEU has had a planned deployment rerouted to the Middle East region, but it’s not clear where or when it could move. It is unlikely such a small force to be the tip of the spear of a ground invasion. The US has not mustered its Army for deployment, for instance.

On Thursday, Trump said he has no intention of putting troops on the ground in Iran, but he added he wouldn’t say if he did have such plans.

US service members have died in an attack and an accident

Multiple Americans have died so far in the war, primarily in two incidents. A makeshift operations center was struck by a suspected Iranian done strike in Kuwait, killing six. A refueling aircraft crashed over Iraq, killing another six American service members.

The price of diesel and energy costs in general could drive up costs for consumer goods, airline tickets and food, which would be unwelcome news for Americans who still aren’t used to prices following pandemic-era price hikes.

Trump has tried to bully the Federal Reserve into lowering interest rates to unlock capital and potentially lower home and car borrowing costs. But with prices rising, Fed cuts are less likely.

And the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 are all down, to varying degrees, since the war started.

Trump called on European and some Asian countries to help the US patrol the Strait of Hormuz. But those countries, who feel burned by Trump on tariffs and who weren’t warned that the US would attack Iran in the first place, and who are worried that the war violated international law, have so far declined. Trump now says he doesn’t need the help, but he’s clearly angry he hasn’t gotten any.

NATO chief Mark Rutte, who often speaks highly of Trump, said Thursday the allies are all talking about ways to secure the route.

“I’m confident that allies as always will do everything in support of our shared interest as we always do — so we will find a way forward,” he said in Brussels, according to Politico.

Russia is emboldened and Trump’s meeting with China is delayed

To get oil into the world market, the Trump administration has eased sanctions against Russian oil in place due to its invasion of Ukraine. Russia is also reported to be giving Iran intelligence for drone strikes.

Trump perhaps wanted to enter his planned April meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping from a position of strength on the world stage, but now he is more isolated on the world stage and has had to delay the meeting to focus on Iran.

Trump has said Iran was close to restarting a nuclear program he previously said the US destroyed last June. He has said he had a feeling Iran would soon attack the US, but has not pointed to evidence. Other administration officials have said the war was necessary to destroy Iran’s conventional weapons capabilities.

But the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, a former Special Forces commando, resigned in protest last week, declaring that the intelligence did not support the idea that Iran posed an imminent threat, and questioning the US alliance with Israel. Gabbard said the president gets to decide when a threat is imminent.

A military investigation continues, but a CNN analysis found at least one strike missed the mark when, apparently using old intelligence, it took out a girls’ school near an Iranian military base. Iran says more than 150 girls were killed. Trump has tried to point the finger at Iran for the strike, but the evidence suggests it was a US-made Tomahawk that took out the school.

Federal authorities are investigating four incidents — shootings in Virginia and Austin, a car attack on a Michigan synagogue and an attempted bombing in New York City — as acts of domestic terrorism.

Americans increasingly get information from their social media feeds, but those are plagued with false and misleading information.

Related:Fact check: Trump’s barrage of false and unproven claims about the Iran war

No English content available

伊朗议长警告：若受攻击将摧毁中东(Middle East)基础设施 | 联合早报

发布时间 / 来源：2026-03-22T11:45:26.000Z | 联合早报

伊朗国会议长加利巴夫威胁摧毁中东基础设施，并警告油价将因此长期上涨。 （法新社）

伊朗国会议长加利巴夫说，如果美国和以色列攻击伊朗的关键基础设施，伊朗也将摧毁中东地区的重要基础设施。

加利巴夫星期天（3月22日）在社交媒体平台X发文说：“一旦我国的发电厂和基础设施遭到攻击，整个地区的重要基础设施以及能源和石油基础设施将被视为合法攻击目标，并将遭到不可逆转的摧毁。”

他还警告，到时油价将“长期上涨”。

美国总统特朗普周六（21日）晚间在社媒平台发文称，如果伊朗在48小时内不开放霍尔木兹海峡，他将“打击并摧毁”伊朗的发电站，首先从最大的发电站开始。

Trump’s efforts to curb mail-in voting come to the Supreme Court as they falter in Congress

2026-03-22 / CNN

By [Tierney Sneed]

2 hr ago

PUBLISHED Mar 22, 2026, 5:00 AM ET

Supreme Court Donald Trump Congressional news Federal agencies

[See all topics]

Facebook Tweet[Email]Link Threads

Link Copied!

An official ballot collector for the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections gives a voter their “I Voted” sticker after depositing their mail-in ballots into a collection box in Cleveland, Ohio on November 6, 2022.

Dustin Franz/AFP/Getty Images

A Supreme Court case examining state deadlines for election ballots sent in the mail is just the tip of the spear in President Donald Trump’s war on mail-in voting.

Trump has never let go of his unfounded beliefs that voting by mail is rife with fraud, as he has called on Congress, the judiciary and state legislators to cut back on the practice. At his insistence, US Senate Republicans have devoted several days to debating an election overhaul bill that Trump wants to end most mail-in voting. But it is expected to die in Congress due to a Democratic filibuster.

Where Trump has seen some success on the issue is what the Supreme Court will scrutinize on Monday: the practice by some states of counting mail ballots that arrive at election offices after Election Day.

Ad Feedback

His Justice Department convinced at least one state to eliminate its mail ballot grace period by threatening a lawsuit, and other GOP-led states changed their deadlines proactively. On Monday, Trump’s top Supreme Court lawyer will argue in support of a challenge to Mississippi’s mail ballot deadline that was brought by the Republican National Committee.

The mail voting deadlines of more than a dozen states – including states like California, Texas and Alaska that will be pivotal in determining which party controls Congress – are now in jeopardy as the Supreme Court examines whether those policies run afoul of federal law.

Employees direct traffic to where voters can drop off their mail-in ballots in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on November 4, 2024.

Rebecca Droke/AFP/Getty Images

The dispute is the latest example of Trump’s push to put the federal government’s heavy hands in the machinery of election administration – a task the Constitution largely delegates to the states. The president has suggested that he [has the power] to implement voter ID requirements on his own that are part of the election overhaul bill. [He also demanded] that GOP lawmakers add to that legislation a ban on no-excuse absentee voting.

A loss in the Supreme Court could further enrage a president who recently [fumed] at the justices for not overturning his 2020 electoral defeat. A decision would likely come before the end of June.

The legal challenge centers on statutes passed by Congress in the 19th and early 20th centuries that standardized federal elections for the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Republicans argue those statutes preclude states from setting post-Election Day ballot receipt deadlines.

“Election-day receipt promotes election integrity and voter confidence as much today as it did when Congress passed that law,” the Trump [administration told]the Supreme Court in a legal brief.

Trump’s opponents counter that the federal Election Day statutes don’t go that far, and that states have flexibility in whether to embrace mail-in ballots and how to regulate them. They argue that if the Supreme Court were to accept the GOP’s logic, it would make it impermissible for states to offer mail-in voting or even early in-person voting.

“What Donald Trump wants, and has said that he wants, is Election Day voting only, in-person, only,” Marc Elias, a lawyer for voter groups that are defending the state laws, told reporters Monday. “So doing away with vote-by-mail is like the most convenient way for them to start, but it will not be where they end.”

DOJ sent Ohio a draft lawsuit on voting deadlines

Ohio voters walk to drop off their ballots at the Board of Elections in Dayton, Ohio on April 28, 2020.

Megan Jelinger/AFP/Getty Images

An [executive order] Trump signed a year ago was his first attempt to rein in voting by mail, using multiple federal levers to pressure states to drop post-election grace periods for mail-in ballots. It instructed the withholding of federal election funding from those states, while also commanding the attorney general to “take all necessary action to enforce” the federal Election Day statutes.

A top attorney in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division suggested in court last April that the executive order could lead to criminal actions against states that refuse to move up their mail ballot deadlines.

Such criminal actions never materialized. But the attorney, Michael Gates, who has since left the department, used the threat of a civil lawsuit against at least one state to force it to change its law.

In early September, Gates [emailed Ohio state officials a draft lawsuit] that argued the federal Election Day statute prohibited the state’s acceptance of mail-in ballots up to four days after the election. He also offered a proposed legal agreement – known as a consent decree – that would have avoided litigation by having Ohio agree to have its deadline changed by court order instead.

According to communications obtained by CNN via a public records request, the state officials convinced Gates that [Ohio lawmakers would be amenable] to passing a bill to change the deadline instead, so that court action would not be necessary. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Secretary of State Frank LaRose, both Republicans, [advocated in favor of the bill] last year by pointing to the threat of litigation.

Yet when GOP Gov. Mike DeWine signed the bill, he said he was doing so “reluctantly,” according to the [Statehouse News Bureau].

Another three states – Kansas, North Dakota and Utah – eliminated their grace periods in the past year. North Dakota’s deputy secretary of state, Sandy McMerty, told CNN that the state was responding to the Trump executive order and to the legal fight now at the Supreme Court.

Courts have since blocked much of executive order and the bulk of its provisions seeking to pressure states on their mail ballot deadlines.

Supreme Court asked to change rules nationwide

The Supreme Court could hand Trump the win he was not able to achieve through unliteral action, though legal experts are skeptical of the Republican arguments for why the state policies are unlawful.

A ruling from a conservative appeals court in New Orleans that sided with the GOP was likely the reason that Supreme Court felt the need to take up the case, according to Rick Hasen, an election law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The case started as a 2024 Republican National Committee lawsuit against Mississippi’s law giving mail ballots five days to arrive after Election Day. Mississippi severely limits who can vote absentee, [so the RNC’s choice to challenge the policy] there was seen as a strategic move to get the case before the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals.

Thirteen other states, as well as the District of Columbia, have post-Election Day mail ballot receipt deadlines, and 15 more have extended deadlines for certain ballots submitted by military families on deployment and US citizens overseas, [according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.]

The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court not to eliminate the grace periods for military ballots.

The 5th Circuit majority embraced the arguments by Republicans that Congress – when it set a federal Election Day – meant for that day to be the final day for ballots to be received by election officials. But other judges who looked at the question have disagreed, saying that the laws’ text includes no such receipt-deadline for mail-in ballots and only require that individual voters make their choice by Election Day.

The Justice Department, under President Joe Biden, initially supported Mississippi. But once the case reached the Supreme Court, and after Trump had returned to the White House, the Justice Department not only switched sides, but also sought the opportunity to make oral arguments at Monday’s hearing.

It was once rare for the Justice Department to insert itself in a case it was not a party to when the justices hadn’t asked for its input. But Trump’s solicitor general, John Sauer, has been piping in on high-profile cases [on a more frequent basis.]Still, Sauer’s decision to argue the ballot deadline case on Monday, rather than assign it to one of his deputies, shows its significance to the administration.

Several Republican state attorneys general, GOP members of Congress and conservative election integrity groups have also lined up behind the Republicans’ arguments. By contrast, Trump’s demand that Congress add a national ban on no-excuse absentee voting to legislation focused on voter ID and citizenship verification prompted debate among Senate Republicans, many of whom who represent states with expansive mail-in voting policies.

Jason Snead, executive director of the Honest Election Project, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the RNC, said that requiring Election Day mail-in ballot deadlines is a “[very popular] position with the voters,” and “a best practice as far as election administration is concerned.”

“I think everybody understands that the ballot is really considered a vote when it’s received by an election official,” Snead told CNN. “That’s a bright line rule, and that brings clarity to the process.”

Despite the momentum Trump has seen in his broadsides against mail-in ballot grace periods, Hasen predicted a unanimous or near-unanimous ruling from Supreme Court upholding the state policies, which in turn will provoke a “ballistic” response from Trump.

“The backup position is always, if the courts or Congress can’t make these changes, the election is full of fraud,” Hasen told CNN, adding that if Democrats win in November’s midterms, it’s “a convenient backup.”

CNN’s Lauren Fox contributed to this report.

Supreme Court Donald Trump Congressional news Federal agencies

[See all topics]

Facebook Tweet[Email]Link Threads

Link Copied!

Ad Feedback

Subscribe

Sign in

My Account

• [Settings]
• [Newsletters]
• [Topics you follow]
• [Sign out]

Your CNN account Sign in to your CNN account

[]

*

[Listen][Watch]

*

• [US]
• [Crime & Justice]
• [Immigration]
• [Education]
• [Transportation]
• [Race & Identity]

• [World]
• [Africa]
• [Americas]
• [Asia]
• [Australia]
• [China]
• [Europe]
• [India]
• [Middle East]
• [United Kingdom]

• [Politics]
• [Trump]
• [Facts First]
• [CNN Polls]
• [2026 Elections]
• [Redistricting Tracker]
• [Epstein Files]

• [Business]
• [Tech]
• [Media]
• [Calculators]
• [Videos]

• [Markets]
• [Pre-markets]
• [After-Hours]
• [Fear & Greed]
• [Investing]
• [Markets Now]
• [Nightcap]

• [Health]
• [Life, But Better]
• [Fitness]
• [Food]
• [Sleep]
• [Mindfulness]
• [Relationships]

• [CNN Underscored]
• [Electronics]
• [Fashion]
• [Beauty]
• [Health & Fitness]
• [Home]
• [Reviews]
• [Deals]
• [Gifts]
• [Travel]
• [Outdoors]
• [Pets]

• [Entertainment]
• [Movies]
• [Television]
• [Celebrity]

• [Tech]
• [Innovate]

• [Style]
• [Arts]
• [Design]
• [Fashion]
• [Architecture]
• [Luxury]
• [Beauty]
• [Video]

• [Travel]
• [Destinations]
• [Food & Drink]
• [Stay]
• [News]
• [Videos]

• [Sports]
• [Pro Football]
• [College Football]
• [Basketball]
• [Baseball]
• [Soccer]
• [Olympics]

• [Science]
• [Space]
• [Life]
• [Unearthed]

• [Climate]
• [Solutions]
• [Weather]

• [Weather]
• [Video]
• [Climate]

• [Ukraine-Russia War]

• [Israel-Hamas War]

• [Watch]
• [Featured]
• [Shows & Films]
• [Network TV]
• [Clips]
• [CNN Headlines]
• [CNN Shorts]
• [Shows A-Z]
• [CNN 10]
• [CNN TV Schedules]

• [Listen]
• [CNN 5 Things]
• [Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta]
• [The Assignment with Audie Cornish]
• [One Thing]
• [Tug of War]
• [CNN Political Briefing]
• [The Axe Files]
• [All There Is with Anderson Cooper]
• [All CNN Audio podcasts]

• [Games]
• [Daily Crossword]
• [Jumble Crossword]
• [Photo Shuffle]
• [Sudoblock]
• [Sudoku]
• [5 Things Quiz]

• [Amazon Prime Day]

• [About CNN]
• [Subscribe]
• [Photos]
• [Investigations]
• [CNN Profiles]
• [CNN Leadership]
• [CNN Newsletters]
• [Work for CNN]

*

[]

[Watch][Listen]

*

Subscribe

Sign in

My Account

• [Settings]
• [Newsletters]
• [Topics you follow]
• [Sign out]

Your CNN account Sign in to your CNN account

[]

Follow CNN Politics

• []
• []
• []
• []

*

Download the CNN app

[]

Download the CNN app

[]

*

[Terms of Use][Privacy Policy][Do Not Sell Or Share My Personal Information][Ad Choices][Accessibility & CC][About][Subscribe][Newsletters][Transcripts][Help Center]
© 2026 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved.

CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.

Download the CNN app

Scan the QR code to download the CNN app on Google Play.

Download the CNN app

Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.

Legal Terms and Privacy

By clicking Agree, you have read and agree to the Terms of Use and agree to the collection and use of your information by cookies and similar technologies, as set forth in our Privacy Policy.
By clicking “Agree”, you have read and agree to the [Terms of Use] and agree to the collection and use of your information by cookies and similar technologies, as set forth in our [Privacy Policy].

[Agree]

Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal detected. Your personal information will not be sold or shared.

Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Data

For residents of certain states only. Please visit our [U.S. State Supplement] for more information.

[Privacy Policy]

Manage Consent Preferences

Allow the Sale, Sharing or use of My Personal information for Targeted Advertising

• [x] Allow the Sale, Sharing or use of My Personal information for Targeted Advertising

If you switch this toggle to “no,” we will not sell or share your personal information with third parties for advertising targeted to this device.

Please see our [Privacy Center] for additional preferences.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Always Active

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work.

Cookie List

Clear

• – [x] checkbox label label

Apply Cancel

Consent Leg.Interest

• [x] checkbox label label

• [x] checkbox label label

• [x] checkbox label label

Confirm My Choices