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Trump admin seeking $200B from Congress to fund Iran war

By Elizabeth Elkind, Adam Pack
Fox News

Published March 21, 2026 10:00am EDT

The Trump administration’s anticipated multibillion-dollar funding request to bolster its Iran campaign could face resistance from GOP fiscal hawks.

Though congressional Republicans have been broadly supportive of the Trump administration’s conflict in Iran, some conservatives are drawing a red line that an emergency cash infusion, known as a supplemental, cannot increase budget deficits. Multiple House Freedom Caucus members, for example, told Fox News Digital that such a funding bill would have to be made up for by cutting spending elsewhere.

“I think the big thing there is going to be making sure that there’s a pay-for,” Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., told Fox News Digital.

“I’d like to see how this is paid for,” Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., said, adding that he’d like to see Iran ultimately cover the costs.

TRUMP RALLIES DEFENSE TITANS TO SURGE WEAPONS OUTPUT AS IRAN WAR RAGES

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., pauses for questions from reporters as he arrives for an early closed-door Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.(J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

Neither the president nor Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth has attempted to dispute reports Thursday that the administration is considering an infusion of roughly $200 billion to help finance the Iran campaign and restore depleted munitions. However, no formal request has been sent to congressional leaders yet.

“Our national debt just surpassed $39 trillion. A potential supplemental for Operation Epic Fury — or any supplemental funding for that matter — must be offset,” Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., told Fox News Digital when asked about the prospective $200 billion request.

Clyde said he supported the mission but that any resources Congress signs off on must be done “in a fiscally responsible manner.”

Meanwhile, another House conservative granted anonymity to speak freely about the Freedom Caucus’s thinking told Fox News Digital that fiscal hawks were likely to be “skeptical” about the price tag.

HEGSETH WARNS ‘MORE CASUALTIES’ EXPECTED IN OPERATION EPIC FURY AGAINST IRAN

“America isn’t signing up for a $200 billion war. The White House needs to give details of a plan regarding boots on the ground and how much is for replenishing our own arsenal, and how it’s being paid for,” that lawmaker said.

With Democrats’ expected opposition to an Iran supplemental, some Republicans believe putting defense spending in a second “big, beautiful bill” via the budget reconciliation process could be the path of least resistance for the GOP.

Top congressional Democrats were sharply critical of a massive supplemental Thursday — a position that could harden if the conflict drags on.

“They are certainly not going to spend an additional dime on the military, on security, on any of the things that we care about,” Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital in an interview last week, referring to Democrats. “This conflict right now and the future of our country and our Western values have to be secured by additional defense spending, which can only happen in a reconciliation bill.”

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks during the inaugural Americas Counter Cartel Conference at the U.S. Southern Command Headquarters in Doral, Fla., on March 5, 2026.(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Pfluger did not comment specifically on the prospective $200 billion request when asked on Friday, but he reaffirmed his support for another reconciliation bill. He also pointed out that reconciliation means that the new spending would be mostly or fully paid for.

“Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, and I strongly support the administration’s efforts to ensure the United States and our allies cannot be threatened,” he said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The pathway for additional military funding could be through a second reconciliation bill, with commonsense offsets that ensure the president’s request is fully paid for. Our warfighters will not be left waiting while the left plays politics with national security.”

The budget reconciliation process allows the majority party to steer around the Senate’s 60-vote requirement and pass legislation via a simple majority. Republicans used the legislative maneuver to advance Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act through Congress in the first half of 2025.

Budget reconciliation would also allow Republicans to identify offsets to a substantial increase in defense spending. However, intraparty divisions are likely to emerge over spending cuts.

There is also skepticism among some Republicans that the Pentagon needs a massive infusion of money.

The “big, beautiful bill” gave $150 billion to the Pentagon. The president has also requested a $1.5 trillion defense budget for the upcoming fiscal year — more than a 50% increase from current levels.

President Donald Trump, joined by Republican lawmakers, signs the One, Big Beautiful Bill Act into law during an Independence Day military family picnic on the South Lawn of the White House on July 4, 2025.(Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

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Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital that he would like to see the specifics of the supplemental request before committing to supporting one.

“The DoD hasn’t passed an audit for a while,” Self said. “I would like for them to scrub things before they start asking for more money after the $150 billion and before the appropriations get passed.”

And some Republicans are doubtful that the House GOP’s razor-thin majority will be able to pass any reconciliation bill at all, particularly in an election year.

“We’ll see,” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., who’s already signaled skepticism over the prospect of a second reconciliation bill, told Fox News Digital when asked specifically about military funding in such a vehicle.

And Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital of a second reconciliation bill, “I don’t know how well the prospects are, because there’s some people saying that we aren’t going to do it, and given our small majority, it’s going to be challenging.”

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com

Parents are refusing routine preventative care for newborns at rising rates, study finds

2026-03-21T08:12:00-0400 / CBS News

Updated on: March 21, 2026 / 8:12 AM EDT / AP

One day at an Idaho hospital, half the newborns Dr. Tom Patterson saw didn’t get the vitamin K shots that have been given to babies for decades to prevent potentially deadly bleeding. On another recent day, more than a quarter didn’t get the shot. Their parents wouldn’t allow it.

“When you look at a child who’s innocent and vulnerable — and a simple intervention that’s been done since 1961 is refused — knowing that baby’s going out into the world is super worrisome to me,” said Patterson, who’s been a pediatrician for nearly three decades.

Doctors across the nation are alarmed that skepticism fueled by rising anti-science sentiment and medical mistrust is increasingly reaching beyond vaccines to other proven, routine, preventive care for babies.

A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which analyzed more than 5 million births nationwide, found that refusals of vitamin K shots nearly doubled between 2017 and 2024, from 2.9% to 5.2%. Other research suggests that parents who decline vitamin K shots are much more likely to refuse getting their newborns the hepatitis B vaccine and an eye ointment to prevent potentially blinding infections. Rates for that vaccination at birth dropped in recent years, and doctors confirm that more parents are refusing the eye medication.

“I do think these families care deeply about their infants,” said Dr. Kelly Wade, a Philadelphia neonatologist. “But I hear from families that it’s hard to make decisions right now because they’re hearing conflicting information.”

Innumerable social media posts question doctors’ advice on safe and effective measures like vitamin K and eye ointment. And the Trump administration has repeatedly undermined established science. A federal advisory committee whose members were appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a leading anti-vaccine activist before joining the administration — voted to end the longstanding recommendation to immunize all babies against hepatitis B right after birth. On Monday a federal judge temporarily blocked all decisions made by the reconfigured committee.

A nurse administers a Vitamin K shot to a newborn baby at Norton Women’s and Children’s Hospital on Friday, March 6, 2026. Jamie Rhodes / Norton Healthcare / AP

One common thread that ties together anti-vaccine views and growing sentiments against other protective measures for newborns is the fallacy that natural is always better than artificial, said Dr. David Hill, a Seattle pediatrician and researcher.

“Nature will allow 1 in 5 human infants to die in the first year of life,” Hill said, “which is why generations of scientists and doctors have worked to bring that number way, way down.”

Vitamin K and other measures prevent serious problems

Babies are born with low levels of vitamin K, leaving them vulnerable because their intestines can’t produce enough until they start eating solid foods at around 6 months old.

“Vitamin K is important for helping the blood clot and preventing dangerous bleeding in babies, like bleeding into the brain,” said Dr. Kristan Scott of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, lead author of the JAMA study.

Before injections became routine, up to about 1 in 60 babies suffered vitamin K deficiency bleeding, which can also affect the gastrointestinal tract. Today the condition is rare, but research shows that newborns who don’t get a vitamin K shot are 81 times more likely to develop severe bleeding than those who do.

Hill has seen what can happen.

“I cared for a toddler whose parents had chosen that risk,” the Seattle doctor said. The child essentially had a stroke as a newborn and wound up with severe developmental delays and ongoing seizures.

At a February meeting of the Idaho chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, doctors said they knew of eight deaths from vitamin K deficiency bleeding in the state over the preceding 13 months, said Patterson, who is president of the chapter.

Infections prevented by other newborn measures can also have grave consequences. Erythromycin eye ointment protects against gonorrhea that can be contracted during birth and potentially cause blindness if untreated. The hepatitis B vaccine prevents a disease that can lead to liver failure, liver cancer or cirrhosis.

Even if a pregnant woman is tested for gonorrhea and hepatitis B, no test is perfect, and she may get infected after testing, said Dr. Susan Sirota, a pediatrician in Highland Park, Illinois. Either way, she risks passing the infection to her child.

Why are parents refusing routine care?

Parents give many reasons for turning down preventive measures, like fearing they might cause problems and not wanting newborns to feel pain.

“Some will just say they want more of a natural birth philosophy,” said Dr. Steven Abelowitz, founder of Ocean Pediatrics in Orange County, California. “Then there’s a ton of misinformation. … There are outside influences, friends, celebrities, nonprofessionals and political agendas.”

Abelowitz practices in an area with about an equal mix of Republicans and Democrats.

“There’s more mistrust from the conservative side, but there’s plenty on the more liberal side as well,” he said, “It’s across-the-board mistrust.”

Social media provides ample fuel, spreading myths and pushing unregulated vitamin K drops that doctors warn babies can’t absorb well.

Doctors in numerous states say parents refusing vitamin K shots often also decline other measures. Sirota, in Illinois, encountered a family that refused a heel stick to monitor glucose for a baby at high risk for having potentially life-threatening low blood sugar.

Care refusals aren’t a new phenomenon. Wade, in Philadelphia, said she’s seen them for 20 years. But until recently, they were rare.

Twelve years ago, Dana Morrison, now a Minnesota doula, declined the vitamin K shot for her newborn son, giving him oral drops instead.

“It came from a space of really wanting to protect the bonding time with my baby,” she said. “I was trying to eliminate more pokes.”

Her daughter’s birth a couple of years later was less straightforward, leaving the infant with a bruised leg. Morrison got the vitamin K shot for her.

Knowing what she does now, she said, she would have gotten it for her son, too.

Doctors and parents want “the best for their children”

Doctors hope to change minds, one parent at a time. And that begins with respect.

“If I walk into the room with judgment, we are going to have a really useless conversation,” Hill said. “Every parent I serve wants the best for their children.”

When parents question the need for the vitamin K shot, Dr. Heather Felton tries to address their specific concerns. She explains why it’s given and the risks of not getting it. Most families decide to get it, said Felton, who has seen no uptick in refusals.

“It really helps that you can take that time and really listen and be able to provide some education,” said Felton, a pediatrician at Norton Children’s in Louisville, Kentucky.

In Idaho, Patterson sometimes finds himself clearing up misconceptions. Some parents will agree to a vitamin K shot when they find out it’s not a vaccine, for example.

These conversations can take time, especially since the parents doctors see in hospitals usually aren’t people they know through their practices.

But doctors are happy to invest that time if it might save babies.

“I end every discussion with parents with this: ‘Please understand at the end of the day, I’m passionate about this because I have the best interest of children in my mind and heart,’” Patterson said. “I understand this is a hot topic, and I don’t want to disrespect anybody. But at the same time, I’m desperately saddened that we’re losing babies for no reason.”

喜马拉雅冰川消融加速：威胁亚洲20亿人淡水供应 | 联合早报

发布/2026年3月21日 21:02

尼泊尔境内的果宗巴冰川长36公里，是喜马拉雅山山区最长的高山冰川。果宗巴冰川也长期面对全球变暖和黑碳的威胁。 （路透社）

（加德满都法新电）最新报告显示，为约20亿人提供重要淡水来源的喜马拉雅冰川，融化速度是2000年的一倍以上。

横跨阿富汗至缅甸的喜马拉雅山脉拥有北极和南极以外最大的冰雪储量，孕育了亚洲至少10条主要河流，这些河流支撑整个大陆的水资源、粮食和能源安全。

根据尼泊尔国际山区综合发展中心星期六（3月21日）发布的两份报告，喜马拉雅冰川三分之一位于对快速变暖高度敏感的区域，这个区域冰层的平均消融速度已从2000年前每年约34厘米，增加到每年73厘米。

国际山区综合开发中心总干事佩玛·嘉措说：“这不是一个遥远的问题，这是个正在实时演进的危机。我们现在必须扩大监测，并投资应对措施。”

1975年以来，喜马拉雅冰川厚度已减少多达27米，1990年至2020年间有大约12%的冰川面积消失。

报告首席作者法鲁克指出，随着气候变暖，冰川消融后无法再恢复原有的质量。他呼吁减少排放黑碳。黑碳是一种由化石燃料和生物质燃料不完全燃烧所产生的细颗粒，黑碳吸附在冰川表面，会增加冰川对太阳辐射的吸收，进一步加快冰川融化。

喜马拉雅冰川消融加快 威胁亚洲20亿人淡水供应

发布/2026年3月21日 21:02

（加德满都法新电）最新报告显示，为约20亿人提供重要淡水来源的喜马拉雅冰川，融化速度是2000年的一倍以上。

横跨阿富汗至缅甸的喜马拉雅山脉拥有北极和南极以外最大的冰雪储量，孕育了亚洲至少10条主要河流，这些河流支撑整个大陆的水资源、粮食和能源安全。

根据尼泊尔国际山区综合发展中心星期六（3月21日）发布的两份报告，喜马拉雅冰川三分之一位于对快速变暖高度敏感的区域，这个区域冰层的平均消融速度已从2000年前每年约34厘米，增加到每年73厘米。

国际山区综合开发中心总干事佩玛·嘉措说：“这不是一个遥远的问题，这是个正在实时演进的危机。我们现在必须扩大监测，并投资应对措施。”

1975年以来，喜马拉雅冰川厚度已减少多达27米，1990年至2020年间有大约12%的冰川面积消失。

报告首席作者法鲁克指出，随着气候变暖，冰川消融后无法再恢复原有的质量。他呼吁减少排放黑碳。黑碳是一种由化石燃料和生物质燃料不完全燃烧所产生的细颗粒，黑碳吸附在冰川表面，会增加冰川对太阳辐射的吸收，进一步加快冰川融化。

消息：“和平委员会”已递交哈马斯解除武装提案

发布时间：2026-03-21T13:12:39.000Z | 来源：联合早报

消息：“和平委员会”已递交哈马斯解除武装提案 | 联合早报

发布/2026年3月21日 21:12 | 联合早报

“和平委员会”由美国总统特朗普担任主席。图为2月19日，特朗普在华盛顿主持召开和平委员会首次正式会议。 （路透社档案照片）

消息人士称，美国总统特朗普主导的“和平委员会”，已向哈马斯递交解除武装提案。

路透社星期六（3月21日）引述两名消息人士报道这一情况。其中一人说，这份提案是在本周开罗会议期间，提交给哈马斯的。

以色列和哈马斯去年10月基于特朗普加沙和平计划达成的停火协议规定，哈马斯须放下武器，以色列军队则将从加沙撤出，并启动加沙重建工作。

特朗普任命的和平委员会驻加沙特使姆拉德诺夫（Nickolay Mladenov）星期四（19日）说，目前正在为加沙提供援助而进行认真的努力，调解方已达成一项框架协议，有望推动加沙重建。

姆拉德诺夫在开斋节之际发文说，这项框架协议现已摆上谈判桌。“它要求做出一个明确的选择：哈马斯及所有武装团体必须全面解除武装，绝无例外，也不留任何漏洞。”

截至星期六，哈马斯代表未能立即对有关报道置评。

哈马斯一直拒绝缴械。2月28日美以针对伊朗的战争爆发后，关于哈马斯解除武装的谈判已搁置。

BTS kicks off global tour with South Korea concert after completing military service

March 21, 2026 / 11:20 AM EDT / CBS News

The K-pop sensation BTS reunited for their first concert in nearly four years after completing their mandatory military service. Their return to the stage was celebrated by huge crowds of cheering fans that shut down central Seoul on Saturday night.

Most South Korean men have to serve in the military for roughly two years because the Korean peninsula technically remains at war. In the past, years offstage have aged K-pop idols or ended groups. But BTS has defied that pattern, with their return drawing fans from around the world.

Sopia Kim, 71, told CBS News she traveled three hours to attend the celebrations dressed head-to-toe in BTS’s signature purple.

“With all the political situations around the world, this might be the last time humankind can enjoy a festival as grand as this,” she said, adding that she feels proud of how the band represents Korea on the world stage.

“You can’t help but acknowledge it when you see their songs and dance — they’re truly outstanding,” she said.

Fans of K-pop boy band BTS cheer during their comeback concert near Gwanghwamun Square on March 21, 2026 in Seoul, South Korea. Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images

An international comeback

The concert was live-streamed on Netflix, allowing viewers across multiple time zones to tune in simultaneously. The show opened near Gyeongbokgung Palace, blending a historic backdrop with a global broadcast.

The concert started with the ringing of a bell and drone video. After singing three songs from their album, BTS greeted their fans. Jin, who enlisted ahead of the other members, reflected on the group’s hiatus, saying he clearly remembers asking fans to wait during their final concert in Busan in October 2022.

“I had a lot of worries before standing here again, but I’m thankful and happy to be able to face you once more,” he said.

K-pop boy band BTS perform onstage during comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square on March 21, 2026 in Seoul, South Korea. Kim Hong-Ji – Pool / Getty Images

Around 22,000 ticket holders watched the free one-hour concert from designated viewing areas across central Seoul, where large outdoor screens were installed. Beyond the official zones, Gwanghwamun and the surrounding streets were packed with fans. Some sat along the roadside watching the concert on their phones via Netflix, while others gathered outside shops and cafés to watch it on television screens. Security was tight, with around 15,000 personnel deployed, including approximately 6,700 police officers.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government had initially anticipated crowds of up to 260,000 people, implementing traffic controls from the evening prior and rerouting buses across more than 60 stops. However, local reports estimate that roughly 40,000 people gathered in the area.

Jen Howes, a teacher from South Africa who lives in Korea, told CBS that she was eager to “see vibes and meet people” while cheering on the band. She said she always knew the group would reunite.

“They always seem to have a good bond and seem keen to perform again together,” Howes, 37, said.

Fans of K-pop boy band BTS cheer during the comeback concert on March 21, 2026 in Seoul, South Korea. Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images

Marco Supetran and two friends traveled from their home country of the Philippines to see the group. Supertran said she became a fan of the band in 2020, after her daughters introduced her to their music. The trio couldn’t get tickets, but they lined up outside Seoul’s City Hall Square starting at 11 a.m. to watch the performance on a screen. Her friends said BTS’ “wholesome” feeling is part of their cross-generational appeal.

The concert marks the start of their world tour after BTS released their latest album, Arirang, on March 20. Big Hit Music, the music label run by BTS’ management agency, said the new album sold 3.98 million copies on its first day of release. The music video for the title track “SWIM” has already surpassed 40 million views online.

The U.S. leg of the tour begins April 25 in Tampa, Florida. The group will then travel through South America, Europe, and Asia. The last performance is scheduled for March 14, 2027, in the Philippines.

Trump threatens to put ICE agents in airports over funding impasse

By Reuters
March 21, 2026 3:45 PM UTC Updated 2 mins ago

节点运行失败

Passengers wait in long TSA lines as a partial government shutdown continues, at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., March 20, 2026. REUTERS/Megan Varner [Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab]

WASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump ​on Saturday threatened to deploy ‌federal immigration agents to U.S. airports if congressional Democrats do not immediately ​agree to fund airport ​safety.

“I will move our brilliant and ⁠patriotic ICE Agents to ​the Airports where they will do ​Security like no one has ever seen before,” Trump wrote in a social ​media post.

The Reuters Iran Briefing newsletter keeps you informed with the latest developments and analysis of the Iran war. Sign up here.

Transportation Security Administration ​personnel are set to miss a second ‌full ⁠paycheck on March 27 amid a partial government shutdown now in its 36th day as lawmakers ​clash over ​spending ⁠for TSA’s parent agency, the Department of Homeland ​Security.

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TSA officers have called ​in ⁠sick in recent weeks as paychecks have dried up. The shortage ⁠of ​security agents has ​led to travel disruptions at major airports.

Reporting ​by Jason Lange Editing by Rod Nickel

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美局部放宽伊朗石油制裁30天 抑油价兼顾中期选举

2026年3月21日 21:36 / 联合早报

为了抑制油价节节攀升，特朗普政府过去16天里三度放宽能源相关制裁。图为旧金山一家加油站3月19日的油价。 （彭博社）

（华盛顿／迪拜综合电）美国宣布暂时放宽对伊朗石油的制裁，允许滞留海上的伊朗石油在30天内出售给多数国家。这是特朗普政府为缓解油价节节攀升而采取的最新干预手段。

美国财政部长贝森特星期五（3月20日）在社媒发文称，这项措施将释放约1亿4000万桶已在海上的石油供应，有助缓解因战事而出现的短期市场紧张局面。

他指出，美国继续推进针对伊朗的“史诗怒火”行动期间，将利用释出的伊朗石油抑制油价，但伊朗将难以从中获得实际收入，因为美国会继续向伊朗施加最大压力，阻止伊朗接入国际金融体系。

据美国政府公布的许可证，这项豁免适用于3月20日至4月19日间完成装船的伊朗原油与石油产品，但这些原油和产品不能运往古巴、朝鲜及克里米亚等地。

亚洲预计将成为这项豁免措施的最大受益者。美国能源部长怀特说，新增供应可在三四天内运抵亚洲，并在未来一个半月内完成提炼。

目前伊朗石油的主要买家仍是中国独立炼油商。虽然这项豁免扩大了潜在买家的范围，但由于伊朗仍受制裁，无法使用国际结算系统，新买家在交易结算方面仍面临挑战。

中期选举压力迫使白宫“放水”

全球油价基准星期五收于每桶逾112美元（约144新元），创下2022年中以来的最高水平。美国总统特朗普说考虑“逐步降级”对伊行动后，油价在结算后的交易中小幅回落至108美元。

这已是特朗普政府16天内第三次放宽石油相关制裁，第一次是针对俄罗斯原油，第二次是伊朗的石油。白宫此前也宣布释放逾4500万桶战略石油储备，以及暂时豁免已实施一世纪、美国港口间的船运限制，以期降低运输成本，稳定激烈波动的能源市场。

白宫密集干预能源市场，核心压力来自11月的美国中期选举。美伊战争已持续三周，能源价格飙升冲击面大，美国企业与消费者都受影响。如果无法控制生活费上涨，共和党将难以保住国会两院的控制权，进而削弱特朗普推动政策的能力。

风险咨询公司Obsidian Risk Advisors负责人埃里克森认为，除非霍尔木兹海峡重新开放，否则美国政府抑制油价的举措无济于事。

他也指出，放宽对伊石油制裁显示华盛顿要抑制油价的政策工具已迅速减少。“如果我们已经到了必须对交战对手放松制裁的地步，那我们真的是没有什么选择了。”

卡塔尔：已多次警惕美方勿袭伊能源设施

美伊战争殃及油轮和中东多个重要的能源基础设施，其中卡塔尔的拉斯拉凡（Ras Laffan）工业城受损最严重。这座全球最大的液化天然气生产基地星期三（18日）遭伊朗导弹袭击起火，约17%的产能受损，预计将影响欧洲和亚洲的天然气供应长达五年。

卡塔尔能源部长、卡塔尔能源公司首席执行官萨阿德·卡阿比告诉路透社，他几乎每天都在提醒美方，必须克制，避免打击伊朗能源设施，否则卡塔尔能源设施必受冲击。

白宫发言人受询时说，特朗普和团队并非不了解能源供应在短期内会受干扰的这一现实，并“已针对这些早就预见、暂时的中断制定应对方案”。

美局部放宽伊朗石油制裁30天 抑油价兼顾中期选举

2026年3月21日 21:36 / 联合早报

为了抑制油价节节攀升，特朗普政府过去16天里三度放宽能源相关制裁。图为旧金山一家加油站3月19日的油价。 （彭博社）

（华盛顿／迪拜综合电）美国宣布暂时放宽对伊朗石油的制裁，允许滞留海上的伊朗石油在30天内出售给多数国家。这是特朗普政府为缓解油价节节攀升而采取的最新干预手段。

美国财政部长贝森特星期五（3月20日）在社媒发文称，这项措施将释放约1亿4000万桶已在海上的石油供应，有助缓解因战事而出现的短期市场紧张局面。

他指出，美国继续推进针对伊朗的“史诗怒火”行动期间，将利用释出的伊朗石油抑制油价，但伊朗将难以从中获得实际收入，因为美国会继续向伊朗施加最大压力，阻止伊朗接入国际金融体系。

据美国政府公布的许可证，这项豁免适用于3月20日至4月19日间完成装船的伊朗原油与石油产品，但这些原油和产品不能运往古巴、朝鲜及克里米亚等地。

亚洲预计将成为这项豁免措施的最大受益者。美国能源部长怀特说，新增供应可在三四天内运抵亚洲，并在未来一个半月内完成提炼。

目前伊朗石油的主要买家仍是中国独立炼油商。虽然这项豁免扩大了潜在买家的范围，但由于伊朗仍受制裁，无法使用国际结算系统，新买家在交易结算方面仍面临挑战。

中期选举压力迫使白宫“放水”

全球油价基准星期五收于每桶逾112美元（约144新元），创下2022年中以来的最高水平。美国总统特朗普说考虑“逐步降级”对伊行动后，油价在结算后的交易中小幅回落至108美元。

这已是特朗普政府16天内第三次放宽石油相关制裁，第一次是针对俄罗斯原油，第二次是伊朗的石油。白宫此前也宣布释放逾4500万桶战略石油储备，以及暂时豁免已实施一世纪、美国港口间的船运限制，以期降低运输成本，稳定激烈波动的能源市场。

白宫密集干预能源市场，核心压力来自11月的美国中期选举。美伊战争已持续三周，能源价格飙升冲击面大，美国企业与消费者都受影响。如果无法控制生活费上涨，共和党将难以保住国会两院的控制权，进而削弱特朗普推动政策的能力。

风险咨询公司Obsidian Risk Advisors负责人埃里克森认为，除非霍尔木兹海峡重新开放，否则美国政府抑制油价的举措无济于事。

他也指出，放宽对伊石油制裁显示华盛顿要抑制油价的政策工具已迅速减少。“如果我们已经到了必须对交战对手放松制裁的地步，那我们真的是没有什么选择了。”

卡塔尔：已多次警惕美方勿袭伊能源设施

美伊战争殃及油轮和中东多个重要的能源基础设施，其中卡塔尔的拉斯拉凡（Ras Laffan）工业城受损最严重。这座全球最大的液化天然气生产基地星期三（18日）遭伊朗导弹袭击起火，约17%的产能受损，预计将影响欧洲和亚洲的天然气供应长达五年。

卡塔尔能源部长、卡塔尔能源公司首席执行官萨阿德·卡阿比告诉路透社，他几乎每天都在提醒美方，必须克制，避免打击伊朗能源设施，否则卡塔尔能源设施必受冲击。

白宫发言人受询时说，特朗普和团队并非不了解能源供应在短期内会受干扰的这一现实，并“已针对这些早就预见、暂时的中断制定应对方案”。