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美国考虑增兵 美伊冲突或将进入新阶段

2026年3月19日 10:32 / 联合早报

3月12日，在阿曼首都马斯喀特，由于中东战争导致霍尔木兹海峡交通中断，“卡利斯托号”油轮停泊在苏丹卡布斯港。 （路透社）

一名美国官员和三位知情人士透露，随着美军为应对中东战争可能采取的下一步行动做准备，美国总统特朗普的政府正在考虑部署数千名美军士兵，以加强美国在中东的军事行动。

美伊冲突已进入第三周，此次部署或可为特朗普提供更多选择，以权衡扩大美国军事行动的方案。

路透社引述消息人士称，这些方案包括确保油轮安全通过霍尔木兹海峡，这项任务将主要依靠空军和海军力量完成。但包括两名美国官员在内的四位消息人士指出，确保海峡安全也可能意味着向伊朗海岸线部署美军。

据三位知情人士和三位美国官员透露，特朗普政府也曾讨论过向伊朗哈尔克岛（Kharg Island）派遣地面部队的方案。哈尔克岛是伊朗90%石油出口的枢纽。其中一名官员说，这样的行动风险极大。伊朗导弹和无人机能及该岛。

3月13日，美国对岛上的军事目标进行了空袭，特朗普也曾威胁要打击关键的石油基础设施。军事专家则说，鉴于哈尔克岛在伊朗经济中的关键地位，控制该岛可能比摧毁它更为可取。

鉴于美国公众对伊朗行动的支持率低，以及特朗普竞选时承诺避免美国卷入新的中东冲突，任何动用美国地面部队的行动——即使是有限的任务——都可能给特朗普带来巨大的政治风险。

一名知情人士透露，特朗普政府官员也曾讨论过部署美军以确保伊朗高浓缩铀库存安全的可能性。

消息人士认为，目前在伊朗境内部署地面部队并非迫在眉睫，但拒绝透露美国行动计划的具体细节。专家指出，即使对美国特种部队而言，确保伊朗铀库存安全也是一项极其复杂且风险极高的任务。

It comes a day after the committee subpoenaed Attorney General Pam Bondi for a separate deposition

By Elizabeth Elkind, David Spunt, Alec Schemmel
Fox News

Published March 18, 2026 10:30am EDT | Updated March 18, 2026 10:06pm EDT

Top officials in President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) briefed the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday to aid Congress’ ongoing Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche were on Capitol Hill late Wednesday afternoon for a closed-door meeting with House lawmakers, who said they had questions regarding the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) handling of the Epstein case and the agency’s compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. It comes a day after committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., subpoenaed Bondi for a sworn deposition in connection with the probe, to take place April 14.

BILL CLINTON REVEALS TRUMP ‘NEVER SAID ANYTHING’ LINKING HIMSELF TO EPSTEIN’S CRIMES

Following the closed-door hearing, which some Democrats called “fake” and walked out of, Bondi said that she had made it “crystal clear” that she would follow the law and comply with the subpoena. Bondi also responded to questions about her handling of the Epstein case, telling reporters “we did our very best to comply with the law.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi conducts a news conference at the Department of Justice on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

“We had 30 days to redact and release under the law that was passed 3 million documents. If you stack those up, that’s the height of the Eiffel Tower,” Bondi said. “No other administration — under the Biden administration they released zero documents. So we did our very best to comply with the law. And of course, we don’t want any victim to be further victimized.”

“We said from the beginning that any mistakes that were made — and there should be no mistakes,” added Blanche after the hearing completed. “We took pains to protect victims. When someone identified that there was a victim, we immediately pulled that document down, fixed it and put it back up.”

Meanwhile, when asked if she regretted any steps taken throughout the process dealing with the Epstein case, Bondi returned to her earlier remarks about how the case languished under former administrations and reiterated how she and her colleagues at the DOJ “did our very, very best to protect” the identities of Epstein victims.

HOUSE OVERSIGHT SUBPOENAS AG BONDI IN PROBE OF EPSTEIN CASE ‘MISMANAGEMENT’

The Department of Justice released a trove of Epstein documents on Dec. 19 following Trump’s signature on the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November 2025.(Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Both the House and Senate voted in near-unanimous fashion late last year to compel the DOJ to make public all of its files related to Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.

On Jan. 30, the DOJ announced it had released all required documents, but some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle pushed back on that claim. A DOJ spokesperson also panned the subpoena in a statement to Fox News on Tuesday.

“This subpoena is completely unnecessary. Lawmakers have been invited to view the unredacted files for themselves at the Department of Justice, and the Attorney General has always made herself available to speak directly with members of Congress,” the spokesperson said. “She continues to have calls and meetings with members of Congress on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which is why the Department offered to brief the committee tomorrow.”

Comer’s subpoena came after a vote by five Republicans and all Democrats on the committee earlier this month, initiated by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., speaks to reporters after a closed-door deposition with Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend and confidante of sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 9, 2026.(J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

Mace said in a statement after Comer followed through on the subpoena, “We moved to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi because the Department of Justice has not complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. They claim all files have been released. The facts say otherwise. Key evidence remains hidden from the public and from victims seeking justice.”

The committee’s months-long probe has seen lawmakers hear from figures on both sides of the aisle and non-political players within Epstein’s inner circle.

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Last month, the panel deposed former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in their hometown of Chappaqua, New York. Lawmakers also recently heard from Richard Kahn, Epstein’s former longtime accountant. Ex-Trump Attorney General Bill Barr and former Trump Labor Secretary Alex Acosta also appeared before the panel.

Following the closed-door hearing Wednesday evening, Bondi also slammed Democrat complaints about the hearing, telling reporters that Democrats were given “as much time as they wanted” to ask her questions after pleading for answers from her on social media all day prior.

“We were there to answer questions. It’s the evening – we came at their convenience. We gave them really as much time as they wanted. And one congresswoman screamed – C-SPAN wasn’t in there, so she didn’t want to ask questions, yet all day long they’ve been on social media saying they had all these questions,” Bondi told reporters. “We sat there saying, anything you want to ask us, ask us anything you want to ask us, and they screamed C-SPAN wasn’t there one of them, and then they stormed out of the meeting.”

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

专家：美国对伊朗的空袭可能只持续数日或数周 | 联合早报

发布/2026年3月19日 10:58

3月11日，从阿拉伯联合酋长国拉斯海马赫北部靠近阿曼的穆桑达姆地区边界处远眺，油轮在霍尔木兹海峡附近的波斯湾航行。 （路透社）

战略与国际研究中心（CSIS）高级副总裁及国际安全项目主任琼斯指出，在最近对伊朗发动空袭之前，美国关键的远程和防御性弹药储备就已经告急，这一限制可能迫使美国缩减冲突中的角色。

琼斯（Seth G. Jones）说，这些限制可能有助于缩短目前美国直接军事行动的期限，但他预计以色列将继续对伊朗进行周期性空袭，直至它认为能停止为止。

琼斯在接受彭博社采访时说：“我们说的是数日或数周。我认为这一阶段不太可能持续太久，因为从军事角度来看，我们根本无法继续下去。我们没有足够的库存。”

琼斯认为，美国和伊朗都有理由缓和局势。战争持续的时间越长，伊朗领导层就越会成为攻击目标，军事能力也会越发削弱。与此同时，美国军火库的枯竭很可能促使特朗普大幅减少美国对伊朗的军事行动。

琼斯是战略与国际研究中心国防与安全部门的负责人，他专注于包括伊朗和更广泛的中东地区在内的国家安全问题。他还在美国海军研究生院任教。

即便美国减少军事行动，这场战争也可能不会很快结束。琼斯说，他预计以色列会像对待黎巴嫩真主党那样，在认为合适的时候对伊朗进行周期性打击。

他还指出，“也许美国会让以色列人在伊朗做大部分的‘割草’工作。”

结束当前阶段的战争可能是重新开放霍尔木兹海峡和降低油价的第一步，但油轮的安全通行可能取决于与伊朗的谈判。

琼斯说：“我不知道伊朗会要求什么条件来回应允许船只通过。”他还补充说，在寻求结束美国和以色列对伊朗的空袭行动之外，伊朗可能会提出其他条件。

Trump administration to display statue of founding father who enslaved dozens

March 19, 2026 12:53 AM UTC / Reuters

WASHINGTON, March 18 (Reuters) – A statue of Caesar Rodney, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and an enslaver, that was taken down in Delaware in 2020 amid racial justice protests will be displayed by President Donald Trump’s administration this year in Washington.

The National Park Service plans to install the bronze statue of the Delaware plantation owner on horseback in Washington, D.C., temporarily, the Interior Department said.

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The statue recalls Rodney’s famous ride in 1776 to Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence.

It will remain in place for up to six months in Freedom Plaza, a federal park in downtown Washington, as part of the Trump administration’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, the Washington Post reported.

Rodney enslaved 200 people and his statue was taken down after 97 years from its location in Wilmington, Delaware, in 2020 when racial justice protests spread following the killing of George Floyd. It has been stored in a warehouse since then.

In a campaign against what Trump calls “anti-American” ideology, he has ordered the dismantling of slavery exhibits, restoration of Confederate statues and other moves that civil rights advocates say could reverse decades of social progress.

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The Interior Department statement did not note that Rodney was an enslaver nor that his statue was taken down in Wilmington. The department’s spokesperson said displaying it was part of the administration’s commitment to “acknowledging the full breadth of our nation’s history, including the story of Caesar Rodney.”

Rodney suffered from a disfiguring facial cancer and died in 1784. A statue of Confederate General Albert Pike, which was overturned during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, was reinstalled in Washington last year.

Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Donna Bryson and Cynthia Osterman

Joe Kent, ex-Trump counterterrorism chief who resigned over Iran war, under FBI investigation for alleged leaks

2026-03-18 / CBS News

The FBI is investigating former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent in connection with alleged leaks of classified information, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the matter tell CBS News.

The probe began before Kent resigned this week over the Trump administration’s handling of the war with Iran, the sources said. The FBI’s Criminal Division is handling the probe, which has been underway for some time, one source said.

The FBI declined to comment. Kent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The news was first reported by Semafor.

Former deputy White House chief of staff Taylor Budowich alluded to the issue shortly after Kent resigned, writing on X that Kent was “often at the center of national security leaks” and “spent all of his time working to subvert the chain of command and undermine the President.” He didn’t specify what information Kent was accused of leaking.

Kent announced he was stepping down in an open letter Tuesday that criticized the decision to launch a war against Iran when the country “posed no imminent threat to our nation.” He also asserted that “it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”

“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent wrote.

He expanded on his reasoning in an interview Wednesday with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Kent insisted to Carlson that there was no intelligence that Iran was going to preemptively attack the U.S. or was on the cusp of building a nuclear weapon, and said there wasn’t a “robust debate” ahead of the war, instead claiming “the Israelis drove the decision.”

The Trump administration has vehemently pushed back. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that Kent’s resignation letter was filled with “false claims,” asserting that Iran did pose an imminent threat to the U.S. and calling suggestions that President Trump was driven to war by another country “insulting and laughable.”

Leavitt has also downplayed Kent’s importance, saying in a Fox News interview Wednesday that Kent “was not involved in any of the discussions” before or during the Iran war, and had not played a part in assembling the president’s intelligence brief in “a while.”

Kent appeared to respond to the suggestion that he was out of the loop in his interview with Carlson. He said at one point, after claiming the administration never put out a call for intelligence agencies to share all available information on Iran: “I’m sure the administration will come out and say, ‘No, you just weren’t invited,’ but I’ve got a pretty good idea of how those meetings look, and even if I wasn’t invited, I at least would’ve known that they took place.”

A Trump nominee, Kent was confirmed by the Senate to run the National Counterterrorism Center last summer, after serving as chief of staff to his close ally, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

A former Green Beret and congressional candidate, Kent has drawn controversy in the past. He paid a member of the far-right Proud Boys for consulting work during one of his House campaigns, called the 2020 election stolen and said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, should be charged with murder for the “scam that is Covid.”

Asked about Kent on Tuesday, Mr. Trump said: “I always thought he was weak on security.”

“I didn’t know him well, but I thought he seemed like a pretty nice guy,” he told reporters. “But when I read his statement, I realized that it’s a good thing that he’s out, because he said that Iran was not a threat. Iran was a threat. Every country realized what a threat Iran was.”

专家：美国对伊朗的空袭可能只持续数日或数周

发布/2026年3月19日 10:58

3月11日，从阿拉伯联合酋长国拉斯海马赫北部靠近阿曼的穆桑达姆地区边界处远眺，油轮在霍尔木兹海峡附近的波斯湾航行。 （路透社）

战略与国际研究中心（CSIS）高级副总裁及国际安全项目主任琼斯指出，在最近对伊朗发动空袭之前，美国关键的远程和防御性弹药储备就已经告急，这一限制可能迫使美国缩减冲突中的角色。

琼斯（Seth G. Jones）说，这些限制可能有助于缩短目前美国直接军事行动的期限，但他预计以色列将继续对伊朗进行周期性空袭，直至它认为能停止为止。

琼斯在接受彭博社采访时说：“我们说的是数日或数周。我认为这一阶段不太可能持续太久，因为从军事角度来看，我们根本无法继续下去。我们没有足够的库存。”

琼斯认为，美国和伊朗都有理由缓和局势。战争持续的时间越长，伊朗领导层就越会成为攻击目标，军事能力也会越发削弱。与此同时，美国军火库的枯竭很可能促使特朗普大幅减少美国对伊朗的军事行动。

琼斯是战略与国际研究中心国防与安全部门的负责人，他专注于包括伊朗和更广泛的中东地区在内的国家安全问题。他还在美国海军研究生院任教。

即便美国减少军事行动，这场战争也可能不会很快结束。琼斯说，他预计以色列会像对待黎巴嫩真主党那样，在认为合适的时候对伊朗进行周期性打击。

他还指出，“也许美国会让以色列人在伊朗做大部分的‘割草’工作。”

结束当前阶段的战争可能是重新开放霍尔木兹海峡和降低油价的第一步，但油轮的安全通行可能取决于与伊朗的谈判。

琼斯说：“我不知道伊朗会要求什么条件来回应允许船只通过。”他还补充说，在寻求结束美国和以色列对伊朗的空袭行动之外，伊朗可能会提出其他条件。

美中巴黎会谈涉霍尔木兹 美称海峡复航符合中国切身利益

2026年3月19日 10:48 / 联合早报

美国贸易代表格里尔星期一（3月16日）在中美双方于巴黎结束第六轮贸易谈判后，向媒体发表讲话。 （法新社）

美国贸易代表格里尔称，他在与中国官员的经贸会谈中，强调了霍尔木兹海峡继续被实质封锁将对北京带来的后果，并表示航道恢复畅通符合中方的切身利益（best interest）。

在伊朗战事阴影的笼罩下，中美第六轮贸易谈判星期天（3月15日）至星期一（16日）在法国巴黎举行。彭博社报道，格里尔星期三（18日）在一期采访中透露，他在会谈中特别强调，若狭窄的霍尔木兹海峡持续实质上停摆，会给北京带来何等后果。

中国约三分之一的原油供应来自经由霍尔木兹海峡运输的油轮。

格里尔说，霍尔木兹海峡无法复航，将带来下游的经济影响。“当然我们有短暂提到，让海峡畅通符合你们（中国）的利益，但我们没有讨论中国实际参与（护航）的事宜。”

报道指出，这显示美国总统特朗普对伊朗发动战争的决定，使他试图稳定美中关系的努力变得更加复杂。北京一直反对这场战争，美中之间的分歧清单也在贸易和台湾等问题的基础上，进一步扩大。

格里尔称，霍尔木兹海峡停摆对中国的负面影响可能比美国更大，因为对进口的许多原料、化工产品和燃料都来自波斯湾，尽快结束现金局面“符合各方利益”。

即便如此，特朗普依旧难以说服包括中国在内的其他国家，协助维护霍尔木兹海峡的安全。

US detects drones over base where Rubio, Hegseth live, Washington Post reports

March 19, 2026 / Reuters

March 18 (Reuters) – U.S. officials detected unidentified drones above an army base in ​Washington where Secretary of State Marco ‌Rubio and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth live, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing three people ​briefed on the situation.

The officials have ​not determined where the drones came ⁠from, the report said, citing two of ​the people.

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The drones over Fort McNair prompted ​officials to weigh relocating Rubio and Hegseth, the report said.

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However, the secretaries have not moved, the report ​added, citing a senior administration official.

The ​newspaper said the U.S. military was monitoring potential threats ‌more ⁠closely because of the heightened alert level over the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran.

Reuters could not independently verify the report ​immediately.

The Pentagon ​and the ⁠U.S. State Department did not respond to requests for comment.

Chief Pentagon ​spokesperson Sean Parnell declined to ​discuss ⁠the drones with the Washington Post.

“The department cannot comment on the secretary’s (Hegseth’s) movements for security ⁠reasons, ​and reporting on such ​movements is grossly irresponsible,” he told the Post.

Reporting by ​Angela Christy in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

House Democrats walk out of tense briefing with Bondi over Epstein files, calling it a “fake hearing”

March 18, 2026 / 11:56 PM EDT / CBS News

A group of House Democrats walked out of a closed-door briefing with Attorney General Pam Bondi on the Jeffrey Epstein probe late Wednesday, as tensions over the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein case continue to simmer.

The faceoff took place one day after the chair of the House Oversight Committee, Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, subpoenaed Bondi to testify about Epstein next month.

Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche went to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to meet with members of the panel. Less than an hour later, Democrats left the room.

The committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, told reporters that Bondi did not commit to honoring the panel’s subpoena. He called Wednesday’s session a “fake hearing,” adding that Bondi wasn’t under oath and did not give an opening statement.

“It’s outrageous, it’s infuriating and it continues this White House coverup of the Epstein files,” Garcia said. “We’re not going to take that anymore.”

Another Democrat, Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida, called it a “fake deposition where no one can see what’s going on,” noting the lack of C-SPAN cameras for the closed-door meeting.

Comer, meanwhile, suggested the walkout was “premeditated” and part of a “political game.”

“They came out, clutching their pearls, complaining that she wasn’t answering questions,” he said. “The first three people to ask questions, all they did was complain.”

At one point during the hearing, there was a verbal argument between Comer and Democratic Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, both lawmakers acknowledged.

Lee told reporters she asked Comer if he will compel Bondi to comply with the subpoena and initiate proceedings to hold her in contempt of Congress if she doesn’t show up, and, “instead of answering as an adult, he said that I was ‘bitching.’”

Comer confirmed that interaction, saying Lee “was just complaining about the format.”

He later wrote on X: “I said Democrats were bitching and wasting everyone’s time because Democrats were bitching and wasting everyone’s time.”

Asked whether she will comply with the subpoena, Bondi said after the briefing that she “made it crystal clear, I will follow the law” — a response that Garcia called inadequate. Bondi also criticized Democrats’ walkout.

“One congresswoman screamed: ‘C-SPAN wasn’t in there, so she didn’t want to ask questions.’ Yet all day long, they’ve been on social media saying they had all these questions,” Bondi said.

CBS News has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.

The incident underscored how caustic the Epstein issue has become. The Justice Department has faced years of intense questions over its handling of the disgraced financier, who avoided federal charges for child sex crimes until 2019, when he was indicted for sex trafficking but died by suicide in jail — drawing public fascination and conspiracy theories.

The department has released millions of government files on Epstein in recent months — spanning multiple federal investigations into him and his convicted associate Ghislaine Maxwell — after Congress passed a law late last year requiring it to publish its files on Epstein.

Members of both parties have criticized the Justice Department’s handling of the files’ release, arguing that some files were inappropriately withheld or excessively redacted. Some sexual abuse survivors also say their personal information was exposed. The department has defended its release process, saying that hundreds of lawyers pored through the files to check for survivors’ names and have taken documents down when there are redaction mistakes.

Democrats have accused Bondi of engaging in a “cover up.”

“We want her under oath because we don’t trust her,” Frost said Wednesday evening.

Comer said that Republicans are committed to carrying out a serious investigation and want to work with the Justice Department to get answers.

“Does it look like a cover up?” he said. “The attorney general, Blanche and all the top brass at the DOJ [were] in here to answer questions, and yet, they don’t ask a single question.”

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/bondi-subpoenaed-to-testify-before-house-committee-over-epstein-files/

西方官员：解放军密切审视美对伊作战能力 吸取实战教训

2026年3月19日 09:49 / 联合早报

中东战事进入第三周，图为3月14日，海湾酋长国富查伊拉一处能源设施处升起浓烟，似乎是针对海湾石油设施的最新一次袭击。就在数小时前，美国刚对伊朗哈尔格岛实施打击。 （法新社）

据知情的西方官员透露，中国评估美伊冲突正让印太地区的战略平衡向中方倾斜，解放军也密切审视美国对伊朗的作战能力，以从中吸取实战教训。

彭博社星期四（3月19日）引述上述官员报道，北京很可能正密切关注美军在伊朗冲突中的表现，从中获取的“极有价值”的信息，几乎肯定会被纳入针对台海潜在冲突的战术预案。

因话题敏感，这些官员要求匿名。中国国防部未回应彭博社的置评请求。

这些官员指出，虽然中国仍在推演中东局势造成的经济和外交后果，但中国很可能乐见美国将注意力和资源从印太地区调往中东。

据悉，美国五角大楼将部分军事力量从亚洲调往伊朗这一举动，是解放军能从美伊冲突中获益的实质性原因。

此外，美国近日从日韩等亚洲盟友处调兵支援中东，美国在印太地区的防线拉响“真空”警报。上述官员透露，中国也乐见美国弹药库在与伊朗冲突的头三周内被迅速消耗。