The Wire - March 9, 2026

//The Wire//2300Z March 9, 2026//
 //ROUTINE//
 //BLUF: TERROR ATTACK STRIKES NEW YORK AS PROTESTERS TARGETED WITH IEDS. AMERICAN BOMBING OF IRAN CONTINUES AS IRANIAN DRONE STRIKES REGULARLY TARGET OIL INFRASTRUCTURE IN MIDDLE EAST.//

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 -International Events-

Middle East: The war continues, with both American strikes on Tehran, and Iranian strikes on Tel Aviv continuing over the weekend. The American 'Shock and Awe' campaign continues day and night, with increasingly more substantial bombings taking place over the weekend. Iranian drone attacks continue as before, with several strikes of note being carried out over the weekend. As of this morning, the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone in the UAE is still on fire from last night's attacks. The BAPCO refinery in Bahrain was also struck again several times over the past few days, along with the desalination plant in Ma'ameer. The fuel point at Kuwait International Airport was also struck over the weekend, as civilian flights throughout Kuwait remain grounded until further notice due to Iranian targeting efforts.

Strait of Hormuz: The impacts to shipping remain constant, with one commercial vessel reporting being struck by a drone in the Saudi port of Jubail on Saturday. This morning BAPCO declared a force majeure for their contracts, indicating that they are unable to meet the obligations of their contracts, due to the war impacting operations.

Turkey: This morning Turkish authorities stated that another Iranian ballistic missile had been intercepted in their airspace. The missile was reportedly shot down by a US Navy vessel stationed in the eastern Med.

Norway: An explosion was reported at the US Embassy in Oslo, as an unidentified assailant placed an IED at the entrance to the facility Saturday night. Norwegian officials have stated that the incident is being investigated as a possible terror attack, and photos of the suspect have been released, as the suspect remains at large. No further details have been provided on the composition of the suspected explosive device, however the investigation is ongoing.

-HomeFront-

New York: On Saturday, an anti-Islam protest outside of Mayor Mamdani's residence was attacked by counter protesters, which involved terrorists attacking demonstrators with IEDs. Initially, groups of protesters were separated by the NYPD: The group protesting against Mamdani (and against Islam in general) was separated from a group of counterprotesters by pedestrian barriers as is customary for events where protesters have a high likelihood of attacking each other. In this case, two of the counterprotesters arrived with IEDs, lit their fuses, and threw them over to the main protest group, targeting the small group of about a dozen anti-Islam protesters. Both of the IEDs that were thrown failed to detonate, as the impact with the ground extinguished the lit fuses. The suspects were immediately detained at the scene, and a search of the area revealed additional IEDs located in a parked vehicle adjacent to the event. The two suspects have been identified as Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, both residents of Pennsylvania. More details are expected as the investigation continues.

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Analyst Comments: A bit of back story is needed to explain the context for how important the attack in New York City actually was. The protest that started everything was an "Americans Against Islamification" protest organized by Jake Lang, who has become infamous for going into Islamic strongholds, and holding protests that are intended to inflame tensions. This context may result in many people being tempted to roll their eyes and dismiss this attack due to the history of Lang's protests usually being rather theatrical. For instance, the day before the IED attack on his group he crashed a vigil to the Ayatollah, driving by the event in a Uhaul van with a go