Neural Newscast

[00:00] Announcer: This is Neural Newscast for Thursday, March 12th, 2026.
[00:06] Announcer: Here is what matters this morning.
[00:08] Announcer: The UN Security Council adopted a historic resolution on Wednesday,
[00:13] Announcer: condemning Iran's attacks on Gulf nations and Jordan.
[00:17] Noah Feldman: Resolution 2817 passed with 13 votes in favor.
[00:22] Noah Feldman: Russia and China notably abstained instead of using their veto power.
[00:27] Announcer: It is believed to be the largest co-sponsored resolution in council history.
[00:34] Announcer: 135 member states joined the Gulf Cooperation Council in support.
[00:39] Noah Feldman: The text demands an immediate halt to hostilities and deplores the targeting of energy infrastructure and ports across the region.
[00:49] Announcer: Iran's ambassador, Amir Sayad Irivani, expressed profound regret.
[00:55] Announcer: he called the resolution a misuse of the Council's mandate and a stain on its record.
[01:01] Noah Feldman: Aravani cited over 1,300 civilian deaths since the conflict began on February 28th.
[01:09] Noah Feldman: He specifically mentioned a massacre in Manab.
[01:13] Announcer: Russia's ambassador, Vasily Nibenzia, explained their abstention by calling the resolution unbalanced.
[01:20] Announcer: though he agreed that strikes on civilian infrastructure are unacceptable.
[01:25] Noah Feldman: Turning now to the economic fallout,
[01:28] Noah Feldman: the Islamic Revolutionary Guard continues to maintain a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
[01:36] Announcer: This disclosure affects one-fifth of the global oil trade
[01:41] Announcer: and has already caused a steep increase in gas prices for consumers worldwide.
[01:47] Noah Feldman: On Wednesday, three more ships were hit in the region, including a Japanese container vessel and the Thai bulk carrier Myri Mari.
[01:57] Announcer: U.S. intelligence now identifies direct drone and missile strikes as a greater threat to tankers than the traditional risk of sea mines.
[02:09] Noah Feldman: United States Central Command recently carried out strikes against 16 mine-laying vessels to mitigate some of these maritime hazards.
[02:18] Announcer: Despite these military actions, most ship operators are keeping their fleets away from the strait until safe passage can be guaranteed.
[02:28] Noah Feldman: Energy Secretary Chris Wright indicated that while many Iranian weapons have been destroyed, it may still take weeks for regular traffic to resume.
[02:37] Announcer: Here is what else we are watching today.
[02:41] Noah Feldman: First, oil markets are bracing for continued volatility as the impact of the streets closure reaches a critical point for global reserves.
[02:50] Announcer: Next, we are tracking a possible secondary UN vote on a Russian proposal that calls for a general ceasefire by all parties involved.
[03:00] Noah Feldman: Finally, the Pentagon is expected to release further video evidence of Tuesday's strikes
[03:07] Noah Feldman: against Iranian naval assets near the strait.
[03:10] Announcer: I am Noah Feldman.
[03:12] Evelyn Hartwell: And I am Evelyn Hartwell.
[03:15] Announcer: This has been Neural Newscast.
[03:18] Announcer: Thank you for listening.
[03:20] Announcer: Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed.
[03:24] Announcer: View our AI transparency policy at neuralnewscast.com.