March 7, 2025

Welcome to FDD Action's Weekly NatSec Roundup.

👀 Another big, beautiful letter. President Trump apparently sent a letter to Iran Thursday, indicating to the regime that it can 'make a deal' or face the U.S. 'militarily.' It's important that any deal be one that leads to a denuclearized Iran. The credible threat of military action strengthens America's negotiating position.

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🚨 NEED-TO-KNOW THIS WEEK

Secretary Marco Rubio meets with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., Feb. 10, 2025. (Official State Department photo by Freddie Everett)

1. Arab leaders in Cairo endorsed Egypt’s five-year reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. It comes in response to President Trump’s February 4 plan that proposed putting the U.S. in control of the coastal strip.

Digging into the details: The plan would cost $53 billion and install a six-month transitional government with the goal of paving the way to a Palestinian State controlled by the Palestinian Authority (PA). Unlike Trump’s proposal, this plan would not resettle Gazan residents.
What it doesn't include: Any plan for disarming Hamas.
The end goal: There “will be no true peace without the establishment of the Palestinian state,” announced Egypt's president, Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. The plan is an effort by Egypt to change the discussion from Trump's pitch that Egypt accept Gazans during the rebuild – a move Cairo rejected.
The U.S. and Israel agree this plan fails to address the realities of a post-10/7world. NSC spokesperson Brian Hughes said the plan “does not address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable.” For Israeli PM Bibi Netanyahu’s part, he has said that he’s ‘committed’ to Trump’s plan.
Disconnected from Reality: The Arab proposal to create a Palestinian state before disarming Hamas and other terror groups “is contrary to how the two-state solution was conceived decades ago,” explains FDD’s Hussain Abdul-Hussain. It also “does not address any of the past hurdles to peace,” such as the PLO and PA’s failures to rein in Hamas and deliver on security promises to Israel, Hussain wrote in the Asia Times.

President Donald Trump hosts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Friday, February 28, 2025, at the White House (Official White House Photo)

2. While the Trump administration announced a “pause and review” of all U.S. military aid to Ukraine and reportedly halted intelligence sharing with Kyiv after last week’s confrontational Oval Office meeting, America and Ukraine's Presidents may already be letting bygones be bygones.

Circling back on Friday’s meeting… Zelensky took to X Tuesday, saying it was “regrettable” how the Oval Office meeting went. “It is time to make things right,” Zelensky said, and Kyiv is “ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.”
Deal or no deal? Zelensky also said that Ukraine is ready to sign the minerals and security agreement “in any time and in any convenient format.” The post matched a personal letter to Trump.
Mending fences: Addressing a joint session of Congress Tuesday, Trump said he appreciated Zelensky’s letter. The two presidents are again displaying their ability to quickly bury the hatchet after public spats that leave the rest of the world and Washington in sweats. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff explained, “[Zelensky’s] apologized. He’s said that he’s grateful. He said that he wants to work towards peace.”
Back to Riyadh: Top U.S. officials are heading to Riyadh next week to continue talks on the conflict, this time with the Ukrainians. They are set to discuss a framework agreement and initial ceasefire plan.
In the meantime, more than $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine is on pause, including arms and ammo in the delivery pipeline, The New York Times reported. U.S. and Ukraine interests overlap. Continued military aid to Ukraine is crucial leverage for securing a durable peace. As FDD’s John Hardie and RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery write, “While a U.S. aid cutoff might not force Ukrainian capitulation, it would certainly make Putin even less willing to compromise and would diminish Trump’s ability to broker a deal.” The U.S. should give Ukraine what it needs to defend itself.
Meanwhile, across the pond, the EU proposed its largest defense spending package since the end of the Cold War, totaling $158 billion. “We are living in an era of rearmament, and Europe is ready to massively boost its defense spending,” confirmed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Europe is even considering nuclear deterrence, with France's Emmanuel Macron deciding “to open the strategic debate on the protection, through our deterrent, of our allies on the European continent.”
Read more: What does an aid pause mean for Ukraine? FDD's John Hardie explains that while a cutoff does not mean Ukraine collapses, challenges would build over time, and it would mean, “more Ukrainian lives are lost and more infrastructure destroyed.”

🏛️ AT THE WHITE HOUSE

The State Department re-designated Ansar Allah (a.k.a., the Houthis) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on Tuesday, in line with President Trump’s January 22 executive order directing Secretary Rubio to do so.

The Next Step: On Wednesday, Treasury levied sanctions on seven high-ranking Houthi leaders, saying they had, “smuggled military-grade items and weapon systems into Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.” An additional individual, along with his company, was sanctioned for recruiting Yemenis to fight for Russia in Ukraine.
Getting Déjà vu? The Biden administration removed the Houthis’ Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) and FTO designations upon entering office in 2021. The admin then re-designated the Houthis as an SDGT in January 2024 for the group’s attacks on international shipping and military forces in the Red Sea but stopped short of an FTO designation.
Why an FTO? As recently as last month, the Houthis launched missiles at a U.S. fighter jet and drone. This is just the latest in the Houthis’ year-plus campaign of attacks on U.S. and international shipping in the Red Sea. As FDD Action’s Matt Zweig breaks down, the combined FTO-SDGT designation offers policymakers and law enforcement greater authorities to protect U.S. military and commercial interests in the Red Sea.
Wrong on one count. In his joint address to Congress Tuesday, Trump said, “I look at the Democrats in front of me, and I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy or to make them stand or smile or applaud.” But a number of Senate Democrats have said they support designating the Houthis as an FTO.

At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly paused DoD’s offensive cyberoperations against Russia, in an alleged bid to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.

An uncomfortable truth: The move “fundamentally misunderstands the global strategic landscape” by attempting to distance Moscow from its authoritarian partners in North Korea, Iran, and China, warned FDD Cyber Center head RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery and co-author Colin Ahern.
Premature concessions: Montgomery and Ahern go on to explain that the move cedes territory in a domain critical to national power without any reciprocal guarantees or concessions. History suggests Putin respects strength and exploits perceived weakness. That means that “now is the time to double down on using all elements of American power." As the authors note, in cyberspace, as in all domains, peace comes through strength, not surrender.
Russia’s cyber threat: FDD’s Annie Fixler and co-author Ania Uzieblo noted in February that Russia is “increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence to refine its cyber espionage and enhance attack precision.” The pair highlighted that Russia’s sophisticated, AI-driven cyber campaigns “likely indicate what the United States and its partners will face in the coming years.”
And on cyber defense: Fixler and Montgomery, along with FDD’s Johanna Yang, recently provided comment on CISA’s National Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan (NCIRP), calling the proposed framework “critical for ensuring a well-coordinated response to cyber incidents threatening the security of U.S. critical infrastructure.”

📆 COMING DOWN THE PIKE

Today, March 7 –
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will conclude its conference in Vienna, a week after the UN’s nuclear watchdog reported that Iran had increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium by 50% since November. The U.S. did not pursue a resolution calling out Iran, as FDD Action's Nick Stewart recommended earlier this week. However, the U.S. did issue a joint statement indicating that Iran could face a Security Council referral if it is not in compliance with the IAEA before the next meeting in June.

Cryptocurrency industry leaders will convene at the White House for a “crypto summit” led by AI Czar David Sacks and Crypto Council Executive Director Bo Hines. This follows President Trump’s formal announcement on Sunday of the creation of a U.S. strategic cryptocurrency reserve with five major cryptocurrencies.

Monday, March 10 –
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky travels to Saudi Arabia where he will meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ahead of high-level talks between American and Ukrainian officials over the following days.

Tuesday, March 11 –
Top U.S. and Ukrainian officials will meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with the aim of agreeing on a framework for a “peace agreement and an initial ceasefire.” The U.S. delegation will include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. The Ukrainian delegation will be led by Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

The SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE convenes a business meeting to consider pending legislation. Among the legislation on the docket: S. ___, the Break Up Suspicious Transactions of Fentanyl Act, S. 777, the United States Gold and Mining Partnership Act, and S. 842, the (FDD Action endorsed) No Hezbollah in Our Hemisphere Act.

Not So Golden: Back in 2019, then FDD Senior Fellow Aykan Erdemir provided insight into the Trump administration’s sanctioning of a Turkish firm helping launder money for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro through illicit gold mining operations.

The HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE holds a subcommittee hearing, Arms Control, International Security, and U.S. Assistance to Europe: Review and Reforms for the State Department. The committee will hear from former U.S. Department of State officials on recommendations for reform.

The HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE holds a subcommittee hearing, Reauthorizing the U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC). The DFC, launched under Trump’s first term, is set to expire on October 6, 2025, if not reauthorized.

The HOUSE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE holds a subcommittee legislative hearing to consider legislation regarding quality-of-life improvements for America’s veterans.

Listen In: How does taking care of our veterans support U.S. national security? FDD’s Bradley Bowman, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, discusses that question on Foreign Podicy.

Wednesday, March 12 –
The SENATE NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE holds a business meeting to receive testimony on pending legislation related to mining. The committee will consider S.789, which would require the Department of Interior to report on critical mineral and rare earth mineral resources around the globe and develop a strategy to advance mining and refining capabilities of foreign partners.

The SENATE COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE convenes an executive session to consider pending legislation. Among other legislation, the committee will consider S.244, the ROUTERS Act, which directs the Department of Commerce to study the national security risks of consumer routers and modems manufactured in China.

Go Deeper: FDD’s Johanna Yang and Thomas Carroll applauded a House version of the ROUTERS Act passed last Congress and broke down the threat Chinese-made routers and modems pose to U.S. critical infrastructure.

Thursday, March 13 –

The SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE holds a nomination hearing to consider Peter Hoekstra to be U.S. Ambassador to Canada and George Glass to be U.S. Ambassador to Japan.

By way of background, Hoekstra served as U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump’s first term and spent nearly 20 years representing Michigan’s 2nd district in Congress, during which he chaired the House Intel Committee. Glass, a former investment banker, also served during Trump’s first term as U.S. ambassador to Portugal, during which he was critical of China’s involvement in Portugal's strategic infrastructure.

🔍 WHAT'S MOVING ON THE HILL

✔ Endorsed: Solidify Iran Sanctions Act (H.R. 1800) – Led by Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA), this bill permanently requires the President to impose sanctions on individuals supporting Iran’s energy sector and illicit ballistic missile, nuclear, or chemical weapon development programs. To do this, the legislation eliminates a sunset provision in the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996. An identical version of this bill passed the House of Representatives 407-16 last Congress.

✔ Endorsed: Moving Turkey to the State Department’s MidEast Region (H.R.1890) – Led by Reps. Brad Schneider (D-IL) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), this bipartisan bill redesignates Turkey as a Middle Eastern nation within the Department of State. The push reflects Ankara’s shift away from Europe, its hostile military actions toward Greece and Cyprus, and increasing support for terror groups from Hamas to ISIS.

FDD on the Record: The bill’s introduction came as FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Turkey’s anti-American policies, telling Members of Congress that “Turkey is, to the letter of the law, a state sponsor of terrorism.”

✔ Endorsed: Strategic Ports Reporting Act (H.R.1701/S.799) – Led by Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) in the House of Representatives and Sens. Ted Budd (R-NC), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Rick Scott (R-FL) in the Senate. This bill requires the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense to monitor PRC efforts to buy, build, or control strategic ports around the globe. (Press Release)

✔ Advanced in Committee: House Financial Services Committee Markup (March 5) – The committee advanced five bills protecting U.S. national security and supporting American foreign policy priorities. These bills impose sanctions on Chinese producers of fentanyl precursors, expose financial institutions linked with senior CCP officials, support nuclear energy development at international financial institutions, and more. FDD Action was pleased to endorse these bills.

💡 HERE'S AN IDEA

Combat the rise of Composite Violent Extremism (CoVE), a trend that bucks conventional understandings of violent extremism and requires a new approach by law enforcement and policymakers. Testifying before the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday, FDD Senior Advisor Daveed Gartenstein-Ross outlined a framework for identifying CoVE incidents and tackling this nascent security threat.

What is Composite Violent Extremism anyways? CoVE is a trend in extremism that experts have identified in online radicalization. It’s “composite,” because extremists draw from multiple, even contradictory, ideologies and are shaped by personal grievances and cultural influences; whereas, conventional ideological radicalization draws individuals into an already well-defined extremist movement.
Distinguishing genuine threats: Separating real threats from noise in a space saturated with irony, trolling, and shock value content is a challenge, but failure to address this ambiguity can result in real threats being dismissed as unserious. Practitioners must recognize that, despite their contradictions, composite violent extremists do have worldviews with patterns and contours that can be analyzed. The critical task is determining when an individual’s extremism, even if incoherent, signals an intent to act.
Tracking the evolution of fringe beliefs: Composite worldviews can and have hardened into new ideological movements. Practitioners should track when composite violent extremists begin coalescing and forming communities, which could lay the foundation for the next generation of extremist movements.

Block coercive and illegal Chinese activities threatening U.S. Pacific territories. FDD Non-Resident Senior Fellow Cleo Paskal testified before the House Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday on the need to bolster security in the U.S. Pacific territories – a key component of the “corridor of freedom” that allows the U.S. to navigate through the central Pacific to the First and Second Island Chains. Here are some steps from Paskal’s ‘block and build’ framework for policymakers to consider:

Block – end visa waivers for Chinese tourists. Since 2009, Chinese nationals have been allowed to enter the Northern Marianas (CNMI) without visas, as is required in the rest of the U.S. The Department of Homeland Security should require all tourists entering CNMI to have the same visas as tourists entering the rest of America. The visa waiver policy has not only turned the CNMI into a Chinese gambling hub but also allowed the PRC to have significant operations near the U.S. military.
Block – set up a regional council. The Department of the Interior should support establishing a regional national security council to better advise and coordinate on countering illegal, coercive, and deceptive PRC behavior in the region. The current, more fragmented security environment benefits transnational criminals traveling between Pacific island territories and nations key to America’s defense operations in the Pacific.
Build – closer foreign investment scrutiny: With the PRC using investments to gain a foothold in the territories and in keeping with the America First Investment Policy, the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and Labor and other appropriate regulatory bodies should closely scrutinize proposed projects and investments by foreign entities.
Build – develop the regional economy: To counter the allure of PRC investments in these territories, policymakers should explore ways to improve the local economies. For one, the government could grant the territories a cabotage waiver, which would allow foreign air carriers to fly passengers between U.S. destinations. The cabotage ban has given United Airlines an effective monopoly on the CNMI to Guam route, resulting in some of the highest per mile airfares in the world. Waivers to Japanese airlines, for example, could help the CNMI diversify tourism and develop alternative business.

📣 WINNING MESSAGES

📘 KEEPING UP W/ FDD

On Iran

Iran Deal Resurfacing – ‘I Hope You’re Going To Negotiate’: Trump Sends Letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Urging Talks on Nuclear Program (FDD Flash Brief | March 7, 2025)

Iran’s Oil Trade – Crushing Iran’s Oil Trade: The Path to Maximum Pressure (Mark Dubowitz and Saeed Ghasseminejad | The Washington Examiner | February 28, 2025)

Houthi Designation -- U.S. Relists Yemen’s Iran-Backed Houthis as Foreign Terrorist Organization (Bridget Toomey and Behnam Ben Taleblu | FDD Policy Brief | March 6, 2025)

On Israel

Gaza Reconstruction – The Arab Plan For Gaza Sidelines Hamas and PA, But Only for Six Months (Hussain Abdul-Hussain | Asia Times | March 4, 2025)

Qatari Funding & Oct. 7 – The Shin Bet’s Findings on Qatari Terror Finance Should Spur American Action (Natalie Ecanow | FDD Policy Brief | March 7, 2025)

Hostage Crisis – ‘Hello and Goodbye — You Can Choose’: Trump Delivers New Ultimatum to Hamas to Release Israeli Hostages (FDD Flash Brief | March 6, 2025)

Arming Israel – Trump Administration Expedites Major Arms Sale to Israel (FDD Flash Brief | March 5, 2025)

On China

China & AI Export Controls – Seeking Decisive Edge, China Uses Third-Party Countries to Circumvent U.S. AI Export Controls (Jack Burnham | FDD Policy Brief | March 4, 2025)

Chinese Sanctions Evasion – U.S. Sanctions China-Based Front Companies Procuring Drone Components for Iran (Janatan Sayeh | FDD Policy Brief | March 3, 2025)

On Russia & Ukraine

Meaning of Paused Aid – What the suspension of US aid means for Ukrainian forces (John Hardie | FDD’s Long War Journal | March 5, 2025)

U.S. Cyber Ops Freeze – U.S. Digital Disarmament Gives Russia Free Rein in Cyberspace. Bad Idea. (Colin Ahern and RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery | The Washington Post | March 3, 2025)

Unwise Election Demands – Premature elections in Ukraine would only play into Putin’s hands (John Hardie | The Hill | March 5, 2025)

In Other News

In Sudan – Sudan’s Civil War Edges Toward a Stalemate as RSF Rebels Establish Separatist Governing Authority (Mariam Wahba | FDD Policy Brief | March 4, 2025)

🍿 ON A LIGHTER NOTE…

Your world politics fix...from the couch. If you're a lover of American political and foreign policy dramas like the team here at FDD Action, but prefer not to leave the couch, you're in luck. Open your laptops or powerup your smart TVs and make some popcorn. Here are some recs for your weekend watching:

The Night Agent: Low-level FBI agent Peter Sutherland works in the White House basement manning a phone that never rings - until the night it does, propelling him into a conspiracy that leads all the way to the Oval Office. Loved Season 1 of this series and now Season 2 is out and ready to watch! Viewers are torn as to whether Season 2 meets expectations, so let us know what you think. (2 Seasons on Netflix)
The Diplomat: In the midst of an international crisis, Kate Wyler, a career diplomat is planning for an assignment to Afghanistan, but picked as the U.S. ambassador to the UK, with tectonic implications for her marriage and her political future. Her experience on the ground in conflict zones comes in handy. We like this one because it was well researched and gets a lot of the nuances of diplomatic life right. (2 Seasons on Netflix)
The Residence: We haven't seen it yet, so buyer beware. Cordelia Cupp, an eccentric detective, arrives at the White House in order to solve a murder which happened during a state dinner. A good sign: produced by Shondaland, who brought us Grey's Anatomy, How to Get Away with Murder, and Bridgerton. Or is that a bad sign? You tell us. (1 Season on Netflix)

👋 Thanks for sticking with us! Until next week.

P.S. If you liked this and don’t want to wait another week for more, check out FDD Action’s new X account for endorsement updates and timely analysis on breaking national security news.