11 MAR 26 SITREP

• Three commercial vessels were attacked by Iranian projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz after reports that Iran may have begun mining the strategic maritime chokepoint that carries a significant portion of global shipping traffic.
• United States military forces conducted strikes on more than a dozen Iranian vessels identified as potential mine-laying ships following intelligence assessments that Iran might deploy naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
• Iran’s military command announced that its previous policy of “reciprocal hits” had ended and declared that continuous strikes would begin while warning that oil prices could reach $200 per barrel and claiming the United States would be unable to control global oil markets.
• United States naval forces prepared expeditionary mine countermeasure operations in the Strait of Hormuz using unmanned underwater vehicles, remote operated vehicles, and explosive ordnance disposal divers to search shipping lanes, identify suspected naval mines, mark hazards, and clear traffic routes used by commercial vessels carrying cargo valued near $200 million per tanker.

• Pennsylvania State Police Corporal Tim O’Connor conducted a traffic stop in Chester County after observing a driver operating a vehicle erratically and speeding before the suspect pulled over during the routine enforcement action.
• The suspect, identified as Jesse Elks, shot Corporal Tim O’Connor at point-blank range during the roadside encounter, killing the officer before committing suicide at the scene.
• Investigators began examining the suspect’s social media activity, communications, and personal history to determine motives, including reported hostility toward law enforcement and ideological alignment with anti-police activism associated with Antifa.
• Authorities in Pennsylvania initiated an ongoing investigation to reconstruct events leading to the attack, review potential grievances the suspect held against state troopers, and determine whether prior warning signs or public postings indicated intent to carry out violence against police.

• The United States House of Representatives passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act for the third time, advancing legislation intended to verify voter eligibility using the Department of Homeland Security SAVE system.
• President Trump declared he would refuse to sign additional legislation until the SAVE America Act is passed and Senate leadership indicated the bill would be brought to the Senate floor for debate despite the possibility of a 60 vote threshold.
• The legislation proposes screening registered voters through federal verification systems to confirm lawful United States citizenship based on valid Social Security records while leaving existing voter registrations in place unless verification fails.
• Federal authorities highlighted the relevance of the verification system after a Philadelphia indictment revealed illegal alien Mahadi Sacco had been registered to vote since 2005 and cast ballots in 5 presidential elections in Pennsylvania, while officials in Macomb County, Michigan, and Maricopa County, Arizona, also reported identifying illegal aliens on local voter rolls.