An Iranian ayatollah on Thursday called for the “shedding of Trump’s blood” in a message broadcast on Iranian state television.  “We are now on the verge of a great test and we must be careful to fully preserve this unity, to fully preserve this alliance,” said Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli in the message, going on to call for “the shedding of Zionist blood, the shedding of Trump’s blood.” Invoking the “Imam of the time,” Amoli said, “Fight the oppressive America, his blood is on my shoulders.”  The remarks came a day after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said a commander of an Iranian unit that had allegedly plotted to assassinate Trump was killed in a U.S. strike.  “While that was not the focus of the effort by any stretch of the imagination, in fact never raised by the president or anybody else, I ensured and others ensured that those who were responsible for that were eventually part of the target list,” Hegseth said during a press briefing on the war.  In a separate development on Thursday, another Iranian official threatened the United States following the sinking of an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka by a U.S. naval torpedo strike. “The U.S. has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores. Frigate Dena, a guest of India’s Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning. Mark my words: The U.S. will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi. The Sri Lankan navy rescued 32 Iranians after the ship was sunk and transported them to a hospital, while recovering another 87 bodies from the water. “We found people floating on the water,” Sri Lankan navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said, adding that there were only oil patches and life rafts left of the ship.  The Department of War shared footage of the strike on social media on Wednesday.  https://t.co/PiqQpVIrMu pic.twitter.com/Wc1e0B0um7 — Department of War

This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you. *** Welcome to the salad dressing circle of trust. Here, there’s no shame in sparing yourself the torture of dry pizza crust, flavorless cauliflower crudité, and plain nuggets when you’ve got a perfectly good bottle of ranch in the fridge just waiting for its time to shine. As ranch dressing’s tangy little star continues to rise (suck it, runner-up ketchup!), everything’s getting a ranch-over, from the new ranch-flavored Takis dupe at Trader Joe’s to Hidden Valley Ranch Club cracker minis and Goldfish zesty ranch.  But for the ranch fans willing to take their unbridled passion where no dip has gone before, feast your eyes upon the ranchzilla dessert of 2026: the ranch milkshake. Riffing on a sweet base of vanilla ice cream, topped with what appears to be a mind-bending combo of chicken nuggets, raw veggies, whipped cream, dried herbs, and a salted lime rim, this milkshake is like nothing you’ve seen before. Great Wolf Lodge plans to offer its “creamy, dreamy, and totally unexpected” limited edition ranch milkshake at locations nationwide from March 5 to April 26. There’s no word on whether the resort chain is feeling a little extra in anticipation of National Ranch Day on March 10, but you can snag this shake for just over $3 and celebrate the reason for the season. Fans of the savory garlic, onion, and dill-boosted dressing were quick to praise the bold plunge into the dessert category, with Instagram commenters posting, “I literally drink ranch as it is now, so I’m 100% here for this,” and “just what ranch baby always wanted.” Others were disgusted. As one user noted on Reddit, “I live, laugh, love ranch. But I wouldn’t touch this.” Someone else threw back to the “Milkshake” earworm of 2003, adding, “This does not bring the boys to my yard.” Ranch isn’t just associated with Americans; it’s as red-blooded American as a condiment could ever be, conjuring visions of a tasteless wilderness where one blue-collar worker answered the cries of a people in search of something to go with tots. Ever since it was invented by Steve Henson back in 1949 as a way to zhuzh up chow for work crews hustling in the Alaskan bush, ranch dressing — and the dried seasoning and sauces it inspired — has seen an upward climb that’s expected to top $84 billion worldwide by 2032.  Henson’s then-brandless dressing was dubbed Hidden Valley in 1954, and the fledgling party dip company was acquired by Clorox in 1972. Shelf-stable bottled Hidden Valley became a nationwide sensation in the ’80s, and there was no turning back after the launch of Cool Ranch Doritos in ’86. Across the pond, the iconic seasoning was described as “American,” with cool American Doritos hitting shelves in Europe. You can even continue the theme by picking up a six-pack of Lester’s Fixins ranch soda to go with a fresh bag of newly launched Dinamita spicy cool ranch Doritos. And don’t miss the latest drop of Hidden Valley merch. Proving its cultural significance, baby Maggie went through a “ranch dressing phase” on “The Simpsons,” and a one-day Hidden Valley Ranch restaurant pop-up in New York City last year served social media-worthy snacks. And if you haven’t seen Melissa McCarthy’s star turn as a Hidden Valley Ranch taste-tester on “Saturday Night Live,” you’re tragically missing out on a piece of cinematic history from ranch’s unofficial patron saint. “It’s good to the last drop,” McCarthy says, while scooping up spilled dressing from the front of her sweatshirt and draining the rest of the bottle into her mouth. “This is awesome, man.” Despite its selfless service as a universal flavoring agent for everything from spaghetti to Oreos (dip it to believe it), high-profile ranch-bashers abound. While professional chefs praise the herby, buttermilk energy of store-bought Hidden Valley, celebrity food expert and TV host Padma Lakshmi took a swipe at Vice President JD Vance for admitting on Fox News that he once served ranch to his vegetarian wife, Usha, the first time he cooked for her. About the oven-baked Pillsbury Crescent Roll desperation “pizza” JD topped with veggies and ranch dressing, Lakshmi sneered, “Who bakes ranch dressing … I mean, maybe he knows what she likes because she doesn’t really have good taste.” For her part, Usha-with-the-good-taste had already agreed it wasn’t her husband’s best work. “It was disgusting,” JD said. “It was actually inedible.” (He was probably just too new to cooking to know you bake the seasoning, not the sauce.)  Still, no amount of hate can slow down the ranch train. “It’s delicious and it goes with everything. No, I am not accepting feedback at this time,” posted one Redditor, clearly speaking on our collective behalf. If ranch is your love language, consider this a delicious promposal to accept a slow dance with America’s favorite dressing. *** The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

President Donald Trump praised interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez on Wednesday, saying oil from the South American country “is beginning to flow” just two months after U.S. forces captured dictator Nicolás Maduro. Trump praised Rodríguez, who was tapped by Venezuela’s ruling party following Maduro’s capture, as the country increased its oil exports last month. Under American supervision, Venezuela doubled its oil exports in February to a five-month high of 788,000 barrels per day, Bloomberg reported. “Delcy Rodríguez, who is the President of Venezuela, is doing a great job, and working with U.S. Representatives very well. The Oil is beginning to flow, and the professionalism and dedication between both Countries is a very nice thing to see!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Trump made the comment while Interior Secretary Doug Burgum met with the Venezuelan leader in Caracas on Wednesday. Representatives from around two dozen mining and mineral companies also joined Burgum and Rodríguez for the meeting, which focused on paving a way for “capital investment to flow” into Venezuela, Burgum said. The Interior secretary also leads Trump’s National Energy Dominance Council, which is tasked with cutting red tape and securing American energy independence. Burgum said on Wednesday that his goal to rejuvenate the American energy sector falls in line with the administration’s plan for Venezuela. “When we are working together in can only mean two things, which is prosperity for the people of Venezuela and for the citizens of the United States, and it also brings peace and stability for the world,” Burgum said. The American companies at the meeting “represent billions of dollars in investment and thousands of dollars in high-paying jobs,” Burgum added. After the meeting, Rodríguez signaled that she would push to change Venezuela’s mining law to allow for more U.S. investment in the industry, the Associated Press reported. Venezuela’s commitment to cooperate with the United States shows a remarkable shift in relations since Trump authorized action to remove Maduro from power in Venezuela and bring him to the United States to stand trial on drug trafficking conspiracy charges. After Trump imposed a complete naval blockade of Venezuela and authorized the U.S. military operation to nab Maduro, the Trump administration began overseeing Venezuela’s state-run oil industry. The United States is especially benefiting from Venezuela’s recent bump in oil output, with American oil refiners, such as Chevron, bringing in their biggest oil hauls from Venezuela in seven years, according to Bloomberg. Part of the Trump administration’s strategy for overseeing Venezuelan oil sales is to use the sales as “leverage” to push the Venezuelan government toward lasting “change,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in January. “If we control the flow of oil, the sales of that oil, and the flow of the cash that comes from those sales, we have large leverage,” he said.

While the majority of the media ecosystem has spent the first few days of Operation Epic Fury bickering over a predicted “forever war,” the real danger to the Iranian people, the United States, and the greater Middle East is being ignored. As impressive as the United States and Israel’s achievement is, we can’t afford for it to be momentary, can’t let outside forces take the opportunity to reassert control in a chaotic situation. The smoking crater that was once the top of Tehran’s Islamic regime, where they spent decades proudly chanting “death to America,” will not remain empty. There is not just one faction, one starry-eyed underclass “yearning to breathe free,” that stands ready and organized to safely take the reins. In reality, monarchists, Marxists, ethnic minority groups, secular republicans, and “moderate” — that is, slightly less brutal — regime officials are already preparing to vie for control. The most popular of these factions in Western media is headed by the 65-year-old son of the deposed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the heir to the former Pahlavi dynasty, Reza Pahlavi. The chants “Javid Shah” (“Long Live the Shah”) have been heard in Iran, but diaspora surveys show support for him at only 31%. That’s the biggest majority so far, but his support is far stronger outside the nation than inside of it — and he has no militia ready to back him between the Elburz and Zagros mountains. Far more concerning is the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), a group that has rebranded itself as a “democratic” resistance force but carries a troubling legacy of Marxist-Leninist ideology and violent extremism. Led by Maryam Rajavi from exile in Albania, the MEK was founded in the 1960s as an opposition to the Shah, engaging in bombings against both Iranian and American targets before turning against the post-revolution Islamic Republic. Their alliance with Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq War, which included attacks on their fellow Iranians, has cemented their reputation as traitors in the eyes of most citizens, eroding any domestic legitimacy. Today, through the National Council of Resistance of Iran, they claim underground networks and a vision for secular governance, but reports of cult-like practices — such as enforced divorces, mandatory ideological indoctrination, and isolation from the outside world — raise alarms about their true intentions. With minimal popular support inside Iran and a history of prioritizing power over principle, the MEK’s attempt to fill the current vacuum could ignite factional violence, impose a new form of authoritarian control masked as democracy, and destabilize the region further by alienating key allies and inviting prolonged internal conflict. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo bewilderingly framed the MEK as “Iran’s democratic opposition … ready to step up and lead.” He was immediately mocked for promoting the openly Marxist group as the path forward for Iranians. China and Russia will most likely attempt to funnel weapons and resources to the MEK, which could quickly result in an effort to massacre ethnic minorities like the Kurds. This is the ethnic group that the Trump administration will most likely support should Iran begin to Balkanize. Over the past year, Iran has struggled immensely with the Kurds along its western border with Iraq, and of the factions inside the collapsing Iran, this is the only one other than the regime itself that has the force of arms. With their history of bitter treatment by Tehran and their relationship with the United States and Israel, the Kurds would be likely to split away. It’s unclear if the Khuzestani Arabs — the native Arab ethnic group inhabiting Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan Province — would temporarily ally with the Kurds to aid in this, or if Kuwait might assist the neighboring rebels — but the Trump administration is already in talks over potentially arming or training the Kurds, per the Wall Street Journal this morning. While the Iranian regime’s standing orders for provincial leaders are to govern and defend pseudo-independently for the foreseeable future, Tehran cannot deploy reinforcements to fight the Khuzestani Arabs and Kurds effectively. It’s unclear whether the Baloch separatists — a Sunni native ethnic group that primarily inhabits Iran’s southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan Province — such as Jaish al-Adl, would be able to seek resources in the east, bordering Afghanistan, as the Pakistani-Afghan war is currently stealing attention and resources. The only other likely possibility is another collaborationist council or parliament and a new regime blending some of the rebels and representatives of dissident groups with former Islamic Republic officials. As we’ve seen in Syria and other recent “go along to get along” regimes, these often trade birthright for a bit of stew and act as satellite states for Russia or China. Kurdish groups, the MEK, and the regime hold roughly all of the firearms in the country. Rest assured that bad actors will funnel arms to whichever group is willing to take orders and give them exclusive access to Iran’s oil and the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow transit checkpoint through which 20% of the world’s entire petroleum supply flows. The greatest danger is that outside powers will flood arms to those who have no interest in a non-authoritarian form of government, stealing the gift of victory from the United States and Israel to the Iranian people. *** Tony Kinnett is the national correspondent for The Daily Signal and host of its flagship nationally syndicated radio/TV show and podcast, “The Tony Kinnett Cast.” Follow him on X @TheTonus. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

In a blistering appearance on Hannity Wednesday night, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller declared that under President Donald Trump’s leadership, the United States military has finally been “unleashed” from the shackles of political correctness. Miller’s remarks serve as a sharp course correction from the previous years of “woke” indoctrination that plagued the Pentagon under the Biden administration—a period defined by top brass who seemed more interested in pronoun etiquette than lethality and victory. Miller drew a hard line in the sand regarding Iran, a regime he noted has waged war against Americans for 47 years. From the 1979 embassy hostage crisis to the 1983 bombing of the Marines in Beirut, and the murder of the CIA station chief, Miller emphasized that the era of American retreat is over. “America First means America will be the greatest, most unquestioned, unmatched power in the world,” Miller asserted. “And it means we will defend American lives. And yes, we will avenge American blood.” He made it clear that the Trump administration will not tolerate a regime that trains proxy armies, menaces U.S. troops with missiles, or pursues nuclear weapons. But the most significant shift, Miller noted, is internal. The transition marks a radical departure from the tenure of figures like former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, who once famously claimed he didn’t know what “woke” meant while simultaneously defending the study of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and “white rage” to Congress. Under the previous guard, the military was bogged down by whistleblower reports of mandatory training on “white privilege” and “systemic racism,” Air Force instruction telling cadets to avoid gendered terms like “Mom” and “Dad” in favor of “caregiver,” and “Privilege walks” that forced service members to separate themselves by race and gender. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) previously warned that this “anti-American indoctrination” led to plummeting morale and a wave of separations from service members who signed up to fight enemies, not participate in race-based stratification. Miller noted that the “warfighters” were never the problem; it was a “woke Pentagon” at the highest levels that forced the military to fight with its hands tied. That era, Miller said, has ended. “What you’re seeing now, Sean, is a military that is unleashed in all of its lethal prowess to go out and seek, destroy and kill the enemy,” Miller concluded. “Which is what militaries are for.” With the focus shifting back to “operational excellence” over “equity,” the message from the White House is clear: the U.S. military is no longer a laboratory for social experiments—it is once again a focused instrument of national survival. .@StephenM: "One of the reasons I fear that some people in this country lost faith in the military and the capacity to use that military to defend us is because we had a Woke Pentagon — because we had a military who, at the very highest levels—not the warfighters—was forced to… pic.twitter.com/Mvs4oBOJpp — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 5, 2026