PELICANS ROOKIE JEREMIAH FEARS CONTINUES TO EVOLVE 1C
N O L A.C O M
Landry: National Guard will stay in N.O.
|
T u e s d ay, M a r c h 3, 2026
$2.00X
Trump says attacks on Iran will last weeks State Department urges Americans to leave region BY JON GAMBRELL, MELANIE LIDMAN and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press
Deployment will last through August
the oil and gas market thousands of miles away can show up in south Louisiana within days. That’s not because production is scarce, but because of how oil and gas is priced on the global market. “The impact of these disruptions depends on their duration and severity,” Gray said. “Short-term price swings may be manageable but prolonged issues could significantly raise costs.” That means gasoline prices, currently averaging around $2.50 a gallon in Louisiana, will likely rise in the coming weeks, though it’s too soon to say how high.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israeli and U.S. airstrikes pounded Iran in an escalating campaign that President Donald Trump said Monday would likely take several weeks. Tehran and its allies retaliated across the region, striking Israel and a variety of targets inside Gulf states, including energy facilities in Qatar and the American embassy in Saudi Arabia. The intensity of the attacks, the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the lack of any apparent exit plan set the stage for a prolonged conflict with farreaching consequences. Places deemed safe havens in the Mideast like Dubai have seen incoming fire; energy prices shot up; and U.S. allies pledged to help stop Iranian missiles and drones. Trump said operations are likely to last four to five weeks but that he was prepared “to go far longer than that.” As the conflict spiraled, the State Department urged U.S. citizens to leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries due to safety risks. “The hardest hits are yet to come from the U.S. military,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters before briefing members of Congress about the Iran operation. Trump said the military campaign’s objectives are to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, wipe out its navy, prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon and ensure that it cannot continue to support allied groups like Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which fired missiles at Israel on Monday. As several airstrikes hit Iran’s capital, Tehran, the top security official Ali Larijani vowed on X: “We will not negotiate with the United States.” World markets were rattled as the fighting expanded across a region vital to energy supplies. Saudi Arabia said early Tuesday that the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh came under attack
ä See IMPACT, page 4A
ä See ATTACKS, page 3A
BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE
Staff writer
The Louisiana National Guard will remain in New Orleans through August via a federally funded deployment aimed at assisting the city with a host of upcoming events, state and local leaders said Monday. The National Guard was expected on Saturday to withdraw the 350 guardsmen who have been in the city since just before New Year’s Eve at Gov. Jeff Landry’s request and on the government’s dime. But the governor has since asked and received approval for around 120 soldiers to remain in the city for six more months, said Landry, who called the deployment a success thus far. “The National Guard complements cities with high crime problems,” the governor said in a statement on Monday. “This continued deployment will help us combat violence in New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana.” In a statement included in a news release from Landry’s office, Mayor Helena Moreno said that federal law enforcement presence during Mardi Gras “was instrumental in guaranteeing a secure environment through the festivities.” “Building on the success of these deployments, my Administration seeks to continue and strengthen this partnership to ensure ongoing safety and security for residents and guests of the City of New Orleans during major events,” Moreno said. The mayor, who has said New Orleans’ crime rate is low due to the work of the New Orleans Police Department, added later Monday that “major events in New Orleans are where we need the Guard most” and that “there are several coming up in the next few weeks.” French Quarter Festival is scheduled for April 16-19, followed by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the Fair Grounds the following two weekends. The deployment is scheduled
ä See GUARD, page 5A
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN
President Donald Trump speaks Monday before participating in a Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House.
War could impact gas prices and energy production in La. BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer
The war in Iran is sending shock waves across global energy markets that are likely to reach Louisiana, first through rising prices at the pump and, if the conflict persists, with companies in the state potentially looking to increase production of oil and natural gas. Gasoline prices are tied directly to the price of crude oil, which rose 6% on Monday to nearly $72 a barrel as the U.S. continued to unleash airstrikes and Iran retaliated by firing missiles at Israel and U.S. targets across the energy-rich Middle East.
INSIDE ä Officials say some La. National Guard members could be in region of conflict. Page 3A ä Iranian students at LSU cheer death of Khamenei. Page 4A ä Hegseth insists Iran conflict is ‘not endless.’ Page 7A President Donald Trump said the attacks could persist for weeks in the Persian Gulf region. The Strait of Hormuz, which is the transit point for roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply, was virtually closed to maritime traffic. Tyler Gray, director of innovation at the LSU Energy Institute, said disruptions in
Xavier alums, community bid farewell to Norman Francis Public event honors legacy of longtime leader
BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer
Mourners made their way to Xavier University on Monday to pay their respects to Norman C. Francis, the school’s late president and civil rights champion whose body was laid in honor at the university he helped nurture. It was a chance for New Orleans to bid farewell to
WEATHER HIGH 81 LOW 67 PAGE 6B
a man who impacted thousands of lives in ways big and small. Held at the university’s Convocation Center, the memorial event was open to the public and drew a range of mourners, from faculty who served during Francis’ nearly 50-year tenure to current and former Xavier students and locals who wanted to pay homage to a man who dedicated his life to the New Orleans university and surrounding community. Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity members, wearing suits emblazoned with their group’s logo, ushered the memo-
rial service. Old friends exchanged hugs and stories of Francis, who advised U.S. presidents and served on dozens of boards and commissions yet always had time for any student or faculty member at Xavier, the nation’s only historically Black Catholic university. “He did so much for this university, but also the entire United States of America,” said Sister Alicia Costa, who taught at Xavier for five years under Francis. “He was a trailblazer.” On Tuesday, a memorial
Members of Alpha Phi Alpha encircle the family of Norman Francis as they share memories during a celebration of his life at Xavier on Monday.
STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
ä See FRANCIS, page 5A
Business ......................6A Commentary ................5B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................3B Opinion ........................4B Comics-Puzzles .....3D-6D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C
13TH yEAR, NO. 203