Luke Vargas

Here is your morning brief for Wednesday, April 1st.

I'm Luke Vargas for The Wall Street Journal.

We are exclusively reporting that the United Arab Emirates is preparing to help the U.S.

open the Strait of Hormuz by force.

Well, in Washington, President Trump is turning up the pressure on the Supreme Court as it prepares to hear arguments on limiting U.S.

Is the Iran war escalating or winding down?

We'll get the latest as a third U.S.

aircraft carrier heads to the region.

Plus, the Supreme Court takes on President Trump's push to limit U.S.

citizenship.

And a win in Washington's critical minerals push, even if exporting cobalt from the Democratic Republic of Congo is likely easier said than done.

It's Wednesday, April 1st.

I'm Luke Vargas for The Wall Street Journal.

And here is the AM edition of What's News, the top headlines and business stories moving your world today.

After sustaining Iranian attacks for weeks, the United Arab Emirates is considering becoming a combatant in the Iran war, making it the first Persian Gulf country to do so.

We're exclusively reporting that the UAE is now preparing to help the U.S.

and others to open the Strait of Hormuz by force after having assessed its ability to do things like clear the waterway of mines.

With more on what could be a turning point in the war and Gulf involvement in it, I'm joined by the Journal's Middle East Bureau Chief Andrew Dowell.

Drew, why now?

Gulf countries have been getting hit by Iran, including the UAE, since the start of the conflict, and yet they haven't today taken the fight directly to the country.