Axios

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the company is in the process of restarting manufacturing of its H200 chips for shipments to China.

Why it matters: Nvidia is eager to re-enter the crucial Chinese market, but its efforts have been hampered by U.S. export restrictions and Beijing's push to build a domestic chip industry.

Cyber activity tied to the escalating war between the U.S., Israel and Iran is already underway, and American companies are starting to feel the effects.

Why it matters: Iran is a formidable, often difficult-to-predict cyber adversary that likely won't be afraid to go after U.S. utilities and government agency systems as the war escalates, experts warn.

Countries across South Asia are imposing emergency measures like rationing energy, closing universities, cutting short workweeks and even changing the way crematoriums work to deal with the fallout from the Iran war.

Why it matters: Yes, the war is raising gas prices for Americans and causing a political headache for President Donald Trump — but it's also creating a deeper crisis abroad that governments and businesses are scrambling to manage.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is planning to brief a small bipartisan group of senators on the war in Iran in a classified setting Tuesday afternoon, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Why it matters: Senators are hungry for real-time information on President Trump's next moves in Iran, the prospects for a diplomatic solution and thoptions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

The Commerce Department announced Monday that the Trump administration's effort to export "full-stack" U.S. AI packages will enter its next phase on April 1.

Why it matters: The American AI exports program is meant to bundle the infrastructure, tools and models into ready-to-deploy AI systems for allies and partners, and has been touted as a key part of the White House's AI policy goals.

President Trump is zeroing in on a major vulnerability for Iran as the war's risks to the global economy grow increasingly serious.

Why it matters: Trump is ramping up his threats to Kharg Island, where Iran handles most of its oil, as the country maintains a stranglehold over the Strait of Hormuz.

A forum this weekend in Tokyo with 17 Indo-Pacific nations resulted in more than $56 billion in energy-related deals with those countries, the Interior Department said Monday.

Why it matters: Trump administration officials hope the dealmaking can strengthen multinational ties as well as fulfill President Trump's "energy dominance" agenda.

A direct communications channel between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has been reactivated in recent days, according to a U.S. official and a source with knowledge.

Why it matters: It's not clear how substantive the messages passed between Araghchi and Witkoff were, but it's the first known direct communication between the parties since the war started more than two weeks ago.

The Iran war has entered its third week with ballooning costs and a deepening humanitarian crisis — and no diplomatic off-ramp in sight.

The big picture: Trump and his aides have mentioned varying timelines for ending the war. But with a heavily damaged but defiant Iran stymieing trade, the U.S. remains dug in.

When Jared Kushner formed Affinity Partners in 2021, and then raised most of his first fund from Middle Eastern sovereigns, he took great pains to say that the endeavor was conceived after he left the White House.

• He bristled at suggestions of quid pro quo, but also understood that the whiff was strong enough that it had to be addressed.