Judge Leonie Brinkema Orders Trump Administration To Confirm $1.8 Billion Anti-Weaponisation Fund Halt

A US judge continued to block a $1.8 bn (£1.3bn) "anti-weaponisation" fund proposed by President Donald Trump last month, and Judge Leonie Brinkema gave the Trump administration one week to confirm via sworn statement that the fund will not proceed.

Brinkema said Blanche's recent congressional testimony that the DoJ fund was not proceeding was not enough of a guarantee, and she requested written confirmation from Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Al Jazeera

The proposed fund was announced to settle a lawsuit by Trump against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns, and it drew criticism from Democrats and some Republicans over who it may benefit.

After outrage over the US Capitol riot on 6 January 2021, Blanche told lawmakers, "We're not moving forward with the fund, period," while a group of plaintiffs including Andrew Floyd sought to stop it.

Floyd said in a statement after the ruling, "I will continue this litigation to ensure that this unconstitutional fund does not erase the accountability imposed by judges and impartial jurors".

A senior Trump administration official said the U.S. and Iran could sign a deal that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz and taking steps to dismantle Iran's nuclear program in the "next few days," but the official said the U.S. is not "100%" confident the memorandum of understanding will be signed.

The official put the odds at "75%" earlier and said it was "probably more like 80[%]-85% now," adding, "But it's not 100%."

BBC

The memorandum of understanding, as described by the official, "guarantees a long-term peace in the region" by ending Iran's funding of violence and imposes "an inspection regime" on the Islamic Republic.

The official said benefits like loosening long-term sanctions and having assets unfrozen would be "significant" but would "only accrue if they actually deliver," and he said the two sides have not yet determined where a deal would be signed.

In parallel, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said a "final, agreed upon text" has been reached and wrote on X, "Peace has never been this close as it is now," while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that a memorandum of understanding "has never been closer."

The Washington Post reported that the U.S. Department of Defense is seeking more than $200 billion to continue military operations in Iran, and that the budget request will trigger a political fight in Congress.

The report said the Pentagon asked the White House to present to Congress a request for over $200 billion to fund the war in Iran, including part intended to immediately increase production of major weapons used in the past three weeks by American and Israeli forces to strike thousands of targets.

In an Al Jazeera segment, US House Republican Ryan Zinke said President Donald Trump wants a deal with Iran but will not provide funding or sanctions relief without clear guarantees and Iranian compliance.

The Al Jazeera feed also included a claim that the joint U.S.-Israel aggression began on the morning of 9 Esfand 1404 (February 28, 2026), while indirect talks were ongoing.

Separately, Newsweek reported a poll in which 52 percent of American registered voters want Congress to remove Donald Trump right now, with 40 percent opposing the move and the poll conducted among 790 registered voters.