The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced a military coalition with Latin American leaders to combat drug cartels. The initiative, called the "Shield of the Americas," was presented at a summit in Miami. To commemorate the event, Sheinbaum also led a tribute to women in the Armed Forces at the Campo Militar Marte. Internationally, U.S. forces killed six men in an attack on a drug-linked boat in the Pacific as part of the "Southern Lance" operation, which Washington claims has targeted dozens of vessels since 2025. "This latest attempt by Trump to act unilaterally on Mexican territory must be taken very seriously, as this U.S. leader is unpredictable," one analyst noted. Meanwhile, due to the war in Iran and a sharp rise in oil prices, global stock markets saw significant declines. European markets opened with substantial losses: Paris (-2.29%), Frankfurt (-2.50%), and London (-1.26%). Earlier, Asian markets also fell amid uncertainty and the fallout from the Middle East conflict. In Tokyo, the benchmark Nikkei index closed down 5.19% at 52,728.72 points. Journalist Jesús Esquivel analyzed Trump's "Shield of the Americas" initiative, warning of its political and military implications for the region. He pointed out that the announcement, made with 17 hemispheric countries, portrayed Mexico as the center of the drug problem, even though the country is not part of the initiative. The plan includes the use of lethal military force against cartels and designates Mexico as the epicenter of violence. In response, President Claudia Sheinbaum urged the public to remain "calm" and stated she would address the issue on Monday. In Mexico City, thousands of women marched down Paseo de la Reforma to the Zócalo for International Women's Day, with feminist groups, civil organizations, students, and victims' families participating. Journalist Carmen Aristegui reported that a video analysis by U.S. experts suggests the United States launched the missile that struck a girls' school in Minab, Iran. The attack, which occurred on the first day of bombings, killed around 180 people, mostly girls in class. According to Esquivel, Washington's goal may be to replicate the military intervention model applied in Ecuador. In Iran, authorities announced that Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has been elected as the new Supreme Leader following the death of Ali Khamenei in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on February 28. Sofía Ramírez, director of "Mexico, ¿cómo vamos?", outlined five key economic indicators for the week. These include February's inflation rates in Mexico and the U.S., formal employment figures from IMSS, updates on income-based poverty lines, regional economy reports from the Bank of Mexico, and industrial activity data showing how the year began for the country's production.
