Strait of Hormuz

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Nations Make No Promises After Trump Asks for Help

Wright says gas prices could drop below $3 per gallon by summer

(Newser) - President Trump's appeal for foreign navies to help the US make the Strait of Hormuz safe for shipping—especially for oil tankers—is being met with guarded, mostly noncommittal reactions from the countries he singled out. A day after Trump's call to counter Iran's chokehold on the...

Top General Warned of Strait Closure Before War

Trump acknowledged the risk, opted to go forward, reports Wall Street Journal

(Newser) - The Wall Street Journal suggests that President Trump underestimated Iran's ability to throttle the Strait of Hormuz. Its story reports that Trump's top general—Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—warned the president in multiple briefings that Tehran would close the vital shipping lane...

2 EU Nations Are Reportedly Talking With Iran Over Hormuz

Officials tell FT that France, Italy have moved to restart Gulf energy flows without escalating conflict

(Newser) - European leaders are quietly testing a diplomatic side door around the Strait of Hormuz crisis. France and Italy have opened exploratory talks with Iran over securing safe passage for commercial ships, hoping to restart oil and gas flows through the narrow waterway without sliding deeper into the regional war, officials...

Trump: US Bombed Iran's Key Kharg Island Oil Hub

Strike raises stakes in Hormuz standoff, global oil markets

(Newser) - President Trump says the United States has hit what may be the most valuable piece of real estate in Iran's energy network. In a Truth Social post on Friday night, the president claimed that American forces bombed Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, calling it Iran's "crown...

US Weighs Risky Move: Navy Escorts Through Strait
A Tough US Question:
Navy Escorts in Hormuz?
the rundown
Mar 13, 2026 9:55 AM CDT

A Tough US Question: Navy Escorts in Hormuz?

Military is 'simply not ready yet,' says energy secretary

(Newser) - One big unknown in the Iran war is whether the US will begin escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint for the world's oil supply. Soon after the conflict began, President Trump said the US Navy would do so if it becomes necessary, notes Axios . With...

Hegseth: Khamenei Is 'Wounded,' 'Likely Disfigured'

As Trump says Iran's new leader is 'damaged,' 'probably alive in some form'

(Newser) - Iran's new supreme leader is alive but apparently not unscathed, according to top US officials. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Mojtaba Khamenei has been injured in the ongoing US-Israeli campaign, telling reporters the "so-called, not-so-supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured." He added that Washington is "on plan to defeat,...

Trump Temporarily Eases Russian Oil Sanctions

Bessent calls it a 'narrowly tailored, short-term measure,' downplays benefit to Moscow

(Newser) - Washington just handed Moscow a 30-day ticket to cash in on oil stuck at sea. The Trump administration eased sanctions Thursday to let an estimated 128 million barrels of Russian crude already loaded on previously blacklisted tankers be sold worldwide, a move officials say is aimed at cooling surging energy...

WSJ : Iran War Proves Fossil Fuel Critics Wrong
WSJ: Iran War Proves
Fossil Fuel Critics Wrong
editorial
Mar 12, 2026 5:15 PM CDT

WSJ: Iran War Proves Fossil Fuel Critics Wrong

US crude shipments helping to offset Hormuz disruption and support allies, editors write

(Newser) - For years, progressives have tried to curb fossil fuels in the US, and the conservative editorial page of the Wall Street Journal argues that the Iran war has proved them wrong. With Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz choking off roughly a fifth of global supply, the International...

New Iranian Leader Issues a Defiant First Statement

Mojtaba Khamenei vows to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed

(Newser) - Iran's new supreme leader has used his debut public statement to double down on a crisis that's already rattling oil markets. Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday backed the continued shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz , calling it a lever to "pressure the enemy," and warned that all...

Analysis: Prepare for 'Prolonged' Hormuz Shutdown

US reluctance to escort tankers results in standstill, with no solution in sight

(Newser) - Oil isn't just flowing more slowly out of the Persian Gulf—it's barely moving at all, and nobody's sure when that might change. Intensifying Iranian strikes in and around the Strait of Hormuz, combined with a US reluctance to send in warship escorts, have effectively frozen traffic...

US to Tap Oil Reserves Following Trump's '180'

Release of 172M barrels aims to ease war-driven price spike and reassure markets

(Newser) - President Trump is cracking open the nation's oil piggy bank, despite opposition to a similar move by President Biden. The Trump administration will release 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in a push to cool surging prices tied to the US war with Iran and attacks on tankers...

Pentagon Spent $11.3B on First 6 Days of Iran War: Sources

Pentagon briefs senators as war costs and casualties mount

(Newser) - The Iran war is burning through cash at a pace that stunned some senators: more than $11.3 billion in the first six days alone, according to Defense Department officials who briefed lawmakers behind closed doors this week. Three sources familiar with the session relayed the estimate to the New ...

Oil Price Soars Past $100 Again
Oil Soars Past
$100 a Barrel Again
Mar 12, 2026 1:00 AM CDT

Oil Soars Past $100 a Barrel Again

Traders question helpfulness of IEA reserve release amid protracted Middle East war

(Newser) - Oil traders got a record-breaking promise of relief—but apparently fear it may not be enough . Crude prices spiked more than 8% on Thursday, pushing global benchmark Brent back to $100 a barrel, even after governments pledged the largest emergency oil release ever coordinated by the International Energy Agency, CNBC...

Iran Strikes 2 Fuel Tankers in Iraqi Waters

UN Security Council condemns Gulf attacks as Iran steps up attacks on shipping

(Newser) - Two fuel tankers in Iraqi waters were attacked by Iran late Wednesday, setting both ablaze and killing at least one crew member, according to port officials and maritime security firms. The strikes, an escalation in Iran's attacks on shipping and oil infrastructure, came hours after three other commercial vessels...

2 Pipelines Could Ease the Pressure on Trump

Saudi, UAE lines bypassing Hormuz chokepoint are keeping crisis from spiraling, for now

(Newser) - Two long-ignored desert pipelines are suddenly doing a lot of the heavy lifting for the global oil system. With shipping through the Strait of Hormuz throttled by the Iran war and more than 1,000 vessels backed up, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are pushing crude through overland...

IEA Weighs Record Oil Reserve Release to Counter Supply Shock
IEA OKs Historic Oil
Release Amid Iran War
UPDATED
Mar 11, 2026 10:25 AM CDT

IEA OKs Historic Oil Release Amid Iran War

400M barrels easily top 182M released after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine

(Newser) - The International Energy Agency said Wednesday its 32 member nations will jointly release 400 million barrels from strategic stockpiles to blunt the energy shock from the war in Iran. That's its biggest coordinated drawdown on record and only the sixth such move. IEA chief Fatih Birol called it a...

US Says It Struck Iranian Minelayers

Central Command says 16 boats were hit near Strait of Hormuz

(Newser) - US Central Command said Tuesday night it had struck 16 Iranian vessels designed to lay naval mines near the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint that handles roughly 20% of the world's oil shipments. Video released with the statement showed munitions striking nine boats, many of them tied up at...

Iran Security Leader Issues a Personal Warning to Trump

Don't 'get eliminated yourself,' senior security official Ali Larijani cautioned Trump in online post

(Newser) - Iran's war of words with Washington just escalated alongside a sharp squeeze on global oil. Responding to President Trump's warning that any Iranian move to stymie oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz would bring US retaliation "twenty times harder," senior security official Ali Larijani wrote...

Hegseth: Iran Is in for 'Most Intense Day'

Defense secretary promises heavy action as Iran missile launches continue to decline

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says Tuesday's action against Iran will mark the heaviest US aerial assault since the conflict began 10 days ago. Speaking at the Pentagon alongside Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine, Hegseth said Iran "stands alone" and is "badly losing," claiming Tehran has launched its fewest missiles...

Trump: Iran War Is 'Pretty Much' Complete

He says it's 'very far ahead of schedule'

(Newser) - President Trump suggested Monday that the war in Iran could be nearing the finish line. "I think the war is very complete, pretty much," he told CBS News correspondent Weijia Jiang. "They have no navy, no communications, they've got no air force. Their missiles are down...

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