Trump weighs resuming Iran war as CENTCOM prepares for possible strikes

Oil prices surged to more than 3% Thursday as fresh attacks on tankers renewed concerns about disruptions to global oil supplies.

Brent crude futures settled up $3.67, or 3.88%, at $98.29 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose $2.40, or 2.72%, to close at $90.52 a barrel, Reuters reported.

Both benchmarks had plunged more than 8% Wednesday to their lowest levels since August, driven by expectations that Republican losses in the midterms could reduce the risk of further escalation in the Iran war.

Maritime security reports sparked market anxiety, with the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reporting five attacks on vessels in the Middle East region since Sunday, keeping shipping lanes on high alert.

Turkey’s parliament on Thursday approved the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, a mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan that enables Ankara to deploy military support to Riyadh following cross-border attacks by Houthi militants.

Originally signed by the three nations in August, the agreement establishes a collective defense clause under which an attack on one signatory is treated as an attack on all.

According to Reuters, a ruling-party lawmaker also said Turkey's parliament would soon consider a separate mandate formally authorizing the deployment of Turkish forces to Saudi Arabia

A Turkish soldier was killed in a cross-border shooting incident along the country's border with Iran, the Turkish Defense Ministry said Thursday.

“On Oct. 31, while intervening in an illegal crossing in the area of the Engin Mayin border post on the Turkey-Iran border,” a soldier was killed “as a result of fire assessed to have come from Iran,” the ministry said in a post on X.

The soldier “was wounded during the intervention” but, despite efforts to treat him, he “could not be saved,” the ministry said.

Turkish authorities immediately launched an investigation and met with Iranian officials to discuss the matter “on Nov. 3,” the ministry said.

Iran also launched an investigation “to clarify the incident in question,” the ministry said, adding that efforts “to fully elucidate the incident are being meticulously continued in coordination with Iranian authorities.”

Engin Mayin is a military border post along the roughly 300-mile frontier between Turkey and Iran

American fighter jets refueled high above the Middle East as U.S. forces continued with its blockade of Iranian ports, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) highlighted Thursday.

“U.S. Air Force F-35A stealth fighter jets receive fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker while patrolling the skies over the Middle East,” the command said on X.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran needs U.S. approval for decisions on its nuclear future, describing the American military presence in the region as an occupying force.

"They're not doing anything without our approval," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about proposals mediators presented to Iran concerning its nuclear program.

The remarks came amid reports that Tehran had sent Washington a nuclear proposal through Qatar, which an official said would be discussed only after the U.S. met Iran's seven demands, according to Reuters.

Trump also said Iran could face 25 years of reconstruction, describing the U.S. military presence as "virtually an occupation."

After months of U.S. involvement in the war, Trump also said the United States now controls "everything that we’ve wanted to control."

The USS Roosevelt carrier strike group will not reach U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility in the Middle East until at least mid-November, Axios reported Thursday, citing a U.S. official.

The aircraft carrier is scheduled to make a port call in Singapore on Friday, where it will remain for several days, according to the report.

The Roosevelt is then expected to join the USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington in the Middle East region.

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, the Roosevelt strike group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, comprise a combined 10,000 personnel.

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported Wednesday that the carrier strike group, accompanied by four naval vessels, was operating south of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

The carrier had departed Naval Base San Diego in California on Sept. 27 and then stopped at the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, for military exercises, the outlet said

An Iranian court has sentenced two anti-government protesters to death over allegations of arson, destruction of public property, and opposition activities, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

Handed down by Branch 5 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court, the rulings saw Matin Shabani convicted of “moharebeh ("waging war against God") over fires set at a mosque and an educational center, while and Amir Delshad was condemned for alleged ties to an opposition group alongside protest-related property damage.

Both men remain held in Vakilabad Prison as Delshad appeals the capital verdict to Iran's Supreme Court. 

President Donald Trump said Thursday he is unsure whether the conflict with Iran can still be considered a war, citing a lack of recent casualties, while warning that he may have to "destroy the rest of the country."

Trump compared the conflict to the Vietnam War and Russia's war in Ukraine, saying only 18 Americans had been killed in the fighting.

“I guess you have I don't know if it's a war because there hasn't been anybody killed in many months,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.

"I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I'll have to. You'll know soon enough," he said.

A hidden corporate network linked to Iran’s IRGC and state foundations controls much of the country’s telecommunications infrastructure, giving authorities power over internet access, according to an Iran International investigation.

The investigation, based on thousands of corporate filings and financial records, identified 690 people and nearly 300 entities involved in network management, equipment procurement and internet filtering.

The network links the IRGC Cooperative Foundation to major telecommunications providers, including the Telecommunications Company of Iran.

The investigation also uncovered rapid share transfers aimed at shielding operators from U.S. sanctions.

Those ties enable state censorship, the report found. It also cited the recent ouster of Irancell’s chief executive for defying government orders to shut down internet access during nationwide protests. 

War Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Congress Thursday to approve at least $350 billion in defense funding while pushing back against Democratic efforts to impeach him.

In a video posted to X, Hegseth defended his Pentagon overhaul, including eliminating DEI initiatives, removing military leaders and rebuilding recruitment.

Hegseth called the impeachment effort political theater and vowed to continue advancing President Donald Trump's military agenda despite Democratic opposition.

This is an excerpt from a report by Fox News Digital's Brittany Miller.

The Trump administration held talks with Iran about deporting Iranians as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran was underway, the Associated Press reported Thursday, citing court filings.

The newly unsealed documents, the outlet said, show the U.S. government, as recently as mid-October, had plans to deport Iranians through an unnamed third country.

“What you’re telling me is that the United States of America is going to send individuals back to that region facing … a serious threat of certain death,” Judge Ana Reyes said, according to a transcript dated Oct. 15.

The development emerged from a lawsuit that alleges Washington's immigration agencies shared confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers with the Iranian government.

The lawsuit alleges a coordinated campaign between the U.S. and Iranian governments to identify Iranians in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and pressure them to return to Iran.

The court documents also show that Washington maintained contacts with Iranian officials during the war to discuss deportations, specifically submitting travel documents and exploring “possible avenues for removal,” the Associated Press said.

The Houthis claimed Thursday they had targeted King Fahd International Airport in the Saudi city of Dammam with a drone and accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out 61 airstrikes on several Yemeni provinces over 24 hours.

“Our armed forces have executed a targeting operation against King Fahd International Airport in Dammam using a drone, and the operation successfully achieved its objective, resulting in the disruption of air navigation traffic at the airport,” Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Sareea said on X.

Sareea also said Saudi warplanes carried out 61 airstrikes on civilian assets in the capital, Sanaa, and the provinces of al-Jawf, Taiz, Saada, Marib, Lahj, al-Dhalea, Ibb, al-Hudaydah and Hajjah, using F-15 and Typhoon aircraft.

“The total number of Saudi aggression airstrikes and missiles since the escalation against our country began has reached 4,197 airstrikes and missiles,” Sareea said.

Iranian Supreme National Security Council chief Mohsen Rezaei met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday to deliver a message from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Reuters reported.

In a post on X, the Iranian government later said the two discussed key regional issues, postwar developments and regional security arrangements. “Putin also conveyed his warm greetings to Iran’s Supreme Leader,” the statement said without elaborating.

Iran and Russia also discussed plans to build gas pipelines between the two countries to help Iran address its gas shortages and export Russian gas to neighboring nations, the government added.

Putin's office also confirmed Thursday that he met with Rezaei at the Kremlin.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joins "America’s Newsroom" to react to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ proposal to defund the conflict with Iran.

President Donald Trump has insisted that launching the war in Iran was the right call despite the losses for the GOP in the midterms, saying he could not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.

Fox News' Jeff Paul reports the latest on the defensive Iran strikes in response to the regime targeting a U.S. aircraft this week.

Pentagon officials have clarified that the strikes do not constitute a return to full aggression against Iran, and President Donald Trump has not announced plans to renew hostilities following the midterm elections.

TEL AVIV, Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hold on power in Israel will be tested Wednesday as President Isaac Herzog begins consultations with leaders of all parties elected to the 26th Knesset before deciding which lawmaker to task with forming the next government.

The final vote count, published last Friday by Israel's Central Elections Committee, gave Netanyahu's bloc 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, compared with 48 for the opposition alliance led by Gadi Eisenkot — 61 seats are needed to form a government.

On Monday, Netanyahu posted to X that "the public in Israel does not want a government that depends on Ra'am and the Joint List—parties that support terrorism and reject the existence of the Jewish state."

"A clear majority in the Jewish public chose the Likud as the largest party and me, as prime minister, to lead the next government. We aspire to form a broad government with our partners and with any party that wishes to do so and does not support terrorism. I am open to holding discussions on the matter," he added.

The two predominantly Arab parties he pointed his criticism at are the Joint List and Ra'am who secured a historic combined total of 19 seats, potentially positioning them as kingmakers in the government formation process.

A Joint List source told Fox News Digital that the alliance is likely to endorse Eisenkot to be the first lawmaker tasked with forming a government. If both predominantly Arab parties were to back him, he would receive recommendations from parties representing more than the 61 seats needed.

The lawmaker tasked with forming a government will have 28 days to do so, with the president authorized to grant an extension of up to 14 additional days.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Amelie Botbol.

National security expert Victoria Coates joined Fox News to warn that Iran's economy is in a spiraling collapse as oil shipments continue to stall and Tehran's currency loses value.

EXCLUSIVE: Vice President JD Vance is seeking to forge a new alliance with disaffected Trump voters ahead of the 2028 election cycle, Fox News Digital has learned.

Vance took control of his own messaging Wednesday morning in the wake of a brutal Republican midterm beatdown, breaking with President Donald Trump on foreign policy and America's relationship with Israel.

A source familiar with post-election happenings told Fox News Digital that there was a White House meeting Wednesday morning aimed at aligning the entire administration officials on post-midterm messaging. A second source familiar described the meeting as a regular senior staff meeting.

"The reason we lost is the war," Vance's post said. "The president himself said so last night."

"If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest," he went on.

"But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there."

In the post, Vance said a pollster and "one of the smartest people I know in politics" laid out four tasks that would bring voters back to the GOP — end the war in Iran, focus on the cost of living and inflation, put America first, and "change our relationship with Israel."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Peter D'Abrosca.