Hegseth, Caine face Senate grilling on Iran war as Hormuz blockade rattles oil markets
War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine are returning to Capitol Hill as lawmakers review the ongoing Iran conflict, the Pentagon’s proposed $1.5 trillion fiscal 2027 budget, rising oil prices and pressure around peace talks.
Iran supreme leader statement: Only place for US in Persian Gulf is 'bottom of its waters'
The supreme leader of Iran, despite questions of his health and active hold on the country in crisis, is signaling no retreat on the country’s core military programs even as President Donald Trump seeks peace.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, while reportedly in questionable health, issued a Persian Gulf Day statement online, vowing the Islamic Republic would protect its “nuclear and missile capabilities” and drawing a hard line as tensions remain high over the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s confrontation with the U.S.
Khamenei also escalated his rhetoric against Washington, saying the only place for the American military in the Persian Gulf is “at the bottom of its waters.”
"By God's help and power, the bright future of the Persian Gulf region will be a future without America, one serving the progress, comfort and prosperity of its people," a translation of the statement read.
"We and our neighbors across the waters of the Persian Gulf and the (Gulf) of Oman share a common destiny. Foreigners who come from thousands of kilometers away to act with greed and malice there have no place in it – except at the bottom of its waters."
He cast the U.S. as an outside power with no legitimate role in the region and said the Gulf’s future should be “without America.”
"Two months after the world's biggest military campaign and aggression in the region and America's shameful failure in its plan, a new chapter is dawning in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz," the statement read.
Among the strongest quotes from the Iranian leader, as translated:
– “The foreigners who greedily commit evil in it from thousands of kilometers away have no place in it except in the depths of its waters.”
– “Ninety million brave and honorable Iranian compatriots … consider all the capacities of identity, spirituality, humanity, science, industry and basic and new technologies — from nano and bio to nuclear and missile — as their national capital and will guard them like water, land and air borders.”
– “With practical gratitude for the blessing of implementing management of the Strait of Hormuz, Islamic Iran will secure the Persian Gulf region and eliminate the hostile enemy's abuses of this waterway.”
Gen. Dan Caine confirms Russian involvement in Iran war
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Russian President Vladimir Putin has aided Iran’s war effort.
He declined to go into details, citing the public nature of the hearing, but said, ”There’s definitely some action there.”
Committee Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., agreed.
“There’s no question that Vladimir Putin’s Russia is taking serious action to undermine our efforts for success in Iran,” Wicker said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
War Secretary Hegseth rebukes Democrats' 'reckless naysayers,' 'defeatist words'
War Secretary Pete Hegseth pulled no punches on Democrats during his Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday.
“As I said [Wednesday], and I’ll say it again today, the biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless naysayers and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans,” Hegseth said in his opening statement to the Senate panel.
Defending President Donald Trump’s $1.5 trillion budget request, Hegseth said the president “inherited a defense industrial base that had been hollowed out by years of America last policies, resulting in a diminished capacity to project strength.”
Similar to his Wednesday Congress remarks to the House Armed Services Committee , Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said it was his duty “to ensure our civilian leadership has a comprehensive range of military options and the associated risks required to make the nation’s hardest and most complex decisions.”
Code Pink protesters removed from Hegseth's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing
Code Pink protesters were removed from War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday after disrupting the proceedings and shouting accusations at the Pentagon chief.
At least one protester called Hegseth a “war criminal” before security moved in and escorted demonstrators out of the hearing room.
The interruption briefly rattled the hearing as lawmakers prepared to question Hegseth on the administration’s military strategy and defense priorities.
IDF's Israel Katz signaling Israel may soon resume military action against Iran
Israel’s defense minister Israel Katz said Thursday that Iran has been pushed back “years” by recent blows but warned that Israel might soon need to carry out further military action to ensure Tehran no longer poses a threat.
President Donald Trump's desire to continue to pursue diplomacy needs to be weighed against Iran's desire to rebuild its war capabilities, Katz said at a ceremony Thursday.
“We support this effort and are providing the necessary backing, but it is possible that we will soon be required to act again to ensure the objectives are achieved,” Katz said.
President Donald Trump, in coordination with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is leading an effort to complete the campaign’s objectives so Iran will not again pose a threat to Israel, the United States or the “free world,” according to Katz.
"The State of Israel will not allow its enemies to threaten its existence," Katz said. "We will continue to act with determination, strength, and responsibility to ensure the security of Israel’s citizens for generations."
Fox News' Yonat Friling contributed to this report.
White House official warns against 'usurping the commander in chief's authority' on Iran
The White House is pushing back on criticism that the Trump administration sidelined Congress as it launched military action against Iran, arguing lawmakers were kept informed before and after Operation Epic Fury began.
"President [Donald] Trump has been transparent with the Hill since before Operation Epic Fury began, and administration officials provided over 30 bipartisan briefings for Members of Congress to keep them apprised of military updates," White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told Fox News in a statement Thursday.
"The president's preference is always diplomacy, and Iran wants to make a deal."
The administration is in active conversations with the Hill on the authorization of military force on Iran, a source told Fox News.
"Members of Congress who try to score political points by usurping the commander in chief's authority would only undermine the United States Military abroad, which no elected official should want to do," the source said.
The news comes as Pentagon leaders are testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.
Fox News' Patrick Ward contributed to this report.
GOP Rep. Tim Burchett: Raised oil prices are 'gouging,' 'ripping America off'
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., is accusing oil companies of exploiting consumers as fuel costs climb, calling the latest price increases “gouging” and saying Americans are being “ripped off.”
"They're just gouging this and I blame Congress, because every day come time we do this, 'Oh, we're going to bring the oil executives down here and they shake the money tree,'" Burchett told reporters Thursday on Capitol Hill.
"And every time I say this my contribution from the oil distributors goes down, but I don't care. I'm over it.
"They are ripping America off.
"We've got to do something better."
Burchett argued the price spikes are driven less by normal market forces than by corporate greed.
"It is not capitalism," Burchett continued. "Quit telling me that, 'Oh, it's a commodity virtue, you understand it.'
"But we don't prop up every other other commodity with billions of dollars in offsets and rebates and all this garbage we give these oil companies.
"And so I'm over it to keep prices low."
President Donald Trump is trying to keep prices low, Burchett added.
Gas stations raising prices on the speculation that global oil supply will be strained by the Strait of Hormuz blockade, he said.
"He's tried, but you know, what are you going to do about the greed," Burchett said. "They're gonna show record profits. They'll show record profits, and we'll move on to the next shiny object."
Fox News' Krista Garvin contributed to this report.
Trump warns Germany's Merz: Stop 'interfering' with 'getting rid of the Iran nuclear threat'
President Donald Trump has renewed his warnings on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as he has threatened to draw down U.S. troops in that country that are deployed for NATO defense.
Stop "interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran Nuclear threat," Trump warned Thursday.
"The Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine (Where he has been totally ineffective!), and fixing his broken Country, especially Immigration and Energy, and less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran Nuclear threat, thereby making the World, including Germany, a safer place!" his Truth Social post read.
CENTCOM commander Cooper to brief White House on Iran options, Strait of Hormuz
Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, is expected at the White House later Thursday for briefings on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz as the ceasefire deadlines loom.
Cooper will meet with President Donald Trump and his national security team on the Strait of Hormuz blockade and other issues, according to sources.
Despite reports, Cooper is not going to the White House to brief the president on options to hit infrastructure or target Iran’s nuclear program, but those options have already been presented in past briefings.
Trump has held has options amid the tentative ceasefire and could order CENTCOM to carry out an array of actions, but this week's meeting do not mean there is an decision coming on whether to restart military strikes against Iran.
Cooper is also scheduled to meet with lawmakers as Pentagon leaders testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee, according to details confirmed by Fox News.
Cooper has been on the Hill for several days for closed door meetings with lawmakers, according to well-placed sources.
CENTCOM has already been central to blockade enforcement and operations in and around the strait.
Fox News' National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
Red Cross: Return to active war would be 'catastrophic for millions' of Iranian civilians
The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross warned Thursday that any return to full-scale war in Iran would be devastating for millions of Iranian civilians already battered by weeks of fighting.
“Six weeks of hostilities have pulled Iran and the wider Middle East into patterns of warfare that have proved devastating for civilians and the infrastructure they rely on to survive,” ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said after a visit to Iran. "Any return to a conflict of such intensity and scale will be catastrophic for millions."
Spoljaric urged a continuation of the ceasefire and a diplomatic resolution, the latter of which President Donald Trump has maintained is only reachable with Iran giving up its longtime nuclear weapons aspirations.
“The ceasefire has widened the window to scale up humanitarian assistance," Spoljaric added. "We hope that this opportunity can be used to meet the needs of millions across the region who have suffered from hostilities.
"The humanitarian cost of a region at war is not one the world can absorb. Millions of lives depend on the political will to respect international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of civilians.
“A durable ceasefire, followed by a political solution, has to start by upholding humanity in war along with a collective commitment to de-escalate.”
President Donald Trump's Strait of Hormuz blockade is turning a military standoff into an economic shock for markets.
Brent crude briefly climbed above $126 a barrel overnight Thursday — its highest level since 2022 — before pulling back to about $116, while average U.S. gasoline prices rose to $4.30 a gallon, also a nearly four-year high.
The spike reflects mounting concern that the disruption could drag on as Washington weighs keeping the blockade in place and considers additional military options.
"Any attempt to impose a maritime blockade or restrictions is contrary to international law," Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a statement, adding that it "is doomed to fail.”
The closure of Iran's oil shipping out of the strait will “not only fail to enhance regional security, but are in fact a source of tension and a disruption to lasting stability in the Persian Gulf,” he added.
About 20 million barrels a day of crude and oil products moved through the strait on average in 2025, making it one of the world’s most critical oil chokepoints.
US considers deploying 'dark eagle' hypersonic missile to Middle East: report
The U.S. Army’s Dark Eagle hypersonic missile could be deployed to the Middle East for potential use against Iran, according to reports.
Citing a source Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has requested the long-delayed system to target ballistic missile launchers deep inside the country.
The hypersonic missile is behind schedule and has not been declared fully operational, even as Russia and China have fielded similar systems, the report said.
The request for forces submission argues the move is necessary because Iran has shifted its launchers beyond the reach of the Precision Strike Missile, which can strike targets more than 300 miles away, the source said.
No decision has been made on the request, the source added.
Hegseth, Caine head to Senate to talk Iran war, Pentagon's 2027 $1.5 trillion budget
War Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to face another round of tough questions on Capitol Hill, this time from the Senate Armed Services Committee, as lawmakers examine both the Trump administration’s handling of the war in Iran and its proposed 2027 military budget.
The hearing follows a nearly six-hour House session Wednesday in which Hegseth clashed with Democrats and some Republicans over the cost of the conflict, the loss of American lives and concerns about dwindling weapons stockpiles.
The administration’s budget plan would raise defense spending to a record $1.5 trillion, with a renewed emphasis on drones, missile defense and warships.
Democrats are expected to press Hegseth on the broader strategy behind the Iran conflict, which is now under a fragile ceasefire, as well as the administration’s decision-making and lack of congressional approval.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Pentagon officials said the war has already cost about $25 billion, largely in munitions, but Hegseth declined to say how long the conflict could continue or how much more it might cost.
The war secretary also came under fire over civilian casualties, including a strike on an Iranian elementary school that killed more than 165 people. Hegseth said the incident remains under investigation.
He was also questioned over the deaths of six American soldiers in a drone strike in Kuwait and over his removal of several senior military leaders, including Army Gen. Randy George.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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