Trump 'not happy' with Iran's choice of Mojtaba Khamenei as new supreme leader

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Qatar's Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday that its armed forces intercepted a missile attack that was aiming for the Middle Eastern country.

"The Ministry of Defense of State of Qatar announces that armed forces intercepted missile attack which targeted State of Qatar," the ministry wrote on X.

Six members of Iran's women's soccer team will stay in Australia after requesting asylum, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Wednesday.

Another member of the team was also granted asylum, but she changed her mind and decided to return to Iran.

Burke said one player and a team staffer had joined five players who had already been granted asylum to remain in Australia. But he later told Australia's federal parliament that one of the women had spoken to her departed teammates and decided to return home as well.

It was not immediately clear which of the women had changed her decision and returned home.

An official roster lists 26 players, along with coaches and staff.

While only some were granted asylum, Burke said the offer was given to everyone on the team.

This comes after the team refused to sing the Iranian anthem before their first Women’s Asian Cup match early last week against South Korea — a gesture some interpreted as a protest and others as mourning amid turmoil at home. The team later sang and saluted the anthem in two subsequent matches, including ahead of their final match, when they were eliminated by the Philippines.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The State Department said on Wednesday that the Trump administration's top priority is securing the safety of Americans in the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict with Iran.

"There is no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens for President Trump, Secretary of State Rubio, and the entire Department of State," the Department of State Consular Affairs said on X.

"We are working on additional options to assist Americans to depart the Middle East," the post continued. "We will continue to share up-to-the-minute information you need to make informed decisions about your safety. The U.S. government is ready to help Americans leave the Middle East if you choose to take advantage of the options available."

The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait said commercial flights are currently not operating out of the country over the ongoing threat of missile and UAV attacks.

"There are overland routes to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where commercial options to depart the region are operating," the Department of State Consular Affairs said. "Americans should strongly consider departing on one of these overland routes if they believe it is safe to do so."

Ukraine has dispatched interceptor drones and a team of drone specialists to help protect U.S. military bases in Jordan as fighting tied to the Iran war intensifies across the region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with The New York Times.

Zelenskyy told the NYT that Washington made the request on Thursday, and Kyiv moved swiftly to respond, dispatching the drone team the following day.

"We reacted immediately," Zelenskyy said. "I said, yes, of course, we will send our experts."

The reported request comes as the U.S. and Gulf states work to intercept hundreds of Iranian missiles and thousands of drones launched in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iranian drones have struck the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, including an attack on a tactical operations center in Kuwait that killed six U.S. service members.

Fox News' Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.

The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday night that missiles were launched from Iran toward Israeli territory, triggering alerts across parts of the country.

“Defense systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the IDF said in a statement on X.

Israel’s Home Front Command issued direct alerts to mobile phones in affected areas, instructing residents to immediately enter protected spaces and remain there until further notice.

“The public is requested to exercise responsibility and act in accordance with the directives—they save lives,” the IDF said.

Hezbollah and Iran launched a coordinated strike strategy Tuesday, a national security expert claimed, as reports emerged that deadly cluster munitions were hitting Israel in synchronized attacks.

The developments unfolded on day 11 of Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion, the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign targeting Iran, marking a potential escalation in the widening regional conflict.

"Hezbollah has fully joined the war, and it looks like they are now very well coordinated with Iran," Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital while speaking from his bomb shelter near Tel Aviv.

"Most of Hezbollah's rockets and drones are launched simultaneously with the Iranian missiles," he said.

Israel confirmed Tuesday that Iran had been firing cluster munitions — adding a complicated and deadly challenge to Israel’s stretched air defenses, The Associated Press reported.

The warheads burst open at high altitudes, scattering dozens of smaller bomblets across a wide area. The smaller bombs, which at night can resemble orange fireballs, are difficult to intercept and have proven lethal.

Fox News correspondent Nate Foy also said despite Israel's strong air defense, half of the missiles are hard to defend against because half of the missiles are cluster munitions.

"The Iranian use of cluster missiles and the idea that they deliberately target civilians and civil facilities must be considered as a use of non-conventional weapons, and the American-Israeli response must be appropriate," Michael urged.

Banned by more than 120 nations under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, the weapons are widely condemned for their broad-area, indiscriminate effects that often result in catastrophic civilian harm.

This is an excerpt of an article from Fox News Digital's Emma Bussey.

A drone struck a major U.S. diplomatic facility in Baghdad on Tuesday in what officials believe may be retaliation by pro-Iran militias amid the escalating war with Iran, according to a report from The Washington Post.

The drone hit the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center, a large logistical compound used by U.S. diplomats near Iraqi military bases and Baghdad International Airport.

Six drones were launched toward the facility, with five intercepted and one striking near a guard tower, according to a security official cited by the Post. No casualties were immediately reported.

The attack is suspected to have been carried out by militias operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iranian-backed armed groups that has stepped up attacks since the United States and Israel launched operations against Iran on Feb. 28.

U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that hundreds of American air assets are continuing to strike Iranian targets as Operation Epic Fury continues its second week.

“Hundreds of air assets continue to deliver devastating combat power against the Iranian regime during Operation Epic Fury,” CENTCOM wrote in a post on X.

The post included images of multiple U.S. aircraft involved in the campaign, including stealth fighters and carrier-based jets launching and recovering at sea.

U.S. officials have said the operation has already struck more than 5,000 targets across Iran and significantly degraded Tehran’s missile, drone and naval capabilities.

The strikes come as the United States and Israel continue sustained air operations in Iran.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., voiced support Tuesday for members of Iran’s women’s soccer team after Australia granted asylum to several players following fears of retaliation from Tehran.

“In Iran, life is oppression and brutality,” Fetterman wrote on X. “These courageous women were facing severe consequences, even their families threatened.”

The Democrat senator then took aim at critics who had previously condemned Team USA’s men’s hockey players, asking: “How many of the people who criticized our Men’s Hockey team condemned Iran’s treatment of its Women’s Soccer team?”

The comments came after reports that multiple members of Iran’s women’s national team accepted asylum offers in Australia after they were cast as "wartime traitors" for refusing to sing Iran’s national anthem.

Sirens blared in Tel Aviv early Wednesday as the city came under attack amid another wave of Iranian strikes.

Fox News correspondent Nate Foy said despite Israel's strong air defense, half of the missiles are hard to defend against because half of the missiles are cluster munitions.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it detected a waved of missiles launched from Iran, which still possess the ability to strike despite its depleted capabilities, he said on "The Ingraham Angle."

Explosions could be heard in the distance.

Foy noted that some Israelis have chosen to continue with daily life despite the attacks, while most seek cover in shelters and other structures, per the IDF's instructions.

The U.N Security Council will convene Wednesday in New York to vote on a resolution proposed by Bahrain on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), condemning the attacks carried out by Iran against the countries of the region.

The draft resolution strongly condemns the attacks carried out by Iran using missiles and drones against Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan states that the attacks violate of international law and are a serious threat to international peace and security.

It also demands that Iran immediately cease all attacks and threats against regional states, including through its proxies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The measure also condemns attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, while emphasizing the right to self-defense under the UN Charter. It calls for maintaining freedom of navigation in international shipping lanes, primarily the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab.

"Iran is firing on the countries of the region out of desperation," said Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. "The Security Council must condemn this aggression"

Danon added that Tehran is trying to export its terrorism throughout the region.

Fox News Digital's Ben Evansky contributed to this post.

More than 43,000 Americans have safely returned to the United States from the Middle East since U.S. and Israeli strikes began targeting Iran, the State Department said.

The agency has directly assisted nearly 30,000 U.S. citizens through it 24/7 task force, it said.

Six players on the Iranian women's soccer team and one support staff member have accepted asylum offers from Australia, officials said.

Almost all the Iranian players and many of the support staff were taken aside, individually, as they passed through Australian Customs at the airport before they boarded their flight back to Iran, said Australian Minister of Home Affairs Tony Burke.

They were each given the opportunity to accept an asylum offer without Iranian state minders present.

No other players or staff accepted the offer to stay. 

President Donald Trump said earlier that the United States was ready to take the players if Australia did not.

Soccer ​fans and governing agencies expressed concerns about ​the welfare of the women's team after they were ⁠labelled traitors for refusing their national anthem before a match at the Asia Cup.

U.S. forces have destroyed 16 Iranian minelaying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, officials said Tuesday.

U.S. Central Commanded, or CENTCOM, said multiple Iranian vessels were eliminated in a post on X that was accompanied by a video showing some of the strikes.

Earlier, President Donald Trump warned Iran against laying mines in the strait, saying it would face military consequences.

Trump added that 10 inactive mine laying vessels had been destroyed.

Saudi Arabia said it intercepted two drones moving toward an oil field Tuesday.

The Saudi Defense Ministry said the drones were intercepted in Empty Quarter, or Rub' al Khali, a desert encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula.

The drones were headed toward the Shaybah oil field, the ministry said.

The Energy Department blamed a "staff error" for a now-deleted social media post by its secretary that incorrectly stated the U.S. Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt refuted the claim by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, which was quickly deleted from X.

“A video clip was deleted from Secretary Wright’s official X account after it was determined to be incorrectly captioned by Department of Energy staff," Department of Energy said.

"President Trump, Secretary Wright, and the rest of the President’s energy team are closely monitoring the situation, speaking with industry leaders, and having the U.S. military draw up additional options to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, including the potential for our Navy to escort tankers."

During her press briefing. Leavitt said the "Navy has not escorted a tanker or a vessel at this time, though, of course, that's an option the President has said he will absolutely utilize, if and when necessary, at the appropriate time.”

The War Department on Tuesday released a video showing U.S. strikes destroying Iranian naval vessels.

The U.S. strikes have destroyed more than 50 of the country's navy warships, including a major drone carrier ship. 

The strikes have left the Iranian navy "combat ineffective," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

President Donald Trump warned Iran against placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz, saying U.S. forces had destroyed 10 inactive Iranian vessels used to install the explosive devices.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Tehran needs to remove any mines in the waterway immediately.

"If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before," he wrote. "If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!"

Additionally, Trump said U.S. forces were using the technology and missile capabilities deployed against drug traffickers "to permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait. They will be dealt with quickly and violently. BEWARE!"

In a follow-up post, Trump said U.S. forces had destroyed10 inactive mine laying boats or ships, "with more to follow."

War Secretary Pete Hegseth said U.S forces have been wiping out the mines with "ruthless precision."

"We will not allow terrorists to hold the Strait of Hormuz hostage," he said on X. "To the weakened Iranian regime: you have officially been put on notice!"

The U.S. Navy didn't escort an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, the White House said, amid conflicting reports following a now-deleted social media post by Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

“I can confirm that the U.S. Navy has not escorted a tanker or a vessel at this time, though of course that’s an option,” White House press secretary Leavitt told reporters at the news briefing.

Leavitt said she didn't have a chance to talk to Wright about his post that triggered a reaction in the energy markets, given the importance of the global energy chokepoint.

"The post was taken down pretty quickly,” she said.

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres spoke with Iran's foreign affairs minister on Tuesday, the global body said.

In his conversation with Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Guterres called for "all sides to fully respect international law and international humanitarian law, as well as to refrain from any attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure," the U.N. said.

"He also expressed deep concern at the regional spill-over and the impact of the ongoing conflict on the global economy," it said.

Guterres has called for a halt to the fighting and the start of negotiations between the United States and Israel with Iran.

The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday released footage of an airstrike it said killed a Hezbollah regional division commander on Sunday night.

Hassan Salameh headed Hezbollah’s Nasr Unit, one of three regional divisions in southern Lebanon, the Times of Israel reported.

He was targeted by the Israeli Air Force in southern Lebanon.

Salameh served in several roles in Hezbollah over the years, and assumed command after his predecessor, Taleb Abdullah, was killed in June 2024.

The State Department has assisted more than 27,000 Americans with evacuation support and information since the start of military strikes against Iran, the agency said Tuesday.

Around 40,000 have returned to the United States on their own via commercial air travel, it said.

The evacuations began on Feb. 28 amid Operation Epic Fury as U.S. and Israeli airstrikes have target Iran infrastructure and leadership.

About 140 U.S. troops have been wounded in conflict with Iran over 10 days, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

"The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told Fox News. "Eight service members remain listed as severely injured and are receiving the highest level of medical care."

These numbers came after retaliatory Iranian rocket and drone strikes that also killed seven soldiers in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Fox News. Liz Friden contributed to this post.

U.S.-led airstrikes have destroyed more than 50 Iranian naval vessels, including a major drone carrying ship, the White House said, rendering its navy as "combat ineffective."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said none of Iran's vessels were operating in major waterways.

"The United States is also annihilating the Iranian regime's navy," she said.

"More than 5000 enemy targets have been struck so far. Iran's ballistic missile attacks are down more than 90%, and their drone attacks are down by approximately 85% since the start of Operation Epic Fury," she added.

President Donald Trump is warning Iran of dire consequences if it impedes the flow of commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

"If they do anything to stop the flow of oil or goods within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the world's most powerful military 20 times harder than they have been hit thus far," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday.

The strait is a vital waterway and global global energy choke point, which has been disrupted amid back-and-forth attacks between Iran and Israel and the United States.

Trump also issued the same warning on Monday night on Truth Social.

"Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again — Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them," he wrote.

The hostage negotiating team working with the family of American hostage Kamran Hekmati tells Fox News he is now believed to be at Evin Prison.

Earlier Tuesday, the family and the negotiating team said they believed Hekmati was no longer at the notorious prison and that they did not know his whereabouts as Operation Epic Fury continues for an eleventh day.

Fox News is told by the hostage negotiating team working with the Hekmati family that they now believe Kamran Hekmati is at Evin Prison, where he has been wrongfully detained since May of last year.

Hekmati, a Persian Jew and a dual American-Iranian citizen, left Iran after the 1979 revolution but has returned several times without issue. In May 2025, Iranian authorities stopped him at the airport, seized his passport and forbade him from leaving the country.

Hekmati, a 70-year-old resident of Great Neck, New York, was eventually charged under an Iranian law that makes it illegal to have visited Israel within the past 10 years. Hekmati’s family maintains that his last trip to Israel was some 13 years ago for his son’s Bar Mitzvah.

At least six Americans are known to be wrongfully detained by the Iranian regime. Their fate during Operation Epic Fury has been largely unknown so far.

Fox News' Gillian Turner contributed to this post.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told "Fox & Friends" on Friday that the U.S. must “create the conditions” for the Iranian regime to weaken and for their people to “get back the government they want.” 

"One day they just break... and you have to create the conditions for that. That's all any president can do. You create the conditions for that,” Pompeo said. 

"You stay at it. You remain determined. You don't let them regrow their capabilities. And when you do that, you ultimately weaken them and then over time, whether that's weeks or months or a couple of years, the Iranian people will get back the government they want,” Pompeo added. 

He also said “this regime is evil” following the announcement of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader. 

"There's no such thing as a moderate in the Iranian regime. Anyone affiliated with it, who's been part of it, who's killed tens of thousands of their own people, is not someone who can lead Iran forward," Pompeo said. 

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ‌said “help is here” for members of the Iranian women’s soccer team after granting them asylum for defying the regime. 

The move comes after the team refused to sing the Iranian anthem before one of their matches while visiting for a tournament when the U.S.-Israeli attacks against Iran began. In response, Iranian state television labelled the women “wartime traitors,” according to Reuters. 

“We are willing to provide assistance to other women in the team. Now I think that this is a very delicate situation and it is up to them, but we say to them if you want our help, help is here,” Albanese said on Monday. 

Trump said earlier that, “Australia is making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the Iran National Woman’s Soccer team to be forced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed.” 

“Don’t do it, Mr. Prime Minister, give ASYLUM. The U.S. will take them if you won’t,” Trump wrote Monday on a post on Truth Social. 

Former world champion Iranian wrestler Sardar Pashaei told "America's Newsroom" on Tuesday that it is a “very difficult” decision for the women. 

“Either you stay, or you go back home. This is not easy. Because you still have your family there and the Iranian regime has a long history of taking your family as a hostage,” he said.  

Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report. 

War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that Russia "should not be involved" in the escalating conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran, even as analysts point to Russian military activity that aligns with reports Moscow may be aiding Tehran.

"The president maintains strong relationships with world leaders, which creates opportunities and options for us in very dynamic ways," Hegseth said when asked about President Donald Trump’s recent call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

But as it relates to the Middle East conflict, he added, Russia "should not be involved."

The administration’s messaging comes amid reports that Russia has provided information that could help Iran identify U.S. military assets in the Middle East, including warships and aircraft. Moscow has not publicly confirmed the claims. 

Intelligence assessments have reportedly said Russia provided Iran with information that could help identify the locations of American warships, aircraft and other military assets in the Middle East. Officials reportedly stressed there is no public evidence that Moscow is directing Iranian strikes, but said the information could assist Tehran’s targeting efforts.

The scope, timing and operational impact of that information have not been publicly detailed.

This post is an excerpt from an article by Morgan Phillips/

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Tuesday that his country isn’t looking for an “endless war” with Iran. 

"We will continue until the minute that we and our partners think that is appropriate to stop," he said, according to Reuters. 

"We are not looking for an endless war," Saar reportedly added. 

The foreign minister, when asked about what a victory against Iran would look like, said, “We want to remove, for the long-term, existential threats from Iran to Israel,” Reuters reported. 

President Donald Trump, who rode promises of affordability back to the White House, is now confronting Iran-driven volatility that’s undermining that message as fuel costs rise nationwide — and putting fresh pressure on Republicans heading into the midterms.

With the Iran conflict rattling oil markets and raising fears of supply disruptions, gas prices are climbing again, squeezing Americans already worn down by inflation.

This week, oil prices surged past $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022 as fallout from the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran continued to roil global markets and investors priced in the risk of tighter supply. 

With oil higher, gasoline and diesel prices are rising fast.

The national average gas price climbed to $3.53 per gallon, up 59 cents over the past week, according to GasBuddy. Diesel prices also jumped, with the national average up 97 cents to $4.72 per gallon.

With control of Congress at stake, uneven gas price spikes are becoming a new midterm flashpoint, especially in hard-hit battleground states. 

The steepest week-over-week increases were in Indiana (up 58 cents), Florida (up 57 cents), Michigan (up 55 cents), Ohio (up 54 cents), and California (up 51 cents).

The lowest average prices were in Kansas ($2.90), Oklahoma ($2.95) and Arkansas ($2.98), while the highest were in California ($5.14), Washington ($4.58), and Hawaii ($4.33) — a regional divide that could sharpen midterm attacks over energy costs and inflation.

The family of American hostage Kamran Hekmati, who has been wrongfully detained in Iran since May 2025, has been told that he is no longer in Evin Prison, Fox News has learned. The family does not know where Hekmati is as Operation Epic Fury enters an eleventh day.

“Our family has heard the reports that Kamran is no longer in Evin Prison," his family said in a statement to Fox News. "While we are hopeful, these reports are unconfirmed and the family has not heard from Kamran since learning of them. We are cautiously optimistic. Regardless, we don’t want to do anything that would put Kamran at any greater risk – whether inside Evin Prison or outside."

The family also directly appealed to the Trump administration.

"We are hopeful that the Trump Administration will make it a priority to secure the safety of Kamran and all the other Americans currently in Iran," the statement added.

Hekmati, a 70-year-old resident of Great Neck, New York, was sentenced to prison in Iran last summer while in the country to visit family. Iranian authorities charged Hekmati with “making a trip to Israel” 13 years before visiting Iran. Hekmati, a dual American-Iranian citizen and a Persian Jew, was born in Iran and traveled to Israel in 2012 to attend his son’s Bar Mitzvah.

At least six Americans are known to be wrongfully detained by the Iranian regime. Their fate during Operation Epic Fury has been largely unknown so far. The hostage team working with Hekmati's family told Fox News' Gillian Turner that Operation Epic Fury is one of great risk and great hope for these imprisoned Americans.

"What we're hearing are really just rumors at this point. There's a lot of swirl around what's happening at the prison and what's happened with prisoners in general," Kamran family representative Kieran Ramsey told Fox News.

"We saw reports that there were prisoners being used possibly as human shields. We heard reports of prisoners being moved out to different prisons elsewhere. And we've heard that the prison guards that were normally assigned to prison have been swapped out with special counter-terrorism police, whatever that is," Ramsey said.

"This is obviously a particularly dangerous time with military action underway. This is now essentially an act of war zone, right?" Ramsey added. "On top of that, we have Americans that are being held in a prison that has been previously targeted by the Israeli military. So there's that risk. On top that, you have Americans. And in the case of our client, Kamran Hekmati, he's an American and he's also of the Jewish faith. So our fear for reprisals from prison guards, from other prisoners is up there. And let's say they for some reason swung open the doors and everybody gets out. You're still getting out into an active war zone. So we have a lot of concerns right now."

Fox News' Danielle Wallace, Gillian Turner and Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.

One week into the war with Iran, U.S. officials say American and Israeli forces are moving toward "complete control" of Iranian airspace — clearing the way for deeper strikes, a broader target list and a conflict that appears to be expanding rather than winding down.

In briefings this week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine described what they called near-uncontested airspace over key corridors, a shift that allows sustained bombing operations deep inside Iran. 

"We are winning with an overwhelming and unrelenting focus on our objectives," Hegseth said in a press briefing Tuesday morning. 

Caine said U.S. forces have now struck more than 5,000 targets in the first 10 days of operations, including dozens of deeply buried missile launchers hit with 2,000-pound penetrating bombs.

The message from Washington is one of overwhelming military advantage. 

But the broader picture, rising oil prices, expanding drone warfare, strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure, and regional spillover touching NATO territory, suggests a conflict that is growing in scope even as U.S. officials project confidence in its trajectory.

The Panama Canal administrator touted the canal’s logistical capabilities and plans to improve supply chain readiness as the Strait of Hormuz reaches a near standstill due to the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. 

Dr. Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, the authority administrator for the Panama Canal, sat down during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital and noted the canal’s anticipated improvements as the world’s busiest commercial shipping route, the Strait of Hormuz, has seen little to no traffic over the past few days. 

"We have been through the years a major channel to move LNG from the U.S. to Asia," Morales told Fox News Digital. "Qatar usually supplies Asia, and after the Ukraine war, most of the American LNG has gone to Europe to replace the Russian LNG."

"What we see is that probably prices are going to go up for LNG, which means that the current cost of the inventory on the vessel is going to increase," he continued. "Fuel prices are going to go up."

Morales predicts that transit will increase in the Panama Canal as restraints in the Strait of Hormuz have continued to hold.

"The Panama Canal should get one or two transits a day, which is, in the old days, we had about three transits per day," Morales added. "So it's gonna come up a little bit and moving from the East Coast of the United States to Asia."

The Strait of Hormuz normally facilitates the transit of roughly 20–21 million barrels of oil per day. Since last Friday, only four cargo ships have successfully traveled through the strait, and one of those ships was carrying corn.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine told reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday that Iran is "fighting, and I respect that."

"But I don't think they're more formidable than what we thought," he added about Tehran's defensive capabilities.

"Our strikes mean we've made significant progress in reducing the number of missile and drone attacks out of Iran," Caine also said. "Ballistic missile attacks continue to trend downward, 90% from where they've started, and one-way attack drones have decreased 83%, since the beginning of the operation."

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that Mojtaba Khamenei, the new supreme leader of Iran, "would be wise to heed the words of our president, which is to not pursue nuclear weapons and come out and state as such."

The remark comes after Trump told Fox News he’s “not happy” that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was chosen as Iran’s next supreme leader.  

“I don’t believe he can live in peace,” the president had said overnight to Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst. 

The Pentagon reiterated President Donald Trump's warning to Iran should the regime block the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz and addressed the possibility of the U.S. escorting oil tanking through the strategic waterway.

At a press conference Tuesday, Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said the Pentagon is looking at a "range of options" when it comes to possibly escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.

"On the potential, if tasked to escort, we'll look at the range of options to set the military conditions to be able to do that. And then, like we always do with every potential mission, come to the secretary and the president with both," Caine said Tuesday.

"What are the resources required? What is the command and control required, and what are the risks and how do we mitigate those risks? So we're looking at a range of options there and we'll figure out how to solve problems as they come to us," he added.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth then referenced Trump's Monday night Truth Social Post. Trump wrote in part, “If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.”

"He goes on to say, 'death, fire and fury' will rain upon them," Hegseth said of Trump's post at Tuesday's press conference. "You've you've seen the Truth and read it. But he takes very seriously the condition of that strait."

"We have capabilities that no other nation on earth has, and we're certainly working with our energy partners across the administration to control for that," Hegseth added. "That's part of that scoping of this. The world needs to understand this doesn't have, this isn't intended to be nor is it something that will expand. We know exactly what we're attempting to achieve here, scoped properly. And the American people can count on that for sure."

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that Iran choosing to launch attacks at its Arab neighbors during Operation Epic Fury was a "big mistake" as those countries "instead decided to come to us."

"Big mistake by the Iranian regime to start targeting its neighbors right away, exposing who they are and what they're all about, indiscriminate targeting, flailing recklessly at the beginning. I can't say that we anticipated necessarily that's exactly how they would react, but we knew it was a possibility," Hegseth said in a briefing at the Pentagon.

"And I think it was a demonstration of the desperation of that regime then and that regime now, that they still think their pathway out is to try to alienate their Arab partners even more, who've instead decided to come to us and have been willing to go on the offense, have been given us access, spacing and overflight in a in a new partnership that will continue to remake the region the way that President Trump did with the Abraham Accords," he continued.

"I see in the media banners that say, you know, 'war expanding' or 'war spread,' it's actually the opposite. It's actually quite contained. And more allies or more of those countries are coming on side, recognizing that you can't live under a conventional umbrella with nuclear ambitions, with a radical regime like that," Hegseth also said.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said “No nation takes more precautions to ensure there's never targeting of civilians than the United States of America,” unlike Iran. 

Speaking Tuesday at the Pentagon, Hegseth added, “From the boat strikes in the Caribbean, where every single strike is assessed, to this campaign here, no nation in the history of warfare has ever attempted in every way possible to avoid civilian casualties.” 

“And frankly, that's a point that just isn't appreciated enough. Where things happen that that need to be investigated, we will investigate,” Hegseth continued. 

“But ultimately, unlike Iran, who targets civilians indiscriminately, who we've seen in the intel moving rocket launchers into civilian neighborhoods, near schools, near hospitals to try to prevent our ability to strike, that's how they operate. And then they set, you know, the targeting of drones and missiles toward civilian targets, hospitals, hotels, airports,” Hegseth added. 

“That's how terrorist regimes fight. They target civilians. We do not,” he said. “And I can tell you this, this administration and this Pentagon, focuses on that very, very closely.” 

Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said Tuesday that Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, the seventh American service member to die while supporting Operation Epic Fury, was "a great one."

"When I met Ben's family last night, his mom, his dad and his sister, they showed me a picture, a drawing that Ben had made when he was in kindergarten," Caine said, recalling a moment during Pennington's dignified transfer Monday night at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

"It was clear all the way back then that Ben wanted to do one thing in his life, and he wanted to serve his country and be a soldier. And to the Penningtons, just know how Ben was absolutely a great one," Caine added.

Pennington, a 26-year-old from Glendale, Kentucky, was injured in a strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia and died days later from his injuries, according to officials.

Fox News Digital's Emma Bussey contributed to this report.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Tuesday at the Pentagon that the United States is "winning with an overwhelming and unrelenting focus" as Operation Epic Fury against Iran entered its 11th day.

"As President Trump declared yesterday, we'e crushing the enemy in an overwhelming display of technical skill and military force," Hegseth said. "We will not relent until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated. But we do so, we do so on our timeline and at our choosing."

"For example, today will be, yet again, our most intense day of strikes inside Iran. The most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes, intelligence more refined and better than ever," Hegseth continued. "So that's on one hand. On the other hand, the last 24 hours have seen Iran fire the lowest number of missiles they've been capable of firing yet."

"The mullahs are desperate and scrambling," Hegseth also said. "Like the terrorist cowards they are, they fire missiles from schools and hospitals, deliberately targeting innocents, because they know their military is being systematically degraded and annihilated."

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that Russia "should not be involved" in the conflict with Iran.

Hegseth made the remark after President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

"The president, as I've said before, maintains strong relationships with world leaders, which creates opportunities and options for us in very dynamic ways. So the president said it was a good call," Hegseth said.

"I was not on it, but those that were, said it was a strong call reaffirming, hopefully the opportunity for some for some peace in Russia-Ukraine and also, a recognition that as it pertains to this conflict, they should not be involved," Hegseth added.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that "this is not 2003" when it comes to U.S. military action against Iran in Operation Epic Fury.

"This not endless nation building under those types of quagmires we saw under Bush or Obama," Hegseth said, referencing the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

"It's not even close. Our generation of soldier will not let that happen again," he continued. "And nor will this president, who very clearly ran against those kinds of never ending, nebulously scoped missions. Those days are dead. Instead, we're winning decisively with brutal efficiency, total air dominance, and an unbreakable will to accomplish the president's objectives."

"This fight, Operation Epic Fury. It hits home," Hegseth also said. "Our generation understands this fight. For 47 years, these barbaric savages and the Iranian regime have murdered our brothers in arms."

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine are set to hold a briefing at the Pentagon at 8 a.m. ET regarding Operation Epic Fury against Iran.

President Donald Trump told Fox News overnight that Operation Epic Fury – which began on Feb. 28 and caused the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – is “Way beyond expectation in terms of result this early.” 

The United Arab Emirates announced Tuesday that its air defenses are currently responding to and engaging with “incoming missile and drone threats from Iran.”

“The UAE's air defenses are currently engaging with missile threats and incoming drones originating from Iran, and the Ministry of Defense confirms that the sounds heard in scattered areas of the country are the result of the air defense systems intercepting ballistic missiles, as well as fighter jets intercepting drones and loitering munitions,” the UAE’s Ministry of Defense wrote on X. 

“Since the start of the Iranian attacks, 253 ballistic missiles have been detected. Of these, 233 were destroyed, 18 fell into the sea, and 2 landed within the country,” it said on Monday. 

“The Ministry of Defense affirmed that it remains fully prepared to deal with any threats and will respond firmly to any attempts to undermine the country’s security, ensuring the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability, and safeguarding its national interests and capabilities,” it added. 

U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that American forces, day and night, "continue to deliver overwhelming firepower" during Operation Epic Fury against Iran.

"The Iranian regime can try to hide their missile launchers, but U.S. forces won’t stop looking. When we find them, we’re taking them out," CENTCOM added in an overnight post on X, alongside a video that showed the destruction of multiple missile launchers.

Operation Epic Fury was launched against Iran on Feb. 28. 

CENTCOM said on Monday that over the first 10 days of the operation, more than 5,000 targets have been struck and over 50 Iranian ships have been damaged or destroyed.

Iran will face much stronger U.S. military strikes if it closes the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers, President Donald Trump said Monday.

In a post shared on Truth Social, Trump also said he prayed that it would never happen.

“If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far,” Trump said.

“Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again — Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them — But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen!” he said.

“This is a gift from the United States of America to China, and all of those Nations that heavily use the Hormuz Strait,” he said before adding that hopefully, it is a “gesture that will be greatly appreciated.”

President Donald Trump told Fox News he’s “not happy” that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was chosen as Iran’s next supreme leader.  

“I don’t believe he can live in peace,” the president told Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst. 

Trump said Operation Epic Fury – which began on Feb. 28 and caused the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – is “Way beyond expectation in terms of result this early.” 

“One of the things that surprised me most was when they attacked countries that were not attacking them,” Trump said about Iran’s response to the U.S. military action. 

“When we attacked them first, we knocked out 50% of their missiles. And if we didn't, it would have been a much harder fight,” Trump added. 

Operation Epic Fury was launched following negotiations between the U.S. and Iran about the future of the latter’s nuclear program. 

"No other President had the guts to do it... I don't want some President who hasn't got the courage in five years or in ten years to go in,” Trump said. 

Fox News’ Trey Yingst contributed to this report.