US strikes Iran in retaliation for Apache shoot-down

President Donald Trump says the U.S. has secreted 22 oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz without Iran's knowledge in recent days.

Trump made the statement during an event inside the Oval Office, saying the operations took place at night with "no lights," and outside of Iran's detection.

"I'm just announcing today for the first time, but we've been taking out millions of barrels of oil, millions of barrels. Every night, we've been taking out oil, but now I'm gonna tell you because they just figured it out," Trump said. "It was very hard for me. I wanted to say it so badly, but I didn't want to ruin it."

"Millions of dollars of barrels have come out, and that's why it's at $85-$90 a barrel instead of $250," he added.

Inflation ticked higher in May as American consumers continued to face elevated fuel prices amid the Iran war's impact on the energy market and across the economy.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said on Wednesday that the consumer price index (CPI) – a broad measure of how much everyday goods like gasoline, groceries and rent cost – rose 0.5% from a month ago and is 4.2% higher than a year ago. The annual figure is the highest since April 2023.

Both the 0.5% monthly increase and the 4.2% rise from a year ago were in line with the expectations of economists polled by LSEG.

So-called core prices, which exclude volatile measurements of gasoline and food to better assess price growth trends, were up 0.2% on a monthly basis and 2.9% from a year ago. The monthly figure was slightly cooler than the expected rise of 0.3%, while the annual core figure was in line with economists' predictions.

High inflation has created severe financial pressures in recent years for most U.S. households, which are forced to pay more for everyday necessities like food and rent. Price hikes are particularly difficult for lower-income Americans, because they tend to spend more of their already-stretched paychecks on necessities and have less flexibility to save.

Energy prices rose 3.9% in May amid the Iran war's disruption of Middle Eastern oil supplies, with prices up 23.5% in the last year. The BLS noted that the energy index accounted for over 60% of the overall CPI increase in May.

Gasoline prices increased 7% on a monthly basis in May and are up 40.5% compared with a year ago. Electricity prices rose 0.6% last month and are up 5.9% from a year ago. Utility gas service prices fell 0.5% in May and are up 3% year over year.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Eric Revell.

This is an excerpt from an opinion article by Fox News contributor Daniel Hoffman.

Last month, Iranian proxy Kataib Hezbollah terrorist Mohammad al Saadi was arrested in Turkey and extradited to New York City, where he was charged with planning and executing terrorist attacks in Europe and the U.S. Al Saadi was accused of firebombing the Bank of New York Mellon in Amsterdam, stabbing two Jewish victims in London, and shooting at the U.S. consulate in Toronto. He was also allegedly targeting Ivanka Trump for assassination.

Al Saadi, who reportedly received training from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), posted a picture of the Kushner home in Florida on social media and boasted that he was "currently in the stage of surveillance and analysis...our revenge is a matter of time." Al Saadi sought to assassinate Ivanka Trump because he wanted to avenge the kinetic strike President Trump launched during his first term, which eliminated IRGC Commander Qasem Soleimani.

Al Saadi, a 32-year-old Iraqi national who was on his way to Russia when he was arrested, established a travel agency, which specialized in religious trips and gave him cover to travel around the world to connect with terrorist cells. When he was arrested he had an Iraqi Service Passport, a special travel document issued to Iraqi government employees only obtained with the consent of the Prime Minister.

In another successful overseas counterterrorism operation last month, the U.S. and Nigerian Military forces killed senior ISIS terrorist leader Abu Bilal al Manuki, a Nigerian national, who was responsible for global terrorist operations and had also planned terrorist attacks in West Africa and the Sahel. Specific details about how the U.S. and our Nigerian partners found, fixed, and finished al Manuki have not been released.

Vice President JD Vance addressed the United States’ diplomatic relationship with Israel this week as President Donald Trump’s partnership with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly been strained recently.

"The Israelis and the United States, we have a lot of shared interests, but we also have some situations where our interests diverge," Vance said on "Jesse Watters Primetime."

"I think where the president has been very clear here is that while Israel obviously has some objectives that it has, the United States’ main objective in Iran is to ensure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon," he added.

Vance’s remarks come after recent U.S. intelligence reports raised concerns about Israel’s surveillance efforts targeting American negotiators involved in U.S.-Iran peace talks.

Those who have reportedly been surveilled include the Pentagon’s top policy officer, Elbridge A. Colby, and Trump’s top negotiator, Steve Witkoff.

Trump also recently confirmed calling Netanyahu "f---ing crazy" in a heated phone call over Israel’s military operations in Lebanon, exposing a rare rift between the two leaders.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Nora Moriarty.

Qatar's government condemned Iran's attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain and other regional neighbors on Wednesday.

Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement after Iran launched missiles at its Arab neighbors this week.

"The State of Qatar strongly condemns the Iranian attacks on the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the Hashemite The Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered the attacks a blatant violation of the sovereignty of these countries and a flagrant breach of international law," the ministry wrote.

"The Ministry stresses the need to spare the region the repercussions of these unjustified attacks and to work towards de-escalation in order to restore regional and international security and stability," the statement continued.

"It also reiterates the State of Qatar's full solidarity with the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and its support for all measures they take to preserve their sovereignty and security," it added.

President Donald Trump is continuing to project confidence that a final nuclear agreement with Iran remains within reach despite months of slow-moving diplomacy, unresolved disputes over uranium enrichment and a ceasefire that appeared at risk of unraveling over the weekend.

"We're in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal," Trump told reporters after attending the third game of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, adding that it would come in "two or three days." 

Trump has suggested dozens of times over the past two months that a deal is just around the corner, yet little public evidence has emerged that the sides have bridged the core disputes that have complicated negotiations. Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, the president has said a deal was close at least 38 times, according to a CNN count. 

Despite months of predictions that a deal was imminent, negotiations remain publicly deadlocked over uranium enrichment, sanctions relief and Iran's growing stockpile of enriched uranium. Yet administration officials and outside analysts say a combination of economic pressure on Iran, a fragile but surviving ceasefire and the high costs of renewed conflict may explain why Trump continues to believe an agreement is achievable.

In May alone, Trump said a deal was "largely negotiated," later suggested he was making a "final determination" and now says an agreement could arrive within days. 

Former National Security Council official Michael Singh said Trump's confidence likely reflects both the president's negotiating style and the reality that neither Washington nor Iran appears eager to abandon diplomacy despite recent military exchanges.

"Projecting optimism is part of President Trump's MO," Singh told Fox News Digital, adding that despite recent military exchanges, "we don't see either side really pursuing any alternative with any kind of determination."

In announcing the ceasefire April 7, Trump said talks were "very far along" but it would take two weeks for "the Agreement to be finalized and consummated."

"Both sides, Israel and Iran, are looking to do an immediate CEASEFIRE! Final negotiations on ‘Peace’ are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way. The Blockade will remain in place, and in full force and effect, until a ‘Final Deal’ is reached. Things should move quickly," Trump posted on Truth Social Monday. 

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Admiral Mark Montgomery (Ret.) joined "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday to discuss escalating U.S.-Iran tensions after Tehran shot down a U.S. military Apache helicopter.

Montgomery said "full scale" attacks on Iran may be back on the table after the incident.

Trump already ordered a wave of strikes against 20 targets in Iran in response to the shoot-down.

U.S. peace talks with Iran continue Wednesday despite President Donald Trump's threats to escalate attacks on Tehran, a senior White House official confirmed to Fox News Digital.

"The talks still continue," the official said.

"The U.S. responded to the attack on the Apache helicopter and he’ll keep exerting maximum pressure to get a deal done," the official added.

Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump suggested he may order the U.S. military to begin targeting Iranian power plants and bridges on Wednesday.

Trump made the statement in an interview with Fox News' Trey Yingst, saying Iranian leadership has been dragging their feet on peace negotiations.

"I may keep going," Trump said. "They had a chance to sign a deal and survive."

He added that Tehran has been "tapping the U.S. along" in peace talks that have ultimately made little progress.

President Donald Trump offered new details about the shoot-down of a U.S. Apache helicopter by Iran on Wednesday.

Trump told Fox News' Trey Yingst in an interview that the Iranian drone that hit the helicopter got "lodged between the two pilots." He said the drone was on fire but did not explode as the pilots brought the helicopter down into the water.

Trump said the survival of the two pilots was a "miracle."

The president went on to say that he is considering wider military action against Iran as peace talks have failed to make progress, saying he is getting closer to targeting Iran's power plants and bridges.

"I may keep going," Trump said. "They had a chance to sign a deal and survive."

President Donald Trump called out the "fake news media" for allegedly failing to report on the effectiveness of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports Tuesday.

Trump made the statement on his Truth Social account, calling his weeks-long blockade a "STEEL WALL."

"The Fake News Media refuses to report how EFFECTIVE the U.S. Naval BLOCKADE is, the most successful Blockade in the history of Naval Warfare. NOTHING GETS THROUGH unless we want it to. IT IS A STEEL WALL!" Trump wrote.

"Iran is doing ZERO business, not paying their military, or any of their bills, and quickly becoming a FAILED NATION! Lots of oil is getting out. Praise be to Allah!" he added.

President Donald Trump lashed out at Iranian leadership on social media on Tuesday, saying they were "all talk."

"Iran’s Military is a complete and total mess. Much of it, like their Navy and Air Force, doesn’t even exist anymore - They have been completely defeated," Trump wrote.

"Iran is all talk and no action. The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!! They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!" he added.

His statement came as Fox News foreign correspondent Trey Yingst reported that Qatari negotiators traveled to Tehran on Tuesday morning to meet with the Iranians in an effort to bridge the remaining gaps in the negotiation process, according to a diplomat with knowledge of the situation.

U.S. Army Special Forces veteran Jim Hanson discussed U.S. strikes on Iran on Tuesday, saying Iran's hardliners are sabotaging a peace deal.

Speaking during an appearance on "Jesse Watters Primetime," Hanson suggested the Iranian people should be able to remove Iran's radical leadership.

A senior U.S. official told Fox News that 20 targets inside Iran were hit Tuesday night.

While CENTCOM said the U.S. strikes have ended, the situation remains “active,” and the U.S. military is prepared to respond if Iran retaliates, the official said.

President Donald Trump defended the strikes as necessary and "powerful" in a statement to ABC News' Jonathan Karl.

"I think it's very important to respond. They shot down a helicopter, and we are responding as we speak," he said Tuesday.

Trump said the strikes were a direct response to Iran's actions.

"This is a response to what they did they did with our helicopter last night, and I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that's what this one is," he added.

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.