Cargo ship hit by projectile in Strait of Hormuz while Iran launches fresh attacks on Middle East

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Bangladesh has asked the U.S. government for permission to purchase oil from Russia, as supply shortages and rising crude oil prices persist while the war with Iran continues.

The request came as Bangladesh’s Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury met on Wednesday with the U.S. Ambassador to Dhaka Brent T. Christensen.

The U.S. sanctioned Russian oil after Moscow launched an invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 during the Biden administration.

Bangladesh heavily relies on fuel imports from the Middle East, and the government started rationing fuel for vehicles after the war began.

The country has closed a fertilizer factory to keep fuel flowing to power plants, and universities were closed in an effort to reduce energy consumption.

Bangladesh is also working to bring fuel from alternative sources, such as India, which has already supplied 5,000 tons of diesel as an emergency measure through a cross-border pipeline.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Oil prices increased on Thursday as Iran intensified attacks on oil and transport facilities across the Middle East amid ongoing conflict in the region, ‌raising concerns about disruptions to the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz.

Brent futures ‌jumped $8.54, or 9.28%, to $100.52 a barrel, and West Texas Intermediate crude rose $7.22, or 8.28%, to $94.47.

Brent ​reached $119.50 a barrel on Monday, its highest since 2022, before dropping when U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the war on Iran could end soon.

Before Trump's remarks, the price for a barrel of Brent crude rose to more than $107 on Sunday after trading resumed on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, a 16.5% jump from its Friday closing price of $92.69. West Texas Intermediate, produced in the U.S., was up to about $106.22 a barrel on Sunday, a 16.9% increase from when it closed on Friday at $90.90.

"Get ready for oil to be $200 a barrel, because the oil price depends on regional security, which you have destabilised," a spokesperson for Iran's military command said on Wednesday.

Reuters contributed to this report.

CitiBank announced on Thursday it would shutter nearly all its branches — with one exception — after a threat by Iran to target financial institutions in the United Arab Emirates.

The company said it made the decision "given the evolving situation within the country."

Other financial institutions have urged staff to work from home in response to the threat, according to reports.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The first week of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran cost the U.S. an estimated $11.3 billion, the Pentagon said in a briefing to Congress earlier this week.

The Pentagon earlier reported spending $5 billion on munitions alone over the first weekend of the conflict.

The Trump administration had previously suggested it would be asking Congress for supplemental funding for the war, but that request appears to have lost steam, at least for now.

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Wednesday that he was not expecting the supplemental request to be made this month.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior said Iran struck its fuel tanks located near Bahrain International Airport, which started a fire.

The Iranian attack hit fuel tanks at a facility in the Muharraq Governorate, the ministry said on X.

Those in the area were urged to remain in their homes and close windows and ventilation openings as a precautionary measure against possible exposure to smoke, as fire officials worked to put out the blaze.

Authorities also shut down roads in the area and directed drivers to take alternative routes.

Bahrain’s Civil Aviation Affairs said it relocated several Gulf Air aircraft and cargo planes to alternative airports, including sites in Saudi Arabia, in response to the threat.

The Saudi Arabia Ministry of Defense said it knocked down three more drone strikes, after earlier downing 18 unmanned aerial vehicles across the nation's eastern territories.

The ministry said on X that its military had intercepted two drones over the Empty Quarter desert that were reportedly targeting the Shaybah oil field when they were shot down.

The ministry subsequently stated that it had taken down two additional drones in the eastern region.

The United Arab Emirates said its air defense systems were activated in response to a reported missile threat amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East.

The UAE urged people to remain in a safe space.

Air defenses are now dealing with a missile threat. Please remain in a safe place and follow the warnings and updates on official websites," the UAE's National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said on X.

Oman's critical oil export terminal was evacuated, and two crude tankers were hit in Iraq's waters.

Vessels were directed to leave the port of Mina Al Fahal in Oman as a precautionary measure, according to Bloomberg, citing people who directly received a notice from a port agent.

The attacks on the vessels off the coast of Iraq also led to the country's oil terminals suspending operations.

This, as threats to global energy supply due to the war in the Middle East continue to worsen.

Iraq has stopped operations at all the country's oil terminals after a strike on its Basra port early Thursday killed at least one person, according to officials.

Farhan al-Fartousi, the director-general of the General Company for Ports of Iraq, said the attack targeted a ship engaged in a ship-to-ship transfer of oil in the Basra port on the Persian Gulf, the state-run Iraqi News Agency reported.

Al-Fartousi said it was unclear if the ship was targeted by airborne or seaborne drone attack.

He noted that commercial ports in Iraq remained open, even as the oil terminals have been shut down.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Israeli Defense Forces intercepted rockets over Tel Aviv amid ongoing regional conflict in the Middle East, video footage shows.

Iran and Hezbollah were coordinating strikes on Wednesday, firing on Israel simultaneously, a senior IDF official told Fox News correspondent Nate Foy.

Michigan-based medical device company Stryker announced on Thursday it is experiencing a "global network disruption" to its Microsoft suite following a cyberattack that may have ties to a pro-Iranian group.

Fox News spoke to a Stryker employee based in Boise, Idaho, who confirmed the attack and said they were unable to access their network.

The employee said they were advised to avoid connecting to any Stryker VPN networks or software on any device, and coworkers' work phones were wiped Wednesday morning.

In a message to customers, Stryker confirmed it is experiencing a global network disruption to its Microsoft environment as a result of a cyberattack.

"We have no indication of ransomware or malware and believe the incident is contained," Stryker wrote. "Our teams are working rapidly to understand the impact of the attack on our systems."

A pro-Iranian hacktivist group later took to social media to claim responsibility for the cyberattack.

The hackers, who alleged Stryker was a "Zionist-rooted corporation," claimed 200,000 systems were affected and 50 terabytes of data were extracted.

Stryker has not yet confirmed the group's involvement.

This is an excerpt of an article by Fox News Digital's Alex Koch and Danamarie McNicholl.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that reports of a potential Iranian revenge plot involving drones launched from offshore targeting California are being investigated.

Speaking to reporters in an Air Force One underwing gaggle, Trump was asked by Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy about a law-enforcement bulletin warning of a possible Iranian drone attack scenario.

“It’s being investigated,” Trump said. “You have a lot of things happening, and all we can do is take them as they come.”

Trump also said he had been briefed about potential Iranian sleeper cells inside the United States, claiming authorities are monitoring them closely.

“We know where most of them are,” Trump said. “We’ve got our eyes on all of them.”

The president argued some entered the country during the Biden administration’s immigration policies.

Trump also said the U.S. military campaign against Iran is overwhelming Tehran’s forces.

“Iran is being absolutely decimated,” he said.Trump added that Iranian naval and air capabilities have been largely destroyed and said the U.S. is monitoring the Strait of Hormuz as the conflict continues.“

We’ve knocked out all of their boats,” he said. “I think we’re in very good shape.”

Iran and Hezbollah are coordinating attacks and firing simultaneously at Israel, a senior Israeli Defense Forces official told Fox News Wednesday night.

Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst reported an explosion in Tel Aviv after alerts warned of incoming missile fire from Iran.

At the same time, Hezbollah launched a heavy rocket barrage from Lebanon.

A senior IDF official told Fox News that around 100 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon into northern Israel within about an hour, prompting Israeli retaliatory strikes.

Fox News correspondent Nate Foy, reporting from Tel Aviv on "Special Report," said the latest volley brings the total to about 850 rockets and drones fired by Hezbollah over the past eight days since the group entered the war.

Israeli forces are now striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and the Dahya neighborhood of southern Beirut.

Hezbollah earlier signaled it planned to expand its attacks against Israel, while Iran continues missile and drone strikes across the region as the conflict escalates.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran “doesn’t know what the h--- hit them” after U.S. military strikes during Operation Epic Fury.

Speaking at Verst Logistics in Kentucky, Trump described the conflict as an “excursion” aimed at eliminating “very evil people.”

“By the end of the year, we did an excursion. Do you know what an excursion is?” Trump said. “We had to take a little trip to get rid of some evil, very evil people.”

Trump argued the confrontation was long overdue, saying Iran had been responsible for attacks on Americans for decades.

“It should have been done for 47 years. They've been killing our people — 47 years,” he said.

“They don’t know what the h--- hit them. They got hit by the American military,” Trump added.

“They say, ‘What the h--- is happening?’ They didn’t expect anything like this.”

Retired FBI Supervisory agent Jason Pack said reports about a potential Iranian drone threat circulating among law enforcement agencies should be viewed in the context of how intelligence sharing works in the United States.

Sharing analysis with Fox News Digital, Pack said the FBI began rapidly sharing raw intelligence with federal, state and local partners through Joint Terrorism Task Forces after the Sept. 11 attacks, often before information is fully verified.

“That is still how it works today,” Pack wrote.According to Pack, intelligence suggesting a possible threat is quickly passed to JTTF partners nationwide so agencies can prepare if a situation develops.

“The Iranian drone threat reporting appears to fall into that category,” he said, adding that such intelligence is often “raw” and shared “in an abundance of caution.”

Pack emphasized that possible threats are not the same as probable ones.

“When raw intelligence leaks before it has been vetted, the public hears the alarm without the context,” he wrote. “That creates undue concern.”

He added that the early sharing of intelligence is not unusual but part of standard procedures designed to ensure authorities are prepared if a threat emerges.

Three brothers have been arrested for the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Norway, an alleged attack in which no one was injured.

The brothers were taken into custody in Oslo and are Norwegian citizens of Iraqi origin in their 20s, authorities said Wednesday, Reuters reported. 

"They are suspected of a terror bombing," Police Attorney Christian Hatlo told reporters.

"We believe they detonated a powerful bomb at the U.S. embassy with the intention of taking lives or causing significant damage," he added.

The bomb, an improvised explosive device (IED), went off Sunday and damaged the entrance to the embassy's consular section.

Investigators were still trying to determine a motive for that attack, one of which would be an act of terrorism, authorities said.

"We believe they detonated a powerful bomb at the U.S. embassy with the intention of taking lives or causing significant damage," Hatlo said.

Authorities believe one of the men planted the bomb while the two others took part in the plot, Hatlo said.

Police have reinforced security measures and have increased their presence around the embassy. 

This is an excerpt of an article by Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that countries around the world will release 400 million barrels of oil from national petroleum reserves in a coordinated effort to stabilize global energy markets amid the war with Iran.

Speaking during remarks at Verst Logistics in Kentucky, Trump said the International Energy Agency agreed earlier in the day to coordinate the move.

“But I'm pleased to report that earlier today, the International Energy Agency agreed to coordinate the release of a record 400 million barrels of oil from various national petroleum reserves around the world, which will substantially reduce the oil prices,” Trump said.

The announcement comes as oil markets have been rattled by fighting in the Middle East and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global energy shipments.

Trump also said the U.S. military campaign against Iran has dealt a severe blow to the country’s capabilities.

“Over the past 11 days, our military has virtually destroyed Iran,” the president said. “It's a tough country.”