Trump says Iran’s military ‘decimated,’ but still not declaring war over

Top Iranian official Ali Larijani, and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani were both killed overnight, according to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Larijani was targeted in an Israeli strike, a senior Israeli Official told Fox News. 

And multiple Basij figures were targeted in an effort involving the U.S. and Israel, according to a senior Israeli official. “Over a dozen Basij officials were targeted in Iran last night in different strikes, including the head of the Basij forces Gholamreza Soleimani. This was a joint U.S. and Israeli effort,” the official noted. "A strike in Tehran targeted the Basij commander and around a dozen others, including the most senior figures in the Basij forces—people with a lot of blood on their hands."

The killings come more than two weeks into the war effort against the Islamic Republic being waged by the U.S. and Israel.

Fox News Digital's Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report

Multiple Basij officials, including top figure Gholamreza Soleimani, have been targeted in strikes, according to a senior Israeli official.

“Over a dozen Basij officials were targeted in Iran last night in different strikes, including the head of the Basij forces Gholamreza Soleimani. This was a joint U.S. and Israeli effort,” the official noted. "A strike in Tehran targeted the Basij commander and around a dozen others, including the most senior figures in the Basij forces—people with a lot of blood on their hands."

A battle damage assessment is ongoing to determine which individuals were killed or injured. 

The news comes more than two weeks since the U.S. commander in chief, President Donald Trump, launched a war against Iran in conjunction with Israel, a key U.S. ally.

Fox News' Trey Yingst contributed to this report

Top Iranian official Ali Larijani was targeted in an Israeli strike, a Senior Israeli Official told Fox News. Battle damage assessment is ongoing.  

The news comes more than two weeks since the U.S. and Israel launched a war against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Larijani serves as Iran's secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. He was walking around Tehran during the pro-regime protest on Friday. The Israelis considered him the de-facto leader of Iran right now. 

The U.S. government had indicated that it would offer a reward for information on Larijani.

"Rewards for Justice is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on the key leaders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its component branches," rewardsforjustice.net notes. "Under this reward offer, RFJ is seeking information on the following individuals," the webpage notes, listing Larijani, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, and others.

Fox News Digital's Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report

Rockets and drones were ​launched at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, ‌on Tuesday, according to a report.

The attack, which included at least five drones from areas around the city, was the most intense barrage since ​the start of the U.S.-Israel war on ​Iran, Iraqi security sources told Reuters.

A witness observed at least three drones ⁠heading in the direction of the embassy, according to the outlet.

The ​C-RAM air defense system intercepted two of the drones ​while a third struck inside the embassy compound, where fire and smoke were seen rising, the witness said.

Another witness said an ​explosion was heard in Baghdad.

This comes as Iranian-backed militias have been attacking U.S. interests in Iraq in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes that began late last month, triggering a wider conflict in the Middle East.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The U.S. average for retail diesel prices exceeded $5 a gallon for only the second time ever on Monday, as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran harms the supply of the industrial fuel, according to fuel ‌markets tracker GasBuddy.

The only other time diesel ​retail prices moved past that mark was in December 2022, when global oil markets were still feeling the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February of that year.

The war against Iran has disrupted global diesel supply chains, as the Middle ​East is a major supplier of both the fuel and the type of crude oil ‌most suitable ⁠for its production.

Iran's blocking of the Strait of Hormuz impacts between 10% to 20% of total global seaborne diesel supplies.

The U.S. ​national average for ⁠gasoline prices was $3.76 a gallon as of Monday night, the highest since October 2023, according to GasBuddy data.

"Until we see a meaningful resumption of oil flows ⁠through ​the Strait of Hormuz, upward pressure on fuel ​prices is likely to persist," Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said on Monday.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile about 23 nautical miles, or about 26 miles, east of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.

"A Tanker has reported being struck by an unknown projectile whilst at anchor," the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said.

There were no injuries to crew members.

Minor structural damage was reported. No environmental impact was reported.

The incident remains under investigation.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) shared a new video on social media Monday showing flight operations aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier.

The footage includes scenes from the carrier’s flight tower, where one crew member scans the horizon through binoculars while another writes operational information on a window used as a dry-erase board.

From the flight deck, the video shows aircraft landing, launching from the catapult and taxiing across the carrier.

“Teamwork makes it ALL work aboard an aircraft carrier launching flight operations!” CENTCOM wrote on X.

Iran and its proxies carried out attacks across the Middle East on Monday, striking Israel with ballistic missiles, hitting a high-profile hotel in Baghdad with a drone and causing major flight disruptions at Dubai International Airport.

Fox News correspondent Nate Foy reported that an Iranian drone struck the Al Rashid Hotel in Baghdad’s Green Zone, a location where diplomats often stay. The drone hit the top floor of the building, sparking a fire.

Another Iranian drone caused flight disruptions at Dubai International Airport.

Iran also attacked Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates throughout the day.

Before those strikes, debris from an intercepted missile caused damage in Jerusalem just blocks from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the historic site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Monday rejected claims by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that it had destroyed several American fighter jets in the region, calling the claim false.

In a post on X, CENTCOM wrote, “Iran’s IRGC claims it recently destroyed several U.S. fighter jets based in the region using missiles and drones. LIE.”

“No U.S. fighter jets have been struck by Iran,” CENTCOM added. “In fact, U.S. Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps fighter aircraft continue to demonstrate unmatched lethality and air superiority during strike waves into Iran.”

The U.S. military is deploying additional forces to the Middle East as tensions rise around the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian drones, mines and missiles have severely restricted access to the critical shipping corridor.

Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported that roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines based in Japan are being sent aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, though it could take about 10 days for the vessel to reach the region.

Only 15 cargo vessels passed through the strait between Feb. 28 and March 12, according to Griffin, underscoring how the conflict has slowed traffic through one of the world’s most important oil transit routes.

Late Friday, with oil markets closed, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) unleashed waves of missiles and warplanes for two hours, hitting 90 military targets on Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export hub. For now, President Trump says he's decided to spare Iran's oil infrastructure.

“This is a paper tiger that we're dealing with,” he said.

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

About 200 U.S. service members have been injured since the start of Operation Epic Fury, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins told Fox News.

Operation Epic Fury began in the early hours of Feb. 28, when CENTCOM launched a campaign targeting military infrastructure, including missile systems, air defenses and naval assets.

Hawkins said the vast majority of the injuries have been minor and that more than 180 troops have already returned to duty.

Ten service members remain seriously wounded, according to CENTCOM.

Fox News’ Liz Friden contributed to this report.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pushed back on a CNBC reporter's characterization of global oil shortages Monday during an appearance on CNBC's "Squawk Box," arguing that some media coverage is misrepresenting the size of the supply gap created by disruptions in the Persian Gulf.

Speaking with CNBC anchor Brian Sullivan, Bessent disputed the suggestion that the release of Russian oil shipments represented only a minimal contribution to global supply.

"No, no, but that’s bad framing," Bessent said after Sullivan described the oil as equivalent to roughly one and a half days of global supply. "Good framing is that there was about 20 million a day coming out of the Gulf."

The exchange came as global energy markets react to escalating tensions involving Iran and disruptions near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical shipping routes for oil and natural gas.

Find out what else Bessent said regarding global oil.

This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News Digital’s CJ Womack.

As the war with Iran dominates the region's attention, Hamas is quietly reasserting control inside Gaza, according to videos and photos circulating on social media. An Israeli analyst and a Gazan political commentator say the developments raise fresh doubts about whether postwar plans for the enclave can move forward anytime soon.

Michael Milshtein, a senior analyst at the Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University, said Hamas has used the past two and a half weeks not only to rehabilitate militarily but to project visible control in public life.

"They are really making good use of them to establish their power in the public sphere, not just for military rehabilitation," Milshtein said, describing what he said were new recruits, police deployments and even parades in central Gaza. "Hamas is here to stay."

He said Gazans have reported that Hamas is also rebuilding the machinery of governance. "Their police are everywhere," he said. "They are also improving their taxation system." During Ramadan, he added, Hamas personnel were checking markets and mosques and "starting to build education systems."

Find out more about how Hamas is reasserting control in Gaza.

This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter.

The war in Iran is pushing oil and gas prices higher, and while the world economy faces a shock from energy prices, an analysis by Goldman Sachs finds that the conflict is unlikely to lead to a broader supply chain crisis like what occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Economists at Goldman Sachs found that the Iran war is expected to lead to higher oil prices that will reduce global economic growth by 0.3% of GDP while increasing headline inflation by about 0.5 to 0.6 percentage points over the next year, with a smaller 0.1 to 0.2 percentage point boost to core inflation.

The report noted that risks are skewed toward larger impacts as long as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to shipping. The strait is a narrow choke point that shipping traffic from the Persian Gulf must pass through to access global sea lanes.

Goldman Sachs assessed that global central banks will be particularly sensitive to inflation concerns in the wake of the supply chain disruptions that occurred due to the pandemic and were a key contributor to a surge in inflation. However, the economists' analysis sees the Iran war supply shock as being limited to energy as opposed to the broader supply chain.

Find out what Goldman Sachs is basing its prediction on.

This is an excerpt from a story by FOX Business’ Eric Revell.

President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran is “talking to our people” and wants to make a deal, after a report that a direct communications channel between the U.S. and Tehran has recently been reactivated.

Axios reported that a direct communications channel between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has been revived in recent days as the conflict between the U.S. and Iran continues.

When asked about the report, a White House official pointed Fox News to Trump’s remarks earlier Monday suggesting that Iranian officials are seeking negotiations.

“They want to make a deal. They're talking to our people,” Trump said when asked about potential negotiations with Tehran.

Trump made the remarks while responding to a question from Fox News Radio’s Jared Halpern about what a potential agreement with Iran might look like as the conflict enters its third week.

President Donald Trump said Monday the war with Iran will end soon, arguing military action was necessary to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons and warning the economic consequences would be far worse if Iran were allowed to launch nuclear strikes.

Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Trump about past statements that Iran’s navy had been “totally obliterated” and whether the U.S. could wrap up the war this week.

“Yeah, sure,” Trump said, before Doocy asked whether it would happen.

“Well, I don't think so, but it'll be soon. It won't be long,” Trump said. “We're going to have a much safer world. I had an obligation to do this. I didn't want to.”

“We had the highest stock market in history. We had low gas prices. Everything was good,” he continued. “People are going to raise the price of oil. But that's a very small thing compared to allowing them to have… you want to see a stock market go down, start letting them hit you with nukes.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that Germany will not take part in military efforts to secure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, saying the war in the Middle East is not a matter for NATO.

“We will not participate in ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz by military means,” he wrote in a post on X. “The war in the Middle East is not a matter for NATO. Therefore, Germany will also not become involved militarily.”

Merz’s remarks come as President Donald Trump has urged countries affected by disruptions to global oil supplies to assist in securing the strait, which separates Iran from the Arabian Peninsula.

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that during one of its first strikes on Friday, it struck and dismantled the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) headquarters in Tehran.

The headquarters was inside an Iranian regime military compound and was used by senior naval commanders for years to manage operational activity while also advancing maritime terrorist operations against Israel and other Middle Eastern countries.

The IRGC’s navy is responsible for executing terrorist attacks against civilian-operated vessels, as well as arming and financing proxy terror groups by transferring weapons by sea.

The IDF’s latest strike on the headquarters only degrades the IRGC’s navy command and control capabilities even more. The strike also further impairs the force’s ability to execute terrorist activities against Israel, threaten international trade routes and limit maritime freedom of navigation.

A new terrorist group with suspected links to the Iranian regime emerged in Europe last week. Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya (The Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right) has claimed responsibility for four attacks on Jewish targets across the continent.

A synagogue in Liège, Belgium, was the first target of an explosive attack on Monday. An arson attack on a Rotterdam synagogue followed overnight on Friday and an explosive device was set off at a Jewish school in Amsterdam the next evening.

Several sources have linked an additional attack at a Jewish site in Greece on Wednesday with the group, though no specifics were given about the target or method of attack.

Joe Truzman, senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and editor of the FDD’s Long War Journal, told Fox News Digital that when he saw the statement from the organization following their Monday attack, he "thought it was a little bit amateurish." Truzman said that after videos from the group became to emerge, he "realized that there's probably something more here to this organization."

Find out what else Truzman said about the new terrorist group.

This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News Digital’s Beth Bailey.