President Donald Trump ruled out using a nuclear weapon on Iran, calling it a "stupid question" because the country's military has been defeated.
Trump was taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office when he was asked about the potential escalation of force.
"Well, I would never say. That, but the answer is yes, I ruled out," he said. "I ruled it out there's no reason for it."
"What a stupid question that is," he added. "Actually, here they are. They're totally defeated militarily. So now I defeat him, and now I should use a nuclear weapon on top of them. What a stupid question."
A U.S.-affiliated oil company will take over several oil fields previously controlled by Chinese companies and a Russian firm, officials said, according to Reuters.
North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP) could pave the way for significant relief in American oil markets as the ongoing war with Iran has kept prices at the pump elevated. NABEP was previously owned by U.S. oil tycoon Harry Sargeant and is now controlled by Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt, according to Reuters.
Reuters reported that the takeover is part of the sweeping deal President Donald Trump announced last week, under which Venezuela agreed to give the U.S. majority control over 65 billion barrels of oil from the nation’s reserves.
NABEP, a privately held oil company and the second-largest private Venezuelan oil producer, was granted 100-year concessions for 17 oil fields containing proven reserves.
The company is expected to pay $200 billion in royalties and taxes over the first 25 years, according to the White House.
NABEP will also grant the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital a 35% equity stake in its corporate parent, officials said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
In a rare move against an Iran-backed proxy, an Iraqi court has sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for his role in the late-March kidnapping of American journalist Shelly Kittleson.
Kittleson announced the verdict against Amir Rahim Jabar Lazim on Monday, noting that Lazim was convicted under Iraq’s Anti-Terrorism Law as one of several armed men who took her hostage in Baghdad on March 31.
“I am grateful to the Iraqi judiciary for its attention to my case, as well as to all those who helped get me out alive. And, of course, to those who love Iraq as much as I do and try to build a better future for it,” Kittleson said in a post on X.
The incident was captured on viral surveillance footage showing what appeared to be Kittleson being forced into a vehicle at a busy intersection. U.S. officials previously linked her capture to the Iran-aligned militia group Kata’ib Hezbollah.
Kittleson was then freed in April, Secretary of State Marco Rubio later announced, thanking Iraqi authorities for securing her release.
Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}}Iranian leaders believe the can "outlast" the United States and are hoping President Donald Trump comes out of the upcoming midterms elections in a weaker position, Fox News senior strategic analyst Ret. Gen. Jack Keane said.
As the country struggles to maintain is economy amid harsher U.S. sanctions, Tehran believes it can wait until the elections in hopes that Democrats pick up congressional seats and Trump loses support support for the ongoing war, Keane told "Special Report."
"I think the Iranian threat will continue their aggression as we get closer to the midterms, and maybe increase it... because they clearly want President Trump to lose these midterm elections and be in a weaker position," he said. "They think in their minds they can outlast us, that time is on their side."
During an appearance on FOX Business' "Kudlow," Keane said Iranian leaders don't care about the suffering of Iranians, but only about holding together the leadership infrastructure that sustains the regime.
U.S. strikes over the weekend targeted two Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the Strait of Hormuz, the first such strikes in a month.
Iranian forces were preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the strait when U.S. forces targeted Larak Island, U.S. Central Command said.
CENTCOM said it had completed clearing sea mines from the strait last week.
In response, Iran launched eight ballistic missiles targeting U.S. bases in Jordan, all of which were intercepted, Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin told "America Reports."
The United Arab Emirates also intercepted an Iranian projectile.
On Saturday, an oil tanker in the strait was hit by an Iranian anti-ship cruise missile—the seventh ship struck by Iranian projectiles since July 14.
An oil tanker was struck Monday by three unknown projectiles while transiting out of the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said.
The incident happened east of port city of Khasab, Oman, said the UKMTO, which tracks maritime activity.
No casualties or damage was reported.
{{#rendered}}Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump, a senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Driscoll is expected to depart the Pentagon in the coming days.
The move also comes amid ongoing tension with War Secretary Pete Hegseth, the outlet reported.
This is an excerpt from a report by Sophia Compton and Jennifer Griffin.
A new report from a leading think tank has revealed what it says is a partially submerged Iranian uranium facility at the Natanz nuclear compound in Iran.
The revelation of the secretive facility raises new concerns over whether Iran’s nuclear weapons apparatus was destroyed during the two American-Israeli-launched wars against the regime in 2025 and 2026.
The Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) announced in late August that it has located an underground Iranian facility that is likely linked to uranium enrichment for the possible use in production of atomic weapons.
It wrote that "The facility does not appear to have been targeted in the military actions of either 2025 or 2026. Since the June 2025 war, no vehicle activity has been observed at the facility in available satellite imagery."
According to the institute, "The Institute has identified a separately enclosed, partially below-ground, bunkered building at the Natanz Nuclear Complex that was likely intended to serve as uranium hexafluoride… storage facility to support large-scale uranium enrichment at the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant. The bunkered structure was constructed between 2010 and 2017, with the bulk of construction occurring between 2015 and 2017."
It further added that "The lesson for today is that any temporary enrichment ban must include a dismantlement and dissolution of remaining capabilities and must not allow for any type of preparatory activity for the end of a ban."
This is an excerpt from an article by Benjamin Weinthal.
Stocks fell and the price of oil rose Monday at the close on Wall Street following this past weekend's U.S. military strike against Iran.
Nearly every sector within the benchmark S&P 500 finished in the red. Energy stocks, though, notched gains. Exxon Mobil rose 2.7% and Chevron rose 2.1%, The Associated Press reported.
The bad news followed strikes over the weekend in the Strait of Hormuz, the first U.S. strike against Tehran in a month.
The war has curtailed traffic in the strait, which accounts for 20% of the world's oil shipments, the AP reported.
{{#rendered}}President Donald Trump is weighing the resumption of limited strikes in the Strait of Hormuz following the gunfire exchange between U.S. and Iranian forces over the weekend.
One official told Axios that the plan is to reduce the risk of Iranian attacks on oil tankers, U.S. Navy ships and Air Force aircraft.
"The President retains all options at his disposal," the White House said. "The Iranians want to make a deal, but they are always a day late and a dollar short."
Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his brothers are donating $500,000 to fund the training of 11 pediatric West Bank doctors and 36 nurses at a Tel Aviv hospital.
The donation is aimed at opening the first pediatric healthcare facility in the northern West Bank, the Times of Israel reported.
“Kids and families get great care and doctors and nurses train together learning from each other, building hopefully a lifetime of trust,” he told Politico.
However, Israeli lawmaker Knesset Health Committee Chair Limor Son Har-Melech said she plans to block the initiative.
“The Israeli health system is intended first and foremost for Israeli citizens. I will not allow its resources to be used to build the enemy’s healthcare system,” Har-Melech she wrote on X.
A Hama commander in charge of supplying weapons to to terrorists in Gaza was killed in a recent Israeli attack, thew Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Monday.
Omar Mohammed Roshdy Saraj, a Hamas commander in the Gaza City supply & maintenance company, was eliminated, the IDF said, in an effort to curb the threat to Israeli forces and civilians.
"Recently, the terrorists advanced attacks against IDF troops & Israeli civilians & operated to rehabilitate the capabilities of Hamas. They were struck in order to remove the threat they posed," the IDF wrote on X.
In his role, Saraj managed the supply of weapons to Hamas terrorists in the Gaza City area, the IDF said.
In the same strike, an operative in the military wing of Hamas was also struck, it said.
{{#rendered}}The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said that it intercepted an Iranian drone over its waters Monday, a day after U.S. and Iranian forces exchanged gunfire.
In a statement, the UAE Defense Ministry said it “dealt with” an Iranian drone that was detected over its waters approaching from Iran, The Associated Press reported.
No damage was reported.
“This dangerous escalation constitutes a blatant violation of the UAE’s sovereignty, security, and stability, and a direct threat to the safety of its citizens and residents,” the UAE Foreign Ministry said.
The country's Defense Ministry later later denied a claim by the Iranian army that the Al Minhad Air Base in Dubai had been targeted, saying it was false.
President Donald Trump will meet with refiners and oil distributors on Tuesday to discuss expanding refining capacity and lowering gas prices.
“President Trump is laser-focused on ensuring his successful energy dominance agenda translates into the most cost savings possible at the pump for consumers," the White House said Monday.
"As part of that commitment, the President will meet with industry leaders to collaborate on the best ways to increase refining capacity, further unleash American energy dominance across the entire supply chain, and bring down prices for the American people," the White House added.
The deployment of the 82nd airborne in the Middle East has been extended to a full year, two U.S. Army officials tell Fox News.
About 2,000 soldiers from the 82nd airborne first deployed to the region in March. The extended deployment was announced Sunday by division Commander Maj. Gen. Brandon R. Tegtmeier.
The extension is due to "operational requirements," according to a letter to military families obtained by Fox.
The division's headquarters, members of artillery units, the sustainment brigade, and air defense troops will be in the region for a full year, according to the Army. Paratroopers and the division's combat aviation brigade have had their tours extended for up to a full year.
Fox News' Liz Friden contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}}The Department of War announced seven-year agreements with General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems and Lockheed Martin aimed at rapidly expanding U.S. missile-defense manufacturing capacity.
The agreements are designed to triple production capacity for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement, or PAC-3 MSE, interceptors and quadruple capacity for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, interceptors.
“Today’s announcement represents an example of the evolution of how we partner with industry to expand the Arsenal of Freedom, outpace emerging threats, and ensure the Warfighter never faces a fair fight,” Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey wrote in a statement. “General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin have answered the call.
"We are cutting red tape, shortening timelines, and rapidly scaling our domestic manufacturing capacity to deliver the advanced air and missile defense capabilities.”
General Dynamics will scale up production of specialized interceptor components, including motor cases, seeker housings, midsections and shroud deployment systems.
The deals, subject to annual appropriations, guarantee minimum yearly procurement quantities intended to give the defense industry confidence to invest in workers, materials and facilities.
Fox News' Liz Friden contributed to this report.
Vice President JD Vance said Monday that President Donald Trump’s recent social-media posts are meant to send a message to Iran over its alleged attacks on commercial shipping.
“The president likes to switch it up on social media a little bit,” Vance told reporters on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews, adding that Trump “would be the first to say he doesn’t make announcements about military actions on social media.”
Vance said the U.S. has “a lot of tools at our disposal” to prevent or reduce Iranian attacks on commercial vessels, and described Trump’s message as a warning to Tehran.
“You guys are shooting at commercial shipping . You guys are behaving like a terrorist country. You’ve got to stop, but there are going to be some consequences,” Vance said.
U.S. Central Command shared an image Monday showing an Air Force F-35A stealth fighter jet flying over regional waters while patrolling the skies in the Middle East.
The display of American air power comes as tensions remain elevated following renewed hostilities between the U.S. and Iran, including Iran’s missile attack on U.S. forces in Jordan after American strikes on Iranian launchers on Larak Island.
The F-35A is the Air Force’s fifth-generation stealth fighter, designed to conduct air superiority, surveillance and strike missions. CENTCOM did not disclose the aircraft’s specific location or mission details.
{{#rendered}}Major U.S. stock indexes fell at Monday’s opening bell as military exchanges between the United States and Iran pushed oil prices higher and renewed investor worries about inflation.
The drop threatens to set a sour tone for September, historically a weak month for stocks, while raising the stakes ahead of the Federal Reserve’s meeting next month.
Traders now see more than a 60% chance of a rate hike at the Fed’s September meeting, according to CME FedWatch — up sharply from 41.4% a week earlier — after Fed Chair Kevin Warsh said policymakers may have to increase borrowing costs if inflation does not return to the central bank’s 2% target.
“He took any chance of a cut off the table,” Thomas Kikis, Standard Chartered’s head of markets for the U.S. and Americas, said of Warsh.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Iran fired back with bold rhetoric Monday, vowing to respond to every U.S. attack with force “dozens of times greater,” according to a senior Iranian source who spoke with Reuters.
The source pointed to Iran’s retaliation following U.S. strikes on launchers on Larak Island, claiming it demonstrated that “no target in the region is beyond Tehran’s reach.”
Tehran also warned that conditions in the Strait of Hormuz would worsen for vessels that violate what it called Iranian rules, raising new concern for shipping through the vital energy chokepoint.
Despite the threats, the Iranian source described the latest exchange with Washington as a “limited and contained confrontation,” signaling Tehran does not currently view the renewed hostilities as a wider war.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that Iran is responding with military aggression because U.S. sanctions are inflicting economic pain on the regime.
“I would think that they are lashing out kinetically because they are losing economically,” Bessent told reporters at a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in North Carolina.
Bessent said Tehran is taking the sanctions seriously and that the Trump administration will continue exerting pressure.
He argued Iran’s economy “doesn’t have to collapse” but said the regime needs to “come to its senses.”
His comments came after Iran fired ballistic missiles at U.S. forces in Jordan following American strikes on Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps launchers on Larak Island.
The U.S. is also expected to roll out additional secondary sanctions as it seeks to deepen Tehran’s economic isolation.
Reuters contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}}U.S. Central Command rejected Iran’s claim that a supertanker struck two mines and was brought to a halt while passing through the Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had claimed the vessel was hit along the southern route of the strategic waterway.
But CENTCOM said no ships have struck mines in the strait.
“[N]o ships have hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM wrote in the X post, calling the Iranian claim “yet another IRGC attempt to intimidate regional commercial shipping through disinformation.”
The denial comes as tensions continue to mount around the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global energy-shipping chokepoint, following renewed hostilities between the U.S. and Iran.
President Donald Trump vows retaliation on Iran's strikes on U.S. bases in Jordan.
"We're going to hit them hard," Trump told Fox News' Trey Yingst in a phone call Monday.
"There will be a response."He says that U.S. forces let one missile get past air defense overnight because it wasn't going to hit anything. The other missiles were intercepted, according to the president. Still, there is a slimmer of hope for possible talks."
They want to meet so badly," Trump said. "I just don't know if you can count on a deal with them.
"The sanctions are kicking in really strongly."
Iranian officials are increasingly acknowledging the toll of U.S. sanctions and reduced oil exports, while regional intelligence sources warn that mounting economic pain could spark fresh unrest.
The Iranian rial has fallen to about 2.1 million per U.S. dollar, a historic low.
A U.S. source told Fox News that there were no significant impacts as Iran fired at least eight ballistic missiles at U.S. forces in Jordan on Sunday, following an American strike on Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps launchers on Larak Island.
U.S. forces struck after identifying preparations for an IRGC rocket launch intended to deploy new sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Central Command called it “limited, precise action” against minelaying forces posing an “imminent threat” to commercial shipping and the free flow of global commerce.
Iranian officials have acknowledged sanctions are taking a growing toll as oil exports decline, yet Tehran has shown no sign it is ready to change course or reach an agreement with Washington.
Fox News chief foreign correspondent Yingst contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump declared Iran a “Failed Nation” in a Monday Truth Social post, escalating his rhetoric as the U.S. seeks to ratchet up military and economic pressure on Tehran.
The post came around a brief call with Fox News' Trey Yingst.
“Iran is officially a Failed Nation," Trump wrote. "IT IS DEAD! They have no Navy, they have no Air Force, they have no currency, they are not paying their soldiers or police, Inflation is at 300%, and their leadership is in total disarray and incapable of properly representing the country.
"The only thing they have is FAKE NEWS from the USA, a willingness to kill their protesters (now over 100,000 people dead. They must be tried for war crimes against humanity!), and a good line of ‘BULLSH––.’ Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
The post follows renewed hostilities after Iran fired ballistic missiles at U.S. forces in Jordan, following American strikes on Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps launchers on Larak Island.
Yingst reported that Iranian officials are increasingly acknowledging the strain of sanctions and reduced oil exports, with the rial falling to roughly 2.1 million per U.S. dollar.
{{#rendered}}Oil prices rose more than 3% on Monday.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up $2.91, or 3.49%, to $86.31.
U.S. forces struck two launchers on Iran's Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, the first known American strikes on the country since late July.
In response, Iran attacked two U.S. air bases in Jordan on Sunday.
"Renewed military strikes in the Middle East and concerns of further oil supply disruptions have lifted oil prices," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo, adding that markets will focus on whether the situation de-escalates or not.
President Donald Trump is working a massive oil deal with Venezuela, but renewed hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz have caused Wall Street futures to drop.
The interest-rate outlook is turning more hawkish with inflation fears stoked.
The losses could set the tone for September, which is typically a weak month for equities, and are likely to up the ante at the U.S. Federal Reserve's meeting next month.
Traders see a nearly 60% chance of a rate hike at the September meeting, according to the CME FedWatch tool, a sharp increase from 41.4% a week ago, after Fed Chair Kevin Warsh said policymakers may need to increase interest rates if inflation doesn't ease to the central bank's 2% target.
"Chair Warsh delivered a distinctly more hawkish message than investors anticipated, making it abundantly clear that policy easing is not on the horizon," said David Chao, global market strategist, Asia Pacific, at Invesco.
Reuters contributed to this report.
The U.S. military did not target Iran’s Kharg Island in overnight strikes, a U.S. official confirmed Reuters.
The acknowledgement came after President Donald Trump’s Truth Social posts teasing the strategic oil hub “being blown to smithereens.”
Trump posted an AI-generated video depicting dramatic explosions at Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil-export terminal, in an apparent threat of retaliation amid the resumption of hostilities over the Strait of Hormuz.
An Iranian energy official called the president’s post “laughable,” saying conditions on the island were calm and oil operations continued.
The clarification comes after U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island, about 410 miles east of Kharg, following what officials said was an imminent threat from Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces preparing to use rockets carrying sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran retaliated by firing on U.S. bases in Jordan.
Kharg handled about 90% of Iran’s oil exports before the current war.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Japan’s crude oil imports rose 17% in July from a year earlier as a surge in U.S. shipments and recovering purchases from Saudi Arabia helped offset reduced supplies from other Middle Eastern producers, according to government data.
Japan imported 2.38 million barrels per day during the month, its second consecutive monthly increase despite disruptions tied to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
Imports from the Middle East fell 21.4%, though the decline eased from much steeper drops earlier this year.
U.S. crude imports jumped nearly fivefold from a year earlier to about 879,800 barrels per day, while Japan also bought oil from Ecuador, Mexico, Vietnam and South Sudan.
The Middle East supplied 58.9% of Japan’s crude in July, down from 94% for all of 2025.
Reuters contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}}A U.S. attack on Iran’s Larak Island missile launchers killed two people and injured others, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported Monday, citing a local governor.
A U.S. official said forces had attacked Larak Island on Sunday after "Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz."
Larak is a small island in the strait near the strategic Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. The strait, which normally handles a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, has been effectively blocked since the start of the war.
The reported casualties followed U.S. strikes on two Iranian launchers on the small island near the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command said its forces took “limited, precise” action against Iranian minelaying forces it said posed an “imminent threat” in the strait, a vital route for global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
Iran responded by firing on U.S. bases in Jordan, according to Iranian media and officials, as hostilities between Washington and Tehran resumed after a weeks-long lull.
Reuters contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump is working a massive oil deal with Venezuela, but renewed hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz have forced Wall Street futures to drop Monday after military clashes between the U.S. and Iran drove up oil prices
The interest-rate outlook is turning more hawkish with inflation fears stoked.
The losses could set the tone for September, which is typically a weak month for equities, and are likely to up the ante at the U.S. Federal Reserve's meeting next month.
Traders see a nearly 60% chance of a rate hike at the September meeting, according to the CME FedWatch tool, a sharp increase from 41.4% a week ago, after Fed Chair Kevin Warsh said policymakers may need to increase interest rates if inflation doesn't ease to the central bank's 2% target.
"Chair Warsh delivered a distinctly more hawkish message than investors anticipated, making it abundantly clear that policy easing is not on the horizon," said David Chao, global market strategist, Asia Pacific, at Invesco.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Tehran still seeks a negotiated solution to its conflict with the United States, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday, according to semi-official Tasnim news agency, following renewed clashes between the two countries.
Pezeshkian told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, that continued war was in no one's interest and that dialogue and cooperation were the way to resolve existing problems.
Pezeshkian also said his country would respond decisively to any aggression.
"We will never remain silent in the face of any aggression," state media quoted him as saying on Monday ahead of a visit to Kyrgyzstan.
Reuters contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}}Iran fired Sunday on two U.S. bases in Jordan after American forces struck two Iranian missile launchers on Larak Island, marking the first known exchange between the two countries since late July.
A U.S. official told Reuters the launchers were targeted after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were seen preparing to fire rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command described the action as “limited, precise” strikes against forces posing an “imminent threat” to shipping through the critical waterway.
The renewed hostilities jolted oil markets, sending prices nearly 2% higher Monday.
Iran also claimed it struck the Al Minhad air base in the United Arab Emirates and downed a U.S. drone over Gulf waters, though the UAE defense ministry denied the air-base claim and said only that its air force had engaged an Iranian drone over its territorial waters.
Reuters contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump teased Iranian targets “being blown to smithereens” in a pair of AI-generated videos posted to Truth Social as hostilities between Washington and Tehran appeared to reignite.
The videos, shared by Trump last Sunday night, were dismissed as "laughable" by an Iranian official amid the ongoing battle for the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump's post came shortly after the U.S. and Iran resumed hostilities for the first time since late July, further denting hopes for any early resolution of a conflict now in its sixth month and driving oil prices nearly 2% higher Monday.
U.S. forces on Sunday struck two Iranian launchers on Iran's Larak Island, some 660 km (410 miles) east of Kharg, a U.S. official said, prompting Iran to retaliate by attacking two U.S. bases in Jordan, according to Iranian media.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Coverage for this event has ended.