Last UpdateMarch 9, 2026, 12:16 AM EDT

The Israel Defense Forces said early Sunday that it launched a new wave of attacks across Iran, targeting Iranian regime infrastructure. President Donald Trump has called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” though Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called the demand a “dream that they should take to their grave.”

Covered by: Stephen Sorace, Jasmine Baehr, Elizabeth Pritchett, Greg Wehner and Landon Mion

FAST FACTS

• President Donald Trump on Saturday attended the dignified transfer of the six U.S. service members killed while supporting Operation Epic Fury. The dignified transfer took place at Dover Air Force Base. First lady Melania Trump and members of Trump’s Cabinet were also in attendance.
• Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to neighboring nations and said Iran would stop its attacks unless it was hit first. He also mocked President Donald Trump’s call for an “unconditional surrender,” dismissing it as a “dream that they should take to their grave.”
• Trump said Pezeshkian’s apology and promise to stop attacking neighboring countries only comes because of the “relentless U.S. and Israeli attack.” He mocked Iran as the “loser of the Middle East” and said the regime “will be hit very hard” Saturday as a result of “Iran’s bad behavior.”
• The U.S. State Department established a Crisis Intake Form for American citizens in Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Israel. Those who fill out the form will directly receive information about upcoming charter and ground transportation options. Americans in the Middle East who need assistance can call the State Department, 24/7, at +1-202-501-4444.

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9 hours ago

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Iran women’s soccer team signals distress after anthem protest

Islamic Republic of Iran pose for a team photo during the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match between Islamic Republic of Iran and Philippines at Gold Coast Stadium on March 08, 2026 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad is urging the Australian government to protect members of Iran’s women’s national soccer team after she said the players were labeled “war-time traitors” and flashed what she described as an SOS hand signal while returning to Iran.

Alinejad said the team refused to sing Iran’s national anthem following the reported killing of Ali Khamenei, a move she framed as a public act of defiance against the regime.

“Hello Australia, this is your moment. We need your support. Iran’s women’s football team refused to sing the regime’s anthem right after the killing of Ali Khamenei,” she wrote in a post on X. “State TV called them ‘war-time traitors.’ Now they’re on a bus back to Iran, flashing the SOS hand signal through the window.

“I call on [the] Australian government…Don’t send them back to danger. Please give them protection,” Alinejad added.

Posted by Greg Wehner

7 hours ago

Private security firm helping Americans evacuate the Middle East amid war with Iran

As Americans are stranded in the Middle East amid the U.S. and Israel war with Iran, government and private agencies are working around the clock to conduct evacuations.

In addition to the U.S. Department of State’s 24/7 task force aimed at evacuating Americans, private security firm Global Guardian is also working around the clock to complete the same mission.

As of Friday, Global Guardian has evacuated more than 4,000 people from the Middle East, according to its CEO and President, Dale Robert Buckner.

While operations and logistics teams sit in an office building in northern Virginia, the firm has personnel in more than 140 countries, allowing Global Guardian access to nearly every corner of the world for emergency response or evacuations.

“We provide medical evac services, we provide kidnap, ransom, extortion negotiation payment if someone is kidnapped or extorted,” Buckner said. “We’re providing about 300 missions a month of executive protection travel, in about 84 countries a month.”

This is an excerpt of an article by Fox News’  Chelsea Torres.

Posted by Landon Mion

7 hours ago

Crude oil prices exceed $100 a barrel as war in Iran disrupts production, shipping

REUTERS/Arathy Somasekhar

Oil prices passed $100 per barrel on Sunday as the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran disrupts production and shipping in the Middle East.

This is the first time in nearly four years that oil prices reached this mark.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, rose to more than $107 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, a 16.9% increase from when it closed on Friday at $90.90.

This comes after Brent climbed 28% and WTI rose 36% last week prior to the latest upticks.

Oil prices have jumped as the war impacts areas crucial to the production and shipping of oil and gas from the Persian Gulf.

About 15 million barrels of crude oil, which makes up about 20% of the oil around the world, are typically moved daily through the Strait of Hormuz, according to independent research firm Rystad Energy.

Posted by Landon Mion

8 hours ago

Lindsey Graham urges Israel to be ‘cautious’ in attacks on Iran: ‘America is most appreciative’

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Sunday called on Israel to be cautious when striking Iranian targets, stressing that he wants to “liberate the Iranian people” without hurting their chance “to start a new and better life when this regime collapses.”

“Our allies in Israel have shown amazing capability when it comes to collapsing the murderous regime in Iran. America is most appreciative,” Graham wrote on X. “However, there will be a day soon that the Iranian people will be in charge of their own fate, not the murderous ayatollah’s regime. “

“In that regard, please be cautious about what targets you select,” he continued. “Our goal is to liberate the Iranian people in a fashion that does not cripple their chance to start a new and better life when this regime collapses. The oil economy of Iran will be essential to that endeavor.”

Posted by Landon Mion

10 hours ago

Iran opposition leader slams Mojtaba Khamenei’s rise as ‘hereditary monarchy’

Mojtaba Khamenei (Photo by Iranian President’s Press Office / Handout /Anadolu via Getty Images)

Maryam Rajavi, president of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, blasted the move to install Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader, calling it an attempt to turn the country’s clerical system into a hereditary monarchy.

“Tonight, the absolute clerical rule (Velayat-e Faqih) has effectively turned itself into a hereditary monarchy by placing Mojtaba Khamenei on the throne,” Rajavi wrote. “But it cannot save the shipwrecked vessel of religious fascism.”

Rajavi argued that the leadership change will not restore legitimacy to Iran’s ruling system, comparing it to the monarchy overthrown in 1979 and accusing the regime of once again denying the Iranian people their sovereignty.

“For more than three decades, Mojtaba Khamenei, alongside his father, has been among the principal architects of repression, the export of fundamentalism and terrorism, and the plundering of the Iranian people’s wealth,” she said. “In practice, he has long functioned as his father’s de facto successor.”

Rajavi said the new leader bears responsibility for massacres and the suppression of popular uprisings, as well as controlling Iran’s resources and economy and the systematic looting of national wealth. The latter, Rajavi said, resulted in the regime imposing the harshest oppression and exploitation on the majority of Iranians, especially women.

“Outraged Iranian people, who have risen up in successive uprisings to overthrow this regime, will not retreat in the face of the clerical mafia ruling Iran,” Rajavi wrote. “The destiny of Iran will be written by its people.” 

Posted by Greg Wehner

10 hours ago

US Embassy orders non-essential staff to leave Saudi Arabia missions

The U.S. Embassy headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after drone strikes on March 3, 2026. (AFP via Getty Images)

The U.S. Embassy has ordered the departure of non-essential personnel from its missions in Saudi Arabia, while essential and emergency staff will remain in place, according to an official source in the region.

The source told Fox News the Saudi government was informed that non-essential personnel are required to leave the three U.S. missions in the Kingdom — Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran.

Essential and emergency personnel will continue operations as normal. The Chargé d’Affaires has discretion to determine which staff depart and which remain.

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

Posted by Greg Wehner

11 hours ago

Trump says short-term oil spike worth it to end Iran nuclear threat

Surfers wait for waves on El Porto Beach as crude oil tanker “Chios” has its cargo pumped into the Chevron Products Company refinery, one of California’s largest petroleum processing facilities, in El Segundo, Calif., on March 4, 2026. (Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo)

President Donald Trump defended potential short-term spikes in oil prices amid escalating tensions with Iran, arguing that economic impacts would be temporary and outweighed by long-term security gains.

In a post on social media, Trump said the cost of higher energy prices is “a very small price to pay” if it leads to the destruction of Iran’s nuclear threat and greater safety for the U.S. and the world.

“Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “ONLY FOOLS WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY!”

Posted by Greg Wehner

11 hours ago

Waltz shuts down NBC anchor, arguing Trump is ending a war Iran started with the US in 1979

Mike Waltz speaks during a television interview at the White House, on Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Alex Brandon)

United States Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz argued to Kristen Welker on Sunday that President Donald Trump has not started a war with Iran, but that he is merely finishing it.

Waltz was asked during NBC’s “Meet the Press” whether the US is indeed at war with Iran, suggesting the conflict actually began in 1979 under then-President Jimmy Carter.

Waltz had formerly been a national security advisor to the Trump administration, but was removed from the role on May 1, 2025, after reportedly coordinating with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu behind the president’s back on possible military options for Iran while Trump was still pursuing peaceful negotiation, followed by the SignalGate controversy.

Welker shared clips of Trump referring to his current military actions in Iran as a “war” and reiterated her question, noting, “As you know, words matter. Does that front administration, do you, describe this as a war against Iran?”

Find out what Waltz said during the interview.

This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News Digital’s Alexander Hall.

Posted by Greg Wehner

12 hours ago

NYPD officer, Army National Guard major dies during Kuwait deployment

The New York City Police Department announced the death of an officer who suffered a fatal medical episode while deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Epic Fury.

Sorffly Davius, who also served as a major in the U.S. Army National Guard’s 42nd Infantry Division, joined the NYPD in 2014 and was assigned to the 79th Precinct.

“The NYPD mourns the loss of Police Officer Sorffly Davius, who passed away yesterday as a result of a medical episode while deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Epic Fury,” the NYPD wrote on X. “Officer Davius served in the 42nd Infantry Division in the U.S. Army National Guard and rose to the rank of Major.

“In 2014, he began his service with the NYPD, where he was assigned to the 79th Precinct,” the department continued. “Today, and always, we keep his family in our thoughts and prayers. May we never forget Officer Davius’ sacrifice, and may his memory be a blessing.”

Posted by Greg Wehner

13 hours ago

Before-and-after satellite imagery offers a rare look at damage inside Iran

Satellite imagery from Planet Labs shows damage at Konarak naval base in southern Iran, left, and Iran’s Bandar Abbas naval headquarters in the Persian Gulf, right. (Planet Labs PBC)

Fresh satellite images give a rare aerial view of the damage across Iran after U.S.-Israeli strikes and what Tehran’s retaliation left behind across the region.

Planet Labs satellite imagery captured burning ships and damaged facilities at the Konarak base in southern Iran, as well as significant destruction at Iran’s naval headquarters in Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf, reflecting the scale of the strikes on military infrastructure.

Imagery from Vantor shows damage to facilities and vessels located in Iran’s Bushehr port in the Persian Gulf.

In addition to naval assets, satellite photos show a bunker at Bushehr air base hit by a strike, leaving a large crater and destroying several nearby small buildings.

See what other damage was done to Iranian facilities.

This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias.

Posted by Greg Wehner

13 hours ago

US-sanctioned Mojtaba Khamenei named Iran’s next supreme leader after father’s death: reports

File photo shows Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attending a demonstration to mark Jerusalem day in Tehran. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Iran’s Assembly of Experts has elected Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country’s new supreme leader, according to reports.

Iran International cited sources who claimed the decision was made “under pressure” from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, is the second-eldest son of Ali Khamenei and was born in Mashhad in 1969.

Find out more about Mojtaba Khamenei.

This is a story by Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey.

Posted by Greg Wehner

14 hours ago

Iran’s last line of resistance holds back — but Houthi terror group warns it’s ready to act

Houthi terrorists walk over British and U.S. flags at a rally in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, on Feb. 4, 2024, near Sana’a, Yemen. (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)

The Iran-backed Houthi terrorist movement has yet to enter the conflict on Iran’s side but in recent days has been ratcheting up its rhetoric in support of Tehran, with its leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, declaring that it was prepared to enter the war against the U.S. and Israel if necessary.

“Regarding military escalation and action, our fingers are on the trigger, ready to respond at any moment should developments warrant it,” al-Houthi said on Thursday.

“The reason why the Houthis have not intervened is they are last line of resistance for the axis. Especially after other axis members were degraded,” Nadwa Al-Dawsari, an expert on Yemen and an associate fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Fox News Digital.

The official slogan of the Houthi movement (Ansar Allah) reads, “Allah is Greater. Death to America. Death to Israel. Curse on the Jews. Victory to Islam.”

Find out more about Iran’s last line of resistance.

This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News Digital’s Benjamin Weinthal.

Posted by Greg Wehner

14 hours ago

After the strikes, how would the US secure Iran’s enriched uranium?

Satellite imagery taken on Jan. 30, 2026, shows a new roof over a previously destroyed building at the Natanz nuclear site. (2026 PLANET LABS PBC/Handout via Reuters)

When War Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked recently whether U.S. forces would ever move to secure enriched uranium reportedly stored at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear complex, he declined to say, citing operational security.

The exchange highlighted a question the U.S. and Israel’s air campaign alone cannot answer: even if U.S. strikes degrade Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, who would physically secure the enriched uranium, and how?

Iran is believed to possess a significant stockpile of uranium enriched to 60%, near weapons-grade. That material could theoretically be used in multiple nuclear devices if further refined. 

Moving from 60% to weapons-grade 90% enrichment requires additional processing, and weaponization would involve further technical steps. But analysts say the more immediate issue is physical control of the material itself.

Find out more about how the U.S. could secure Iran’s enriched uranium.

This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips.

Posted by Greg Wehner

15 hours ago

Netanyahu mourns two IDF soldiers killed in Lebanon, vows northern defense

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump. (Avi Ohayon / GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of two Combat Engineering soldiers, honoring their sacrifice and reaffirming Israel’s commitment to defending its northern border against Hezbollah.

The two soldiers were killed during ongoing operations as Israeli forces continue battling Hezbollah along the northern border.

“My wife and I, together with all the citizens of Israel, share in the heavy grief of, and send our condolences to, the families of two Combat Engineering fighters, Sergeant First Class Maher Khatar and another soldier whose name has not yet been cleared for publication, who fell in battle in southern Lebanon,” Netanyahu said. “Maher, of blessed memory, a brave fighter from the Druze community, served as an example and inspiration to the youth of Majdal Shams who enlist in the ranks of the IDF, a growing trend in recent years that serves as an expression of the eternal covenant between us.

“Maher and the other fallen soldier fought heroically to protect our communities and our citizens against the Hezbollah terrorist organization,” he continued. “We bow our heads at their falling and remain committed to the defense of our northern border against any threat. May their memory be blessed and cherished forever.”

Posted by Greg Wehner

15 hours ago

CENTCOM: Seventh U.S. service member dies from wounds in Iran attacks

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday that a U.S. service member died from injuries sustained during Iran’s initial wave of attacks across the Middle East, marking the seventh American killed in action during Operation Epic Fury.

“Last night, a U.S. service member passed away from injuries received during the Iranian regime’s initial attacks across the Middle East,” CENTCOM said on X. “The service member was seriously wounded at the scene of an attack on U.S. troops in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on March 1.”

“This is the seventh service member killed in action during Operation Epic Fury,” CENTCOM added. “Major combat operations continue. The identity of the fallen warrior will be withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification.”

Posted by Greg Wehner

15 hours ago

Israel’s top general warned Hezbollah will pay a heavy price as fighting escalates.

Israeli Defense Forces leadership (IDF)

Israel’s top military commander warned that Hezbollah will pay a growing price as fighting intensifies, signaling the war is far from over.

Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Israeli forces struck Iranian Quds Force commanders in Beirut overnight, declaring that “there is no safe place for the Iranian axis of evil anywhere in the Middle East — not in Beirut and not anywhere else.”

He acknowledged that northern Israeli communities came under significant fire and offered condolences to the families of those killed. He also urged civilians to remain vigilant and follow Home Front Command directives as rocket attacks continue.

Zamir said Israel must show patience and determination during what he described as a prolonged state of emergency, praising the resilience of the home front.

“Hezbollah is an extremist arm of the Iranian octopus – it is paying and will continue to pay a heavy price,” he said. “This war will determine our future and security for many years.”

Posted by Greg Wehner

16 hours ago

The unlikely tool Trump is eyeing to tackle rising oil prices amid the Iran conflict

Few places on the planet matter more to the global energy economy than the Strait of Hormuz. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images)

The new battleground in the Gulf isn’t just on the water — it’s in the insurance market, where war-risk coverage can determine which oil tankers sail and which stay put.

With the conflict driving gasoline prices higher, the White House is weighing steps to keep oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz and to keep prices from climbing further.

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage between Iran and Oman, carries roughly 20 million barrels of oil a day and about one-fifth of global supply of liquefied natural gas. When conflict flares in the region, even the threat of disruption can rattle markets because so much of the world’s energy moves through that single corridor.

And with so much at stake, the White House is turning to an unlikely tool: insurance.

President Donald Trump said the U.S. could use a government-backed insurance program to lower war-risk premiums for vessels in the region. Under a backstop, the government would absorb part of any major losses, easing pressure on private insurers and shipowners.

Find out more about the tool Trump is eyeing to address rising oil prices.

This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias.