Trump says US bombed military sites on island vital to Iran's oil network
Dubai (AP): President Donald Trump said the US bombed military sites Friday on an island vital to Iran's oil network, while an American official said 2,500 more Marines and an amphibious assault ship are being sent to the Middle East nearly two weeks into the war with the Islamic Republic.
Trump said US forces “obliterated” targets on Iran's Kharg Island — home to the primary terminal that handles the country's oil exports — and warned that the island's oil infrastructure could be next. Just a day before, the speaker of the Iranian parliament said such a strike would provoke a new level of retaliation.
Earlier Friday in the Iranian capital, a large explosion rocked a central square where thousands of people gathered for an annual state-organised rally to support the Palestinians and call for Israel's demise. Israel had warned that it would target the area in central Tehran.
There were no reports of casualties. The decision to proceed with the demonstration attended by some senior government officials, and Israel's threat to target it, underscored the fierce determination on both sides in a war that has rattled the global economy and shows no sign of letting up.
Iran has continued to launch widespread missile and drone attacks on Israel and neighbouring Gulf states, and has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's traded oil passes, even as US and Israeli warplanes pummel military and other targets across Iran.
The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon deepened, with nearly 800 people killed and 850,000 displaced as Israel launched waves of strikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants and warned there would be no let up.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said the war would end “when I feel it in my bones.” He was also more measured about whether Iranians could topple the Islamic government.
“So I really think that's a big hurdle to climb for people that don't have weapons,” Trump said, citing Iran's paramilitary Basij force, which has played a central role in crushing recent nationwide protests.
Marines and assault ship will add to US forces
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Elements from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli have been ordered to the Middle East, according to the US official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.
Marine Expeditionary Units are able to conduct amphibious landings, but they also specialize in bolstering security at embassies, evacuating civilians and disaster relief. The deployment does not necessarily indicate that a ground operation is imminent or will take place.
The new Marine deployment was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, as well the Tripoli and other amphibious assault ships carrying the Marines, are based in Japan and have been in the Pacific Ocean for several days, according to images released by the military. The Tripoli was spotted by commercial satellites sailing alone near Taiwan, putting it more than a week away from the waters off Iran.
Earlier in the week, the Navy had 12 ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and eight destroyers, operating in the Arabian Sea. Should the Tripoli join this flotilla, it would be the second-largest ship behind the Lincoln in the region.
While the total number of US service members on the ground in the Middle East is not clear, Al-Udeid Air Base alone, one of the largest in the region, typically houses some 8,000 US troops in Qatar.
US strikes Persian Gulf island after Iran's warning
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The US strikes on Iran's Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf targeted military sites but left alone its oil infrastructure for now, Trump said in a social media post.
But he warned that if Iran or anyone else interferes with the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, he will reconsider his decision not to “wipe out the Oil Infrastructure.”
On Thursday, the Iranian parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, warned in a social media post that attacks on the islands on Iran's southern maritime frontier would cause Iran to “abandon all restraint,” underscoring how central they are to the country's economy and security.
Explosion rocks area of mass demonstration
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The explosion in Tehran rocked the Ferdowsi Square area midday, where thousands had gathered for an annual Quds Day rally, chanting “death to Israel” and “death to America.”
Israel had issued a warning on a Farsi-language X account for people to clear the area shortly before the blast. But few Iranians would have seen it, as authorities have almost completely shut down the internet. Footage showed people chanting “God is greatest,” as smoke rose in the area.
The Israeli military later posted a second message in Farsi, noting the head of Iran's judiciary was at the rally and criticizing Iran for blocking many from seeing their warning.
The hard-liner who leads Iran's judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, was giving an interview on state television at the demonstration when the strike happened. His bodyguards encircled him, as he raised his fist and said Iran “under this rain and missiles will never withdraw.”
US says 15,000 targets struck in Iran since the start of the war
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Israel earlier announced another wave of strikes in Iran targeting infrastructure, and said its air force had hit more than 200 targets in the last 24 hours, including missile launchers, defense systems and weapons production sites.
In Washington, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that over 15,000 enemy targets have been struck — more than 1,000 a day since the war began.
He also sought to address concerns about the bottling of the Strait of Hormuz, telling reporters: “We have been dealing with it and don't need to worry about it.”
All six crew of US refuelling plane confirmed dead after crash
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The US military confirmed on Friday that all six crew members of an American KC-135 refuelling plane were killed when it crashed in Iraq, bringing the US death toll to at least 13 service members.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said three of the victims were from his state and had deployed with the Ohio Air National Guard's 121st Air Refueling Wing.
US Central Command said the crash wasn't related to friendly or hostile fire, and that two aircraft were involved, including one that landed safely.
The KC-135 is the fourth publicly acknowledged aircraft to crash as part of the US military's operations against Iran. Last week, three American fighter jets were mistakenly downed by friendly Kuwaiti fire.
New Iranian attacks across the region
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Iran continued its daily attacks on oil and other infrastructure across the Gulf. In Oman, two people were killed when two drones crashed in the Sohar region, the Oman News Agency reported.
The US Navy destroyer USS Oscar Austin shot down an Iranian ballistic missile over Turkiye on Friday, a US official said on condition of anonymity in order to discuss ongoing military operations. It was the third such interception over the NATO member in the last two weeks.
Fighting escalates between Israel and Hezbollah
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An Israeli strike in southern Lebanon hit a health care centre in the village of Burj Qalaouiyah, killing 12 doctors, paramedics and nurses, the Lebanese Health Ministry said early Saturday.
Earlier, at least eight people were killed in a strike on the southern coastal city of Sidon, the ministry said Friday.
The ministry said 773 people — including more than 100 children and 18 paramedics — have been killed since fighting erupted between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants 10 days ago.
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Jet fuel prices are rising. That could make summer flights more expensive
Tehran (AP): Jet fuel prices are rising as the war in the Middle East disrupts global oil supplies, putting cost pressure on airlines as the busy summer travel season approaches.
Experts say it's not a question of if airfares will go up, but when, for how long and by how much. The impact may be felt most on long-haul international routes, which burn significantly more fuel than shorter flights.
Some airlines outside of the US have announced fare increases or fuel surcharges in an effort to offset the growing expense. In the US, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby recently warned that airfare increases will “probably start quick" as increasing fuel costs work their way through the industry.
Why are jet fuel prices rising?
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The war is constraining oil exports and prompting major producers like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq to scale back output as shipments face growing obstacles.
Iran has attacked commercial ships across the Persian Gulf and targeted oil infrastructure in Gulf Arab nations following US and Israeli strikes. The attacks have effectively halted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage that carries about one-fifth of the world's oil supply.
The volatile crude oil prices causing retail gasoline prices to swing up sharply have had the same effect on the price of jet fuel. The average price in the US reached $3.99 per gallon on Friday, up from $2.50 the day before the war started two weeks ago, according to the Argus US Jet Fuel Index. The index tracks the average price airlines pay for jet fuel across major US airports.
Figures from the US Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics show that US airlines paid about $2.36 per gallon for fuel in January, the most recent data available.
What does it mean for airlines?
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Some airlines are partially protected from sudden price spikes through fuel hedging, a strategy that allows them to lock in fuel prices months or even years in advance. But not all airlines hedge, and those that do are usually only protected for a portion of their fuel needs, meaning prolonged price surges may cause more carriers to raise fares.
“No one hedges anymore, and even if you do, hedging the crack spread is really hard to do,” Kirby said at a Harvard event last week. The crack spread is the difference between the price of crude oil and the price of products produced from it, like gasoline.
Another factor for airlines: Air space closures have required rerouting flights around parts of the Middle East, which can mean longer routes, additional fuel burn and higher operating costs.
What does it mean for travelers?
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Travelers may feel the impact in several ways.
Airlines can add or increase fuel surcharges, an extra fee common among carriers outside of the US that's added on top of the base ticket price.
Major US carriers, however, don't charge a separate fuel surcharge. Instead, they build fuel costs into the overall ticket price, meaning any increase is more likely to show up as a higher base fare for travelers, according to Tyler Hosford, security director at global risk management firm International SOS.
Airlines also may adjust what they charge for premium add-ons — such as seat upgrades, extra legroom seats, checked bags or priority boarding — as another way to offset higher operating costs. For consumers, that means even if the base fare doesn't rise immediately, the total cost of a trip could still increase once additional fees and upgrades are factored in.
If higher fuel prices persist, airlines may also adjust schedules or reduce certain routes, said Christopher Anderson, a professor at Cornell University's business school whose research includes operations and information management in the hospitality and airline industries.
How high could airfares climb?
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It's difficult to predict exactly how much ticket prices could increase as a result of costlier oil and fuel. Industry analysts say the impact of higher jet fuel costs can vary based on the route, airline and travel demand.
Fuel typically accounts for 20% to 25% of an airline's operating costs, making it the second-largest expense after labor, according to Rob Britton, an adjunct marketing professor at Georgetown University and retired American Airlines executive. A sharp rise in fuel prices therefore can have a major impact on airlines' budgets.
Which airlines have announced price hikes?
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So far, most fare increases and fuel surcharges are coming from airlines based in the Asia-Pacific region, but experts expect more airlines — especially those without fuel hedging — to follow if high jet fuel prices persist.
Hong Kong's flag carrier, Cathay Pacific, said it would increase its fuel surcharge starting Wednesday.
“The price of jet fuel has approximately doubled since March amid the latest developments in the Middle East,” the airline said in a statement Thursday.
Other airlines with price increases or new surcharges include:
— Air France-KLM said roundtrip economy fares on long-haul flights could rise by about 50 euros (about $57).
— Air India introduced fuel surcharges Thursday on certain routes. After March 18, the carrier says the surcharge will increase by up to $50 for all tickets to Europe, North America and Australia.
— Hong Kong Airlines increased fuel surcharges across several routes as of Thursday.
— FlySafair in South Africa announced a temporary fuel surcharge
What can travelers do to keep costs down?
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Experts say travelers planning summer trips may be able to limit the impact of rising airfares by booking earlier rather than waiting for last-minute deals.
Locking in ticket prices sooner — especially with flexible booking options that allow changes — can help secure lower prices before airlines adjust rates further.
Hosford, the security director at International SOS, suggests travelers stay flexible with travel dates, check fares at nearby airports and set alerts for price drops. He also recommends using frequent flyer miles or credit card points to book flights instead of holding out for a “perfect deal.”
“If you were going to spend cash on the flight but now you're not, then that's a good redemption deal," he said.
