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The United States is going to be striking Iran “very hard tonight,” President Donald Trump said on Thursday, adding, “At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela, which is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States of America.”Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Thursday announced the indictments of three illegal immigrants who allegedly took part in a wide-ranging conspiracy to smuggle more than a dozen children into the United States.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused Iran of dragging out negotiations with Washington and warned that Tehran would “pay the price” for delaying a deal that he earlier signaled was nearing a breakthrough.Rising energy prices from the three-month-old war in Iran lifted inflation in May to its highest level in three years. The U.S. annual inflation rate surged to 4.2 percent last month, from 3.8 percent in April, according to new Bureau of Labor Statistics data released on June 10.

President Donald Trump said Iran shot down a U.S. Apache helicopter that was patrolling the Strait of Hormuz overnight. He has vowed to respond. Both U.S. pilots involved in the incident are safe and uninjured.Voters are heading to the polls on Tuesday for primary elections in Maine, South Carolina, Nevada, and North Dakota. And in the Los Angeles mayoral race, Nithya Raman is projected to advance to a November runoff against incumbent Karen Bass.NASA announced four astronauts for the Artemis III mission. Find out who they are, and what the objective of the lunar mission will be.

The Senate passed a $70 billion immigration enforcement package on Friday after an overnight vote-a-rama on Capitol Hill. The Senate voted 52–47 to approve the legislation, with no support from ‌Democrats. The bill funds Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol through the remainder of President Donald Trump's second term, and now heads to the House. The legislation follows months of partisan clashes over immigration enforcement and Homeland Security funding.The U.S. labor market remained hot in May, with hiring momentum continuing heading into the summer. New government data released on June 5 show the economy added 172,000 jobs last month, from the upwardly revised 179,000 in April. Economists had penciled in a reading of 85,000.

President Donald Trump announced late Wednesday evening that he will nominate Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general.“We are going to make him permanent attorney general,” Trump said at a Rose Garden event.Blanche was tapped as acting attorney general after Trump announced on April 2 that Attorney General Pam Bondi was transitioning to an important role in the private sector.Israel will continue its operations on the ground in southern Lebanon despite agreeing to a ceasefire, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on June 4.His comments were made a day after Lebanon and Israel agreed to implement a ceasefire during talks in Washington, with the deal dependent on a halt in strikes from the Hezbollah terrorist group.

President Donald Trump said Iran has agreed not to have a nuclear weapon and that he would probably meet with Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei at some point if things "work out."Republican Steve Hilton and former Health Secretary Xavier Becerra held onto early leads in the open primary race for California governor on June 3, positioning them to potentially advance to the Nov. 3 general election.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will sit before House and Senate committees this week to make the State Department's annual budget request. The focus is likely to shift quickly to the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.Rubio, who also serves as President Donald Trump's national security adviser, will testify at hearings over two days. Following his appearances on June 2 before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Appropriations subcommittee responsible for the State Department, Rubio will return to the Hill on June 3 to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the equivalent Senate Appropriations subcommittee.Trump appointed federal housing regulator Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence on June 2. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's first director of national intelligence, announced plans to leave the post in May.

The United States said on Sunday it conducted self-defense strikes on Iranian radar and drone control sites in response to aggressive actions from Tehran. The sites are located on Iran's Goruk and Qeshm Islands.The Department of Commerce has issued new guidance to prevent Chinese companies from obtaining advanced U.S. artificial intelligence chips, such as Nvidia's most sophisticated Blackwell processors, through overseas subsidiaries.

Oil futures fell 2 percent on Friday and were on track for their steepest weekly decline since early April. It comes after reports that the United States and Iran could reach an agreement to extend the current ceasefire.Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing questions today from House Oversight investigators about the Jeffrey Epstein files. The appearance follows a dispute with the Justice Department, which argued Bondi should not be required to testify after leaving office.

The U.S. military says Kuwait intercepted a ballistic missile Iran launched toward the country Wednesday night. It comes after the U.S. targeted a site that posed a threat to U.S. forces and commercial traffic. In response, Iran's military launched an attack targeting an American air base in the area.The Treasury launches 'Trump Accounts' on app stores nationwide, advancing a policy initiative that aims to create millions of investment accounts for children. It seeks to encourage long-term investing from an early age through government-backed starter accounts.

President Donald Trump hosts a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday. The meeting comes as the administration weighs its next steps with Iran.The results are in from the Texas primaries. The most-watched race was in Texas, where Attorney General Ken Paxton unseated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) with Trump's endorsement.

U.S. President Donald Trump lays out three possible paths for dealing with Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium as negotiations continue over a broader peace deal.Voters are finalizing their choices for several key congressional races in Texas on Tuesday. All eyes will be on the Republican primary runoff for the U.S. Senate, where Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton faces incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).

President Donald Trump will participate in a Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.Trump said on Monday that it should be mandatory for countries, including Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey, to join the Abraham Accords en masse as part of an effort to reach a deal with Iran."I stated that, after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords," Trump wrote in a May 25 post on Truth Social.

Incoming Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh will be sworn in as the next chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve on Friday in a ceremony hosted by President Donald Trump.Kyle Busch, a generational talent who won two NASCAR Cup Series championships, has died at 41, his family announced on Thursday.

President Donald Trump will make an announcement in the Oval Office with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on Thursday at 11 a.m. ET.U.S. National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya is testifying before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies in a hearing on the agency's Fiscal Year 2027 budget request.

President Donald Trump will participate in the 145th commencement ceremony of the United States Coast Guard Academy at 10:45 a.m. ET on Wednesday.Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered to forge a new relationship between the United States and Cuba on Wednesday in a video message to the Cuban people, proposing $100 million in aid and blaming Cuba's leaders for shortages of electricity, food, and fuel. "I want to tell you what we, in the U.S., are offering to help you not only alleviate the current crisis, but also to build a better future," Rubio said in a May 20 statement.

President Donald Trump said he would be making an announcement in the early afternoon on the Senate primary contest in Texas between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.“And I hope you find it good,” Trump said without giving any details on who he would endorse, but added, “I've pretty much always known who I was going to endorse.”Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is testifying before a Senate appropriations subcommittee today.

President Donald Trump on Monday moved to withdraw his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns after reports that a resolution of the case was close at hand. The disclosure was made in a federal court filing in Florida, where the lawsuit was filed.Fighting for his political survival amid Trump's push to remove him from Congress, libertarian Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) took the stage at a weekend campaign rally and proclaimed that his gathering on Tuesday would be “a victory party” and an opportunity to continue working with the president.

President Donald Trump said on Friday that Taiwan was a major topic of discussion during his summit with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping and added that he had not yet decided whether to proceed with a major U.S. arms package for the island.Trump also said he thinks Xi is seriously considering releasing detained pastor Ezra Jin in China, but that the case of jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai "is a tough one." Lai was sentenced to 20 years in jail in what Amnesty International calls a "travesty of justice" and an attack on press freedom.

The Beijing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping concluded its first day on May 14 with a notable flashpoint: Taiwan and U.S. arms sales to the island.According to a statement released by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Xi warned Trump that the two countries risked “clashes and even conflicts” if the Taiwan issue was not handled carefully.The White House released a brief readout of the meeting between Trump and Xi. It made no mention of Taiwan, instead focusing extensively on the Iran war, the Strait of Hormuz, and economic cooperation between the two countries.Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, testified on Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee.Cooper said that "Iranian-supported terror groups attacked U.S. troops and diplomats more than 350 times" in the 30 months prior to Operation Epic Fury.

U.S. President Donald Trump has arrived in Beijing for a two-day visit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. China rolled out the red carpet for the U.S. president, with tech giants and business chiefs eyeing deals under Xi's communist regime.The South Carolina Supreme Court on May 13 overturned lawyer Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions and life sentence over the fatal shootings of his wife and younger son. The justices unanimously ruled the conduct by the court clerk “egregiously attacked Murdaugh's credibility.”Murdaugh will remain in prison. He pleaded guilty to 22 counts of federal financial crimes for stealing about $12 million from his clients and is serving 40 years.

The U.S. annual inflation rate rose to 3.8 percent in April, according to new Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Economists had forecast a reading of 3.7 percent. Core inflation, which strips out the volatile energy and food prices, edged up to 2.8 percent, above the consensus estimate of 2.7 percent.President Donald Trump is set to depart for Beijing on Tuesday for a two-day summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Talks will focus on trade, technology, and security. Trump also plans to raise other issues, including Taiwan, Iran, and Russia. He also said he'll bring up the cases of imprisoned Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai and Chinese pastor Ezra Jin during discussions with Xi.

The White House is expecting a response proposal on Friday from the Iranian regime about ending the war. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that a ceasefire was still holding despite a flare-up in the conflict after three U.S. Navy destroyers were attacked as they moved through the Strait of Hormuz.The Virginia Supreme Court has struck down a new congressional redistricting map, approved by voters in a referendum last month, that favors Democrats. The court ruled that the Democratic-controlled Legislature failed to follow constitutional procedures when advancing the ballot measure.The Department of War released its first batch of UFO-related documents that had been slated for public release. The records include high-profile incident accounts, photographic evidence, eyewitness testimonies, and public reports dating back 80 years.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is heading to the White House on Thursday for talks with President Donald Trump. Brazil's finance minister says tariffs and organized crime will be key topics. The visit follows tensions last year after the Trump administration imposed steep tariffs on Brazilian imports, which Trump linked to the prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro—a case Trump called a "witch hunt." The talks are also expected to touch on Brazil's rare earth mineral reserves.Dutch officials say that dozens of passengers left the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius cruise ship on April 24. That was nearly two weeks after the first passenger died on board. Oceanwide Expeditions said 29 passengers disembarked, while Dutch officials put the number closer to 40. The passengers, from at least 12 countries, returned home before authorities began tracing potential contacts.

President Donald Trump issued a new warning to Iran on Wednesday, saying that if the regime doesn't come to an agreement, the “bombing starts,” and it will be "at a much higher level and intensity than it was before.” Trump also said that if Iran honors what has been agreed to, Operation Epic Fury could end and the Strait of Hormuz could reopen.The World Health Organization said three individuals, two of them seriously ill, were evacuated on Wednesday from a luxury cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak and marooned for days off the coast of Cape Verde. Ship operator Oceanwide Expeditions said the MV Hondius, which has nearly 150 people on board, is expected to head next to Spain's Canary Islands, but the regional government says it's opposed to the idea. Three people have so far died in the outbreak.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said Project Freedom, the U.S. effort to secure the Strait of Hormuz, is separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury, and is "defensive in nature."Hegseth said hundreds more ships from nations around the world are lining up to transit the strait, and that U.S. Central Command is in active communication with ships, shipping companies, and insurers. Hegseth also said the blockade of Iranian ports is in full effect.Voters are heading to the polls in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan on Tuesday, with key primary races and one closely watched special election underway.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Monday that U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers are operating in the Arabian Gulf in support of Project Freedom. CENTCOM also confirmed that after the launch of Project Freedom, two U.S.-flagged merchant vessels have successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz.Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is hospitalized and in critical condition, Ted Goodman, Giuliani's spokesman, posted on X on May 3.Goodman provided no other information about the nature of Giuliani's condition or the reason for his hospitalization. President Donald Trump commented on Truth Social after learning of Giuliani's hospitalization, praising the former mayor for his work.

President Donald Trump said on April 30 that gasoline prices would plummet once the war with Iran ends.Speaking during a press event in the Oval Office, Trump linked elevated fuel costs directly to the ongoing Iran conflict and the continued closure of key shipping routes, while expressing the conviction that ample global supply would quickly push prices lower once unrestricted crude transit resumes in a post-war environment.Authorities have released a new video that shows the moment an alleged gunman attempted to breach security at Saturday's White House Correspondents' Dinner. Trump said the suspect shot a Secret Service officer.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States is reviewing a possible reduction of U.S. troops stationed in Germany, with a decision expected “over the next short period of time.”German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made news recently when he said on April 27 that Iran was “humiliating” the United States.The United States had more than 36,000 active-duty troops stationed in Germany as of December 2025. Only Japan had more U.S. troops, with more than 54,000.The suspect in the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting, Cole Allen, is making his initial court appearance today. A petition to keep the suspect in custody reveals he is accused of planning the attack for weeks. Allen faces life in prison if convicted on just the attempted assassination of the president charge.

The U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Cisco Systems Inc. v. Doe I to determine whether U.S. corporations can be held liable for “aiding and abetting” human rights abuses committed by foreign governments.This landmark lawsuit was brought by practitioners of Falun Gong, a spiritual group persecuted in China.The plaintiffs allege that Cisco Systems and its executives designed and customized the “Golden Shield”—a sophisticated surveillance and internal security system—specifically to help the Chinese Communist Party identify, track, and arrest them for their faith. Many plaintiffs reported being detained, tortured, or having family members killed as a result of this surveillance.

The man accused of shooting a U.S. Secret Service agent as he tried to breach security at a Washington dinner where President Donald Trump was present is expected in court on Monday to face criminal charges. Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, is scheduled to make his first appearance in Washington federal court, two days after authorities said they foiled an attack at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.Tech giants Elon Musk and Sam Altman are facing each other in court on Monday. Musk is suing the maker of ChatGPT, OpenAI, and its leaders, including CEO Sam Altman. Musk says he was deceived by the executives when OpenAI became a for-profit operation, after originally billing itself as a nonprofit mission. OpenAI's lawyers counter that Musk is motivated by a compulsion to control OpenAI and prop up his own AI lab xAI, which he founded in 2023 shortly after OpenAI launched ChatGPT and sparked the AI boom.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on April 24 that a U.S. blockade on Iran is going global, adding that Tehran had a chance to make a "good deal" with Washington. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. Central Command continues to maintain a strict blockade on all ports in Iran. Caine said 34 ships had been turned around as of Friday morning. He added that the U.S. military would continue to interdict Iranian vessels in the Pacific and Indian oceans.President Donald Trump has extended a waiver of the century-old Jones Act for 90 days, allowing foreign-flagged vessels to transport fuel and other goods between U.S. ports to ease price increases triggered by the Iran war and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. The waiver applies to a range of goods, including crude oil, natural gas, coal, fertilizer, and refined petroleum products.

The U.S. Senate voted early on April 23 to advance a $70 billion funding blueprint for immigration enforcement agencies, moving Republicans a step closer to unlocking a party-line bill to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) through the remainder of President Donald Trump's term. Lawmakers voted 50–48 in predawn hours to adopt the nonbinding budget resolution and send it to the House of Representatives, overcoming demands from Democrats for new restrictions on enforcement operations.Trump said on April 23 that he has ordered the U.S. military to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats that deploy mines to restrict traffic transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The president's post on Truth Social came shortly after the U.S. military seized another tanker associated with the smuggling of Iranian oil. The president said he would order U.S. minesweeping ships to continue to clear any mines that may have been set in the strait.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies before the Senate Finance Committee on April 22 about the department's fiscal year 2027 budget request. It's the sixth of seven hearings on that budget plan.Virginia voters on April 21 approved a new congressional map that could boost the chances of the Democratic Party winning four additional U.S. House seats in November's midterm elections.Democrats are looking to offset GOP gains in Texas after its new map was drawn to favor the Republicans in Congress.

Kevin Warsh, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Federal Reserve, appears before the Senate Banking Committee for his nomination hearing on Tuesday. President Trump selected the former Fed board member in January as the next head of the U.S. central bank. Several issues will likely be on the agenda, including central bank independence and the potential path of monetary policy.President Trump told CNBC in an interview on Tuesday that he did not want to extend a ceasefire with Iran, adding the U.S. was in a strong negotiating position and would end up with what he called a great deal. Washington has expressed confidence that talks with Iran will go ahead in Pakistan, and a senior Iranian official said Tehran was considering joining.

President Donald Trump said U.S. representatives will arrive in Pakistan on Monday evening in preparation for negotiations with Iran. And the United States said it had seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that tried to run its blockade on Sunday.A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the northeastern coast of Japan on Monday, prompting authorities to urge residents to stay away from coastal areas where tsunami waves of up to 10 feet were expected.

Oil prices dropped by more than 10 percent on Friday, after Iran's foreign minister said that the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz was open for the remaining ceasefire period. President Donald Trump announced on Friday, however, that the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports remains in effect until a deal with Iran is negotiated.Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies for the second day before the House Education and Workforce Committee about the department's priorities for fiscal year 2027.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said that Israeli and Lebanese leaders had agreed to begin a 10-day ceasefire. "These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST," he wrote, adding that he has directed U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine to work with the two countries to achieve lasting peace.

U.S. President Donald Trump wrote in an April 15 post on Truth Social that China has "agreed not to send weapons to Iran.” He said the two countries are "working together smartly," but also warned that the United States is "very good at fighting."House lawmakers late Tuesday night advanced a bill to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a power that has long drawn bipartisan criticism since its inception in 2008. The measure under consideration would extend Section 702 powers for 18 months.

U.S. Central Command has announced a U.S. blockade of ships entering or exiting Iranian Ports beginning April 13. Oil prices jumped back above $100 a barrel on the news. President Donald Trump said the price of oil and gasoline could remain high through November's midterm elections.Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban conceded defeat on April 12 in the national election, ending his 16 years in office. His election loss marks a dramatic shift in Hungary's political direction after four terms in office.

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a two-week cease-fire with Iran. On April 8, he said the United States will work closely with Iran, which he said has "gone through what will be a very productive Regime Change." He also said there would be no uranium enrichment and that many of the 15 points in the U.S. proposal to Iran had been agreed to.U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the U.S. military, along with Israel, achieved every single objective as laid out from day one of the conflict. Hegseth added that Iran's command system is decimated. The Pentagon said it welcomes the cease-fire agreement with Iran, but remains ready to "resume combat operations" if needed.

President Donald Trump warned on April 7 that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran fails to meet his 8 p.m. ET deadline to reach a deal. In a post on Truth Social, the president said he did not want such an outcome but suggested it was increasingly likely without a breakthrough, calling the moment “one of the most important” in world history.Vice President JD Vance said he is “confident” Iran will respond to U.S. demands by Trump's deadline. He said the United States had already defeated the Iranian militarily and that Iran is now “trying to exact as much economic pain on the world as possible” by keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed.

President Donald Trump will hold a press conference on Monday, as his deadline for Iran to reach a cease-fire deal approaches. Trump on Sunday posted on Truth Social, "Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!"—signaling the new deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on energy facilities and bridges.The four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II mission entered the moon's gravitational sphere of influence early Monday morning as they cruised along a path that will soon take them around the moon's far side, setting a new record as the farthest-flying humans in history.

U.S. employers added 178,000 new jobs in March, according to new Bureau of Labor Statistics data released on April 3. Prior to the non-farm payrolls report, economists had forecast a more modest reading of 60,000. The unemployment rate also dipped to 4.3 percent last month, from the 4.4 percent registered in February. Markets had projected the jobless rate holding steady at 4.4 percent.President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday that the U.S. can open the Strait of Hormuz "with a little more time." Reopening the strait has become a priority for governments around the world as energy prices soar.

Oil prices climbed to around $110 a barrel on April 2 after President Donald Trump said the United States would continue attacks on Iran. And the United Kingdom is hosting a virtual meeting of around 40 countries to discuss options for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The United States is not due to attend.An end to the longest Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown in history is on the horizon. Trump and congressional GOP leaders have rallied behind a two-pronged approach to bypass Senate Democrats on immigration funding. Lawmakers will fund the DHS through regular order, but remove funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. Those will be handled in a second party-line bill using a budget process that will allow passage without support from Democrats.

U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on March 29, said talks with Iran are ongoing and making “very good” progress. He urged Tehran to take the deal or face destruction of its critical infrastructure. A spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry denies negotiations are taking place.Transportation Security Administration agents are expected to be paid again soon after Trump signed a presidential memorandum last week that would allow them to get paid despite the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, which is now officially the longest in history, with no end in sight.

The U.S. Senate voted on Friday (March) to end a partial government shutdown that has snarled airports across the country, though it did not resolve a dispute over immigration enforcement that prompted the six-week standoff in the first place. The House of Representatives must also pass the bill before Trump can sign it into law. A vote was expected later on Friday.President Donald Trump announced actions to help U.S. farmers on Friday, as the White House host hundreds of farmers, ranchers and executives for an event highlighting the agricultural sector.

President ​Donald Trump on March 25 warned Iran to "get serious" about a deal to end nearly four weeks of fighting, after its foreign minister said Tehran was reviewing the U.S. proposal, but there were no direct talks on winding down the war.Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Thursday that Iran had been "militarily obliterated, with zero chance of a comeback", and was "begging" for a deal.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on March 25 that the Israeli military had killed an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy commander responsible for the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Wall Street's main indexes opened higher on Wednesday as prospects of a de-escalation in the Middle East conflict allayed some investor fears around prolonged energy supply disruptions.A source at the Pentagon has told media that elements of the elite 82nd Airborne Division are being deployed to the region. A key element of the 82nd Airborne is the Immediate Response Force—highly-trained soldiers who can parachute into enemy territory. The deployment comes after U.S. airstrikes on Iran's Kharg Island, targeting military facilities but leaving oil infrastructure untouched. President Donald Trump also warning that the United States could target oil facilities if Iran interferes with the Strait of Hormuz.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) will be sworn in as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the Oval Office of the White House on March 24. Mullin was confirmed by the Senate on March 23 and replaces fired DHS Secretary Kristi NoemIran and Israel have continued strikes in the Middle East after U.S. President Donald Trump postponed the bombing of the Iranian regime's ​power plants and other energy infrastructure because of what he described as productive talks with Iranian officials. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel on March 24, striking the coastal city of Tel Aviv.

Israel has confirmed that it killed the spokesman for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Ali Mohammad Naini. He's the fourth high-profile Iranian official killed this week.The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said he held multiple roles in propaganda and media operations. The military says over the past two years, he served as the IRGC's main propagandist and spread the regime's messaging across the Middle East. His work targeted proxy groups to influence and advance terror attacks against Israel, according to the IDF.An additional force of U.S. warships and an attached Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is set to deploy to the Middle East amid ongoing combat operations against Iran, The Epoch Times has learned.The USS Boxer amphibious ready group and the 11th MEU, currently based out of San Diego, are set to sail across the Indo-Pacific region to reach the waters of the Middle East, according to a U.S. military source familiar with the matter.