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The price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, surged past $100 as Iranian strikes hit ships in the region's waters amid the United States-Israeli war with Iran. U.S. airstrikes in Iran are now in its 13th day.
According to the Associated Press, developments on Thursday involved Iranian attacks against commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz and Iraq's port of Basra.
Reuters reported that the Israeli military said on Thursday it had targeted a site used in the Iranian nuclear program which is identified as "Taleghan," which is a facility that Western officials believe is possibly connected to Tehran's nuclear program.
RELATED: US to release millions of barrels of oil to ease prices amid Iran conflict
A man stands on the rubble of a destroyed building as firefighters work at the site of overnight Israeli airstrikes in the Haret Hreik neighborhood of Beirut's southern suburbs on March 12, 2026. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)
Here are the latest updates from Thursday.
No significant injuries to US personnel after attack on base in Iraq, official says
3:15 p.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that an attack on a base in northern Iraq resulted in no significant injuries to American personnel, a U.S. defense official said Thursday.
According to the AP, the official, who wasn’t authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the U.S. personnel are still on duty after Wednesday’s attack.
British military officials said earlier Thursday that several U.S. personnel were injured in drone strikes at a base in Irbil that houses both British and American troops.
The U.K. and U.S. military officials did not specify if the wounded were American troops.
White House considers waiving Jones Act requirements during Iran war
12:40 p.m. ET: According to the Associated Press, the 1920s law is often blamed for making gas more expensive. It requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to be moved on U.S.-flagged vessels, and is designed to protect the American shipbuilding sector.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement obtained by the AP that temporarily waiving the requirement could "ensure vital energy products and agricultural necessities are flowing freely to U.S. ports." The action has not been finalized, she said.
Democratic senator wants hearings on why Trump attacked Iran
12:05 p.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin told reporters during a teleconference Thursday that she’s demanding Republican Majority Leader John Thune hold public hearings with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The AP noted that Baldwin said constituents deserve to know why President Donald Trump decided to attack Iran, but Trump has not expressed a clear reason.
Baldwin and five other Democratic senators have filed war powers resolutions to block unauthorized strikes in Iran, she said, calling the conflict "illegal" and "a war of choice." According to the AP, Baldwin went on to accuse Trump of having no exit strategy.
Trump says it’s not ‘appropriate’ for Iranian team to attend World Cup
11:50 a.m. ET: On Thursday, President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that "The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety."
According to the Associated Press, the White House did not immediately clarify Thursday what Trump meant by "their own life and safety," like whether he anticipated threats against them while in the United States.
Iranian leaders said this week that it’s "not possible" for the country to participate in this year’s World Cup.
US State Department says demand for evacuation flights is going down
11:30 a.m. ET: According to the Associated Press, the State Department said the majority of the 47,000 Americans who have left the region did so without government help, although by the end of Thursday it will have completed roughly 50 free charter evacuation flights for Americans.
The agency told the AP that roughly 32,000 Americans in the region had reached out for either security information or travel assistance and that all of them had been contacted by phone, text or email. However, the State Department added that most offered seats on the charter flights have declined them, preferring to arrange their own travel or to remain in the Middle East.
State Department officials also told the AP that it would adjust its charter flight planning depending on the demand for seats.
California governor sees no imminent Iran threat despite FBI warning about a possible drone attack
11:15 a.m. ET: California Gov. Gavin Newsom said drone issues "have always been top of mind," the Associated Press reported.
"We’ve been aware of that information. ... It’s all about a posture of preparedness for worst-case scenarios," the governor said Wednesday.
The FBI recently warned police departments that Iran could try to strike the state.
"Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United State Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran," the alert said, the AP noted, citing ABC News. The FBI alert said it had no additional information.
Goldman Sachs sees war slowing growth, raising inflation this year
11:05 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that Goldman Sachs said Thursday that the Iran war could have a sustained, if modest, impact on the U.S. economy, with inflation and unemployment higher and growth slower.
According to the AP, the investment bank believes the Federal Reserve won’t cut its key interest rate until September, and its projections imply Americans will keep seeing higher costs for gas, utilities and potentially groceries as they prepare to vote in this year’s elections.
Before the Iran war started, Goldman Sachs predicted that inflation would ease as the affects of President Donald Trump’s tariffs fades. The bank now expects the Fed’s preferred inflation measure to end this year at 2.9%, remaining above the Fed’s target of 2%, the AP noted.
And that’s based on average oil prices rising 40% to $98 a barrel in March and April. Should the war cause oil prices increase to an average $110 over those two months, inflation would hit 3.3%, Goldman economists estimate.
US: Non-combat fire on Ford aircraft carrier left two sailors with non-life-threatening injuries
11 a.m. ET: The U.S. Navy said the fire Thursday on USS Gerald R. Ford originated in the carrier’s main laundry areas.
"The cause of the fire was not combat-related and is contained," the Navy said in a post on X. "There is no damage to the ship’s propulsion plant, and the aircraft carrier remains fully operational."
Two sailors are receiving medical treatment "for non-life-threatening injuries and are in stable condition," the post continued.
The world’s largest aircraft carrier has been operating in the Red Sea for the last few weeks as part of U.S. operations in Iran.
Trump says stopping ‘evil empire’ higher priority than surging oil prices
10:15 a.m. ET: President Donald Trump made the statement after oil prices surged in early morning trading in the U.S. following more Iranian attacks on oil tankers, the Associated Press reported.
"The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money," Trump said in a social media post. "BUT, of far greater interest and importance to me, as President, is stoping an evil Empire, Iran, from having Nuclear Weapons, and destroying the Middle East and, indeed, the World. I won’t ever let that happen!"
Trump’s post came shortly before Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement since being elevated to succeed his father, according to the AP.
Khamenei in part said closing the Strait of Hormuz should be used by Iran for leverage in the conflict.
Khamenei signals more attacks on the US, opening up new fronts
9:50 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei remarks imply that Iran may open up new fronts in the war if it continues. That likely would signal a return by Iran to the militant attacks the United States has blamed on it in the past, such the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut.
The first week of Iran war cost U.S. over $11 billion, Pentagon says
Citing the Pentagon, the Associated Press reported that the first week of war with Iran cost the United States $11.3 billion.
The Pentagon provided the estimate to Congress in a briefing earlier this week, said a person familiar with the situation who spoke to the AP on a condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting.
Pentagon says about 140 troops injured in Iran
Dig deeper:
The Pentagon said about 140 U.S. service members have been wounded in the conflict with Iran.
According to the Associated Press, the numbers are the first indication of the toll of injuries sustained by U.S. troops after retaliatory rocket and drone strikes from Iran that also killed seven soldiers in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
RELATED: About 140 US troops injured in Iran so far, officials say
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in an emailed statement to the Associated Press that "the vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty." Eight U.S. service members are currently "severely injured," Parnell added.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday during a news briefing that today will be the most intense day yet of U.S. strikes inside Iran.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Associated Press and Reuters. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.