U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that the global oil market is well supplied, with more boats traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. "Over time, the U.S. is going to retake control of the Straits and there will be freedom of navigation, whether it is through U.S. escorts or a multinational escort," Bessent said in an interview with Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends." (Reporting by David Lawder, Susan Heavey, Doina Chiacu; Editing by David Ljunggren) [Read more]

President Donald Trump said on Monday the United States was in talks with a "more reasonable regime" to end the war in Iran but repeated his warning to Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz or risk U.S attacks on its oil wells and power plants. "Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately 'Open for Business,' we will conclude our lovely 'stay' in Iran by blowing up and completely [Read more]

Federal Reserve officials eager to keep inflation psychology in check and maintain control over prices face a challenge as household expectations rise alongside the cost of gasoline and doubt edges into bond markets in the form of rising yields on U.S. Treasury securities. Until the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed the price of oil up more than 50% over four weeks, U.S. central bankers were largely comfortable that public inflation expectations, particularly those regarding the longer-term [Read more]

Some of U.S. President Donald Trump's major policy decisions have been preceded by well-timed bets, leading some experts to raise questions about whether information had somehow leaked ahead of time. Here is a list. March 23, 2026 - IRAN ATTACK PAUSE: An unidentified trader or traders bet $500 million on Brent and WTI crude futures in a one-minute period shortly before Trump announced a five-day delay to attacks ‌on Iran's energy infrastructure, after which oil prices crashed 15%, exchange [Read more]

The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, the Washington Post reported Saturday, citing U.S. officials. The plans could involve raids by Special Operations and conventional infantry troops, the Post reported. Whether President Donald Trump would approve any of those plans remains uncertain, according to the Post. The Trump administration has deployed U.S. Marines to the Middle East as the war in Iran stretches into its fifth week, and also has been planning to send [Read more]

Global stock markets fell and oil prices rose on Friday, driven by lack of progress in bringing an end to the four-week-old Middle East conflict that is beginning to sap consumer and business confidence. The global equity market selloff has deepened in recent days, as U.S. President Donald Trump's statements about negotiations are increasingly viewed as less important than the situation in the Gulf, where attacks persist and the crucial Strait of Hormuz is still effectively blocked by Iran. [Read more]

A senior Iranian official said on Friday U.S. attacks on Iran while simultaneously calling for talks were "intolerable," adding Tehran had yet to decide whether to respond to a U.S. proposal due to attacks on industrial and nuclear infrastructure. Iran's response to U.S. proposals had originally been expected to be delivered on Friday or Saturday, the official added. (Reporting by Reuters, Editing by Louise Heavens) [Read more]