The U.S. is contemplating a reduction in military operations in the Middle East while simultaneously deploying additional resources, even as the conflict with Iran intensifies. Iran denies its opposition their security. Airstrikes hit Tehran, and the price of oil continues to rise. The US plans to pause oil sanctions on Iran.
The president on Friday said the U.S. was considering "winding down" military operations in the Middle East, despite the deployment of three more warships and about 2,500 more marines.To contradict the president's comment even further, according to the Associated Press, the Pentagon requested another $200 billion to fund the war, but would need congressional approval.
This comes as the U.S. national debt hits a record $39 trillion.Iran insisted Friday that it would deny its opposition their security almost three weeks into U.S.-Israeli strikes that have killed several of Tehran’s top leaders and damaged its weapons and energy industries.A spokesperson for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard told the Associated Press Friday that Tehran was still building missiles. The AP noted that Naeini also said the Iran war would continue, but a short time later, Iranian state television reported Naeini was killed in an airstrike.Israel hit the Iranian capital Tehran with airstrikes Friday, with the attack coming as Iranians marked Nowruz, or the Persian New Year, according to the AP. U.S. and Israeli leaders have said that weeks of strikes have decimated Iran’s military. Airstrikes have also killed its supreme leader, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and other top-ranking military and political leaders.According to the Associated Press, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday Iran no longer has the ability to enrich uranium or make ballistic missiles. Israel will hold off on any further attacks on the Iranian gas field, Netanyahu added, at the request of President Donald Trump.Meanwhile, the price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, has soared since Israel and the U.S. started the war with Iran. Here's a look back at what happened on Friday: 7:35 p.m. ET: The Trump administration announced it planned to pause oil sanctions on Iran beginning Friday. The move aims to bring down the soaring cost of oil prices. The pause will end on April 19. 5:27 p.m. ET: On Friday, the president said in a social media post that he was considering "winding down" military operations in the Middle East despite sending more troops to the region. In the post, the president also left a muddled picture of whether the U.S. would police the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane. 2:45 p.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer says that a potential $200 billion price tag for the Iran war "will never happen" if it is sent to Congress, and it is a "preposterous and dangerous risk."The AP noted that Schumer said in a Senate floor speech Friday that "even a fraction of $200 billion is unacceptable for a war without a plan, without an endgame, and without the support of the American people." He called on President Donald Trump to end the war.The Pentagon has sent a $200 billion request to the White House, but the White House has not yet sent an official request to Congress. Once there is an official request, Republicans would need some Democratic support to pass it in the Senate."So much could be done with that money instead of a war that Donald Trump has chosen to wage without even a vote in Congress," Schumer said.2:15 p.m. ET: According to the Associated Press, British ministers have agreed to allow the U.S. military to use the U.K.'s bases in operations to prevent Iran attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.In a statement, No. 10 Downing Street said ministers met Friday afternoon and "confirmed that the agreement for the U.S. to use U.K. bases in the collective self-defense of the region includes U.S. defensive operations to degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz."The statement follows President Donald Trump’s labeling of NATO partners as "cowards" for not directly joining operations to secure the Strait of Hormuz.The AP reported British Prime Minister Keir Starmer allowed the U.S. to use U.K. bases in the region for defensive operations a few days after the start of the war on Feb. 28, when Iran started launching missiles and drones around the Middle East, notably those on the other side of the Persian Gulf.Under that agreement, U.S. armed forces could use the bases to target Iran’s missiles and missile facilities.2 p.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that Capt. Tim Hawkins, the spokesman for U.S. Central Command, told The Associated Press that 232 service members have been injured in the Middle East.That’s 30 more than a previous military tally of roughly 200 from Monday, the AP noted. Hawkins said 207 of the 232 injured have already returned to duty. The number of service members that are considered seriously wounded has remained at 10.Since the war in Iran began, 13 U.S. service members have been killed.12:05 p.m. ET: Georgia has become the first U.S. state to suspend fuel taxes as pump prices soar due to war in the Middle East. The average gas price nationwide has risen from $2.93 a gallon on Feb. 20 to $3.91 today, the Associated Press reported, citing AAA.The AP noted that Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law Friday a 60-day suspension of the state’s 33-cents-per-gallon tax on gas and 37-cents-per-gallon tax on diesel. That’s $5 or $6 per tank for a typical passenger vehicle, and could mean forgoing $360 million to $400 million fuel taxes.Other states aren’t moving in the same direction. Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he won’t suspend that state’s taxes. A leading Maryland Democrat on Friday rejected a GOP-supported gas tax holiday there.11:45 a.m. ET: According to the Associated Press, President Donald Trump mentioned the Iran war as he presented the Commander in Chief trophy to the Navy football team for beating Army during their 2025 game. Without providing details, he said, "We’re doing extremely well."The AP reported that Trump said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, weren’t at the ceremony because they were in the White House Situation Room.As the event unfolded, an official told The Associated Press that the U.S. was deploying three more warships, consisting of roughly 2,500 more Marines, to the Middle East, as the war in Iran continues.Concluding his remarks, Trump said he’d lead the team on a tour of the Oval Office.11:40 a.m. ET: Asked about President Donald Trump’s plans for the additional troops, and reports that the administration is considering plans to occupy or blockade Kharg Island, a White House official said that Trump has said he has "no plans" to send troops into Iran, but retains all options and does not broadcast his military strategy, according to the Associated Press. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, told the AP that the U.S. military could "take out Kharg Island at any time."10:49 a.m. ET: According to the Associated Press, the news comes days after the U.S. military redirected another group of amphibious assault ships carrying Marines from the Pacific to the Middle East.Last week, the AP reported that a U.S. official also confirmed that the Japan-based USS Tripoli and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit have been ordered to the Middle East — shifting them from exercises in the vicinity of Taiwan. Earlier this week, the USS Tripoli and another amphibious assault ship, the USS New Orleans, were spotted sailing west of Malaysia on publicly available satellite imagery.The AP noted that the pair of Marine Expeditionary Units will add about 5,000 Marines and thousands of sailors to the region where the U.S. is engaged in a war with Iran. The U.S. military says it has about 50,000 troops in the region.10:05 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that stocks are slipping under the weight of another rise in yields in the bond market, which makes borrowing more expensive for U.S. companies and households, slowing the economy and affecting investments. Furthermore, treasury yields have climbed as the Iran war threatens a long-term spike in oil and natural gas prices.According to the AP, traders have canceled bets that the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates multiple times this year, and some are even seeing a slight possibility of a rate hike in 2026, a nearly unthinkable scenario before the war began. Lower interest rates would give the economy and investment prices a boost, and Trump has angrily called for them, but they risk worsening inflation.Markets outside of Wall Street held up better after their wipeout on Thursday as oil prices pulled back Friday to $108.29 for a barrel of Brent crude.On Thursday, President Donald Trump told reporters he would not be sending troops "anywhere." This came after Trump requested Israel not attack South Paris. He also warned on social media that if Iran continued striking Qatar, the U.S. would "massively blow up the entirety" of the field.Asked later about the possibility of U.S. ground troops being deployed to Iran, Trump responded: "No. I’m not putting troops anywhere."So far, more than 1,300 people in Iran have been killed during the war. In Israel, 15 people have been killed by Iranian missile fire. Four people were also killed in the occupied West Bank by an Iranian missile strike overnight.At least 13 U.S. military members have been killed.
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