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Ex-Obama advisor says Iran could target Gulf oil facilities as Trump blockade squeezes regime
A former Obama advisor outlined a “worst-case scenario” in the Middle East, warning Iran could escalate with attacks on key energy facilities in the Gulf as President Donald Trump’s Strait of Hormuz blockade tightens pressure on the regime.
“The worst-case scenario… is they decide, ‘Ok, if we can’t export our oil now and can’t generate revenue, we will attack the most sensitive targets among the Gulf states. We’ll go after their oil facilities as a way of putting pressure back on the United States to ease this on us,'” Dennis Ross said Sunday.
Ross warned the U.S. must be prepared to defend against potential Iranian retaliation targeting vulnerable, high-value energy infrastructure across Gulf allies, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait.
Such strikes, he said, could temporarily cripple oil production and risk escalating the conflict if not effectively deterred.
STEVE FORBES: NO MORE DELUSIONS — AMERICA HAS TO FINISH THE JOB IN IRAN
“This thing can spin out of control unless we’re capable enough of preventing that,” he added.
Ross said the regime would stop short of destroying its own facilities on Kharg Island, a key energy resource that has been a focal point of the Trump administration’s campaign in the region, telling “Fox & Friends Weekend” that the oil export hub is something Iran “need[s] to be able to hold.”
TRUMP REVEALS IRAN MADE ‘SIGNIFICANT PROPOSAL’ AFTER ULTIMATUM, BUT ‘NOT GOOD ENOUGH’
“They’ll go after everything that’s in the Gulf states…” Ross said. “Our blockading is an alternative to us seizing Kharg Island. We can seize it, but then our forces there would be quite vulnerable. This is a much smarter move than seizing Kharg Island.”
Trump announced an “all-or-nothing” blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday morning, stressing during a Fox News exclusive interview that every country would either be allowed full access through the waterway or none at all, with no exceptions for allies.
“We think that numerous countries are going to be helping us with this also, but we’re putting on a complete blockade,” he told “Sunday Morning Futures.”
The decision followed unsuccessful peace talks with Iranian regime leaders in Pakistan over the weekend.
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Trump pushes shaky deal with Iran as Hormuz is shut again, but opponents give him no credit for progress
President Trump struck a ceasefire with Iran that didn’t seem possible.
Doesn’t matter.
Trump pressured Israel into halting its attacks on Lebanon.
So what.
TRUMP RENEWS BRIDGE, POWER PLANT THREAT AGAINST IRAN IN PUSH FOR DEAL, MOCKS ‘TOUGH GUY’ IRGC
The stock market reached record highs as investors concluded the war is about to end.
Big deal.
No matter what the guy does, his opponents won’t give him credit.
TRUMP PUSHED IRAN TO THE BRINK — BUT DID WE WIN ANYTHING THAT LASTS?
And when the murderous mullahs again shut down the Strait of Hormuz–in retaliation, they say, for the U.S. enforcing its own blockade of Iranian ports–you could practically hear the sighs of relief that the peace deal might be crumbling.
Trump told ABC’s Jonathan Karl yesterday that Iran has committed a “serious violation” of the ceasefire, but he was still confident about a deal:
“It will happen. One way or another, The nice way or the hard way. It’s going to happen. You can quote me.”
VANCE WARNS IRAN WILL ‘FIND OUT’ TRUMP IS ‘NOT ONE TO MESS AROUND’ IF CEASEFIRE DEAL FALLS APART
On X, Karl got hammered for–get this–calling the president for comment on a significant setback in the war.
“Why compromise yourself as a journalist & post BS from a pathological liar?” one woman said.
“Jon, just stop,” said another female poster. “You know he doesn’t have a clue so he just feeds you guys lies.”
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: 5 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM TRUMP’S IRAN ADDRESS
After the Karl exchange, Trump tweeted: “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY1”
A banner headline on Drudge read “LEAK: TRUMP GRIPPED WITH FEAR.” This was tied to a Wall Street Journal piece about Trump’s frustrations with the war, sometimes losing focus, and musing about awarding himself the Medal of Honor.
When Tehran fired on two Indian-flagged ships in the strait, it was a troubling sign. The speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Ghalibaf, says the two sides are far apart on a final agreement. Maybe that’s a negotiating tactic.
HEGSETH DECLARES ‘DECISIVE MILITARY VICTORY’ OVER IRAN
The larger point is that most Democrats and many in the media won’t acknowledge it when the president does something that turns out right. Because it’s Trump.
Now some of this is rooted in Trump’s decision, under pressure from Israel, to launch his war of choice, conduct airstrikes against Iran without so much as a nod to Congress or our supposed European allies.
Maybe that was a bad decision. It certainly wasn’t a popular one.
IRAN WAR NEARS ‘COMPLETION’ AS TRUMP EYES DEADLINE — WHAT THE ENDGAME COULD LOOK LIKE
Seven weeks later, a new Politico poll finds 38% of those surveyed support the strikes–and almost half say Trump spends too much time on global affairs rather than domestic issues.
The president’s inflammatory rhetoric hasn’t helped, from “Close the F—in’ Strait” on Easter Sunday to vowing two days later that “a whole civilization will die tonight.”
So I understand those who have principled objections to the war, especially Trump’s former acolytes in the conservative media.
STEVE FORBES: NO MORE DELUSIONS — AMERICA HAS TO FINISH THE JOB IN IRAN
But whether he was lucky or just stumbled into the right situation, he certainly deserves a belated bit of recognition.
Trump says his tough and sometimes erratic talk kept the Iranian leaders who survived the bombing off balance. And, of course, his latest delay in the bombing pause created the space for a tentative agreement (which theoretically expires Tuesday).
Come on: If President Biden had achieved a double ceasefire–with Iran and Lebanon–Democrats would be hailing him as a great commander-in-chief and powerful peacemaker. (And most Republicans would be critical.)
TRUMP’S IRAN STRATEGY SHOWCASES ‘DOCTRINE OF UNPREDICTABILITY’ AMID STRIKE THREATS AND SUDDEN PAUSE
Trump, never one to deflect credit, posted Friday: “The Failing New York Times, FAKE NEWS CNN, and others, just don’t know what to do. They are desperately looking for a reason to criticize President Donald J. Trump on the Iran situation, but just can’t find it.”
Meanwhile, Trump hasn’t lost his talent for stepping on his own story.
By posting that fake AI picture of himself as Jesus, and a followup of Christ comforting him, the president angered many Catholic followers who viewed the images as blasphemous. Trump had to delete the first one within 12 hours, which he almost never does.
MORNING GLORY: THE US-IRAN NEGOTIATIONS IN ISLAMABAD BECAME REYKJAVÍK 2.0
I know why he did it. Trump wanted to draw attention to his war of words with Pope Leo, and this guaranteed the topic would dominate the news for days. He even had JD Vance, a converted Catholic, warn the American-born Pope to be careful about discussing theology.
By the way, I don’t agree with Pete Hegseth (who delivered a biblical verse actually lifted from “Pulp Fiction”) unloading on the “Trump-hating” legacy media. I don’t believe they’ve portrayed the war as a failure.
But in watching show after show after Trump’s announcement, I saw a bit of straight reporting on the president’s update quickly fade into the Jesus uproar, dissing NATO, the Epstein files, RFK’s ostensible shift on vaccines, Victor Orban’s defeat–all the same stuff they would have been talking about had there been no progress on the war.
WHY TRUMP, IRAN SEEM LIGHT-YEARS APART ON ANY POSSIBLE DEAL TO END THE WAR
Despite the president’s repeated pronouncements of victory, we do have to ask where this would leave his main rationale for the airstrikes–to keep Iran from building nuclear weapons.
Whether such an outcome was imminent or not, I haven’t seen the Iranians, who lie for a living, agree to forfeit their longtime ambitions.
What I’ve watched instead is Trump saying he would strongly consider unfreezing $20 billion in Iranian assets if the U.S. can remove the enriched uranium–and underground nuclear “dust” – from the country. Maybe with that supposed price tag, it’s worthwhile for the world’s biggest terror state.
BROADCAST BIAS: FROM SPACE TO CEASEFIRES, NETWORKS STILL PAINT TRUMP AS THE PROBLEM
But as we’ve just learned again, the devil is always in the details.
Let’s say the ceasefire holds, Hormuz is reopened, and a deal is made–putting aside, for the sake of argument, all the caveats about how this train could be derailed.
Will the Democrats and the mainstream media even grudgingly concede that Donald Trump pulled off something quite historic?
I’m not so sure about that.
Latest
NYPD investigating ‘reckless’ drag racing street takeover in Queens
A drag-racing street takeover involving more than 100 vehicles in Queens over the weekend triggered a NYPD investigation, as authorities continue searching for suspects.
The incident was reported on Saturday shortly before 2 a.m. near Eliot Avenue and 69th Street, according to the NYPD.
When officers arrived at the scene, they activated their lights and sirens to disperse the crowd. Dozens of vehicles then fled the area.
CHICAGO MAYOR WARNS OF ‘TEEN TREND’ AFTER TAKEOVER CHAOS, VIOLENCE CONCERNS GROW
Police said multiple vehicles were observed driving in circles.
A few people also allegedly jumped on the hood of an NYPD vehicle, causing damage and cracking the windshield before fleeing the scene in a black car.
No injuries were reported in connection with the drag racing incident.
NYC TEEN SHOT DEAD ON QUEENS BASKETBALL COURT AS BYSTANDERS FILMED; POLICE SEARCHING FOR GUNMAN
Police said no arrests have been made, but they are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying eight people and four vehicles captured in photographs.
Officers canvassed surrounding streets following the incident to deter further reckless driving.
As they were patrolling, one driver was issued a summons for blocking a crosswalk.
The incident remains under investigation.
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Pennsylvania man accused of stealing over 100 sets of human remains appears in court in ‘horror movie’ case
A Pennsylvania man accused of stealing more than 100 sets of human remains from a historic cemetery appeared in court Friday, where he reportedly waived his right to an evidentiary hearing.
Jonathan Gerlach, 34, appeared in Delaware County court wearing a lime green prison jumpsuit. Clean-shaven with his hair tied back in a bun, he looked noticeably different from his booking photo. He spoke little during the brief proceeding, according to FOX 29 Philadelphia.
Gerlach is facing nearly 500 charges — including burglary, abuse of a corpse and desecration of monuments — tied to a disturbing investigation at Mount Moriah Cemetery near Philadelphia, the outlet reported.
During Friday’s hearing, prosecutors dropped two burglary charges but filed additional counts related to alleged cemetery break-ins in Lancaster and Luzerne counties, FOX 29 reported.
The case has shocked both investigators and the public since Gerlach’s arrest in January.
At the time, Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse described what detectives uncovered as “a horror movie come to life.”
Authorities say more than 100 full or partial sets of human and skeletal remains were recovered from Gerlach’s home in Ephrata and a storage unit.
FLORIDA MAN ALLEGEDLY STUFFED HUMAN REMAINS IN TWO SUITCASES FOUND IN REMOTE ‘COMPOUND’
Some of the remains are believed to be centuries old, while others belonged to infants, according to prosecutors.
Police said Gerlach was initially identified after officers conducting surveillance spotted bones and skulls inside his vehicle at Mount Moriah Cemetery
Investigators later observed him leaving the cemetery carrying a burlap bag, a crowbar and other tools. Authorities allege he admitted to stealing approximately 30 sets of remains.
The case has been especially distressing for families with loved ones buried at Mount Moriah.
SKELETAL REMAINS FOUND BY HIKERS IN WASHINGTON STATE WOODS IDENTIFIED AS WOMAN MISSING SINCE 2024
“I believe their souls are in heaven. I still think it’s disruptive,” Judy Prichard McCleary, whose ancestors’ remains were disturbed, told The Associated Press.
Gerlach remains behind bars in Delaware County with bail set at $1 million, according to FOX 29.
Court records do not indicate whether Gerlach has entered a plea. An attorney representing him could not be immediately identified Friday.
The Delaware County District Attorney’s Office could not be immediately reached by Fox News Digital for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman-Diamond contributed to this report.
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