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Gas prices are set to rise amid U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Here’s what you could pay at the pump.

Updated on: March 2, 2026 / 2:04 PM EST / CBS News

American motorists could soon pay more at the pump amid spiking oil prices due to the U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran, with experts predicting gasoline prices could rise sharply this week.

The price of West Texas Intermediate crude, a type of oil primarily produced in the U.S., jumped 6.2% on Monday to $71.19 per barrel, according to data from FactSet. Brent crude, the international benchmark, surged nearly 9% to $79.31 per barrel on Monday, its highest point in more than a year.

Gas prices in the U.S. could start moving higher as soon as Monday, according to GasBuddy petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan, who predicted that some gas stations could be charging as much as 30 cents more per gallon by the end of the week.

Brace for “gradual increases”
The projected increase would come after fuel costs had already edged higher this year on concerns about flaring tensions between the U.S. and Iran. On Monday, gas prices averaged about $3 per gallon across the U.S., about 20 cents higher than at the start of January, according to data from AAA.

“Most drivers should prepare for gradual increases this week,” De Haan said in a report. “Low-priced stations will likely move first and more visibly.”

Gas prices were already seeing price increases on Monday in states including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Texas, he noted in a post on social media.

Higher gas prices would crimp household budgets at a time when many consumers are already feeling pinched by an affordability crunch, with Americans expressing concerns about the rising cost of food, health care and housing.

Gas prices have proved to be one of the bright spots for consumers. Although fuel costs have inched higher this year, prices at the pump are still more than 7% lower than a year ago, according to the latest inflation data.

Relief from Venezuela?
One wild card is the potential impact of fresh oil imports from Venezuela, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright telling CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe on Friday that tankers filled with Venezuelan oil are now arriving in the U.S.

Following U.S. forces’ January capture of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, President Trump said the U.S. planned to export 30 million to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil in partnership with U.S. energy companies.

“Oil is just starting to come now because these refiners buy their oil a month or so ahead, so as it gets into March, you’ll see a lot of Venezuelan crude arriving from what’s called the March runs,” Wright said.

He added, “Absolutely, it helps push gas prices down. More Venezuelan crude coming into the United States and flowing out of Venezuela helps keep gasoline and diesel prices down.”

Broader inflation impact
Economists said higher oil prices could reignite inflation as it has been cooling in the U.S., with the Consumer Price Index in January falling to its lowest level in nine months. Because oil prices underpin everything from transportation to manufacturing costs, surging crude prices could reach beyond the gas pump, experts noted.

“Even if core measures exclude food and fuel, sustained oil increases tend to bleed into transportation, logistics, manufacturing input costs and, ultimately, consumer prices,” noted Nigel Green, CEO of investment advisory firm De Vere Group, in an email.

He added, “Oil does not operate in isolation. Higher freight costs, higher airline fuel bills, higher distribution expenses. Corporate margins tighten or prices rise. Often both.”

An uptick in the U.S. inflation rate could lead the Federal Reserve to hold off in acting to lower interest rates, Adam Hetts, global head of multi-asset at Janus Henderson, said in an email.

While the Fed is expected to keep its benchmark rate steady at its next meeting, set for March 18, economists are predicting the central bank could usher in a fresh cut by mid-year, at its June meeting, according to FactSet.

Edited by Alain Sherter

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/iran-strikes-potential-impact-oil-gas-prices/

US tariff lawsuits returned to trade court to determine next steps

March 2, 2026 6:17 PM UTC / Reuters

WILMINGTON, Delaware, March 2 (Reuters) – A U.S. appeals court on Monday returned the lawsuits that led ​to most of President Donald Trump’s tariffs being struck ‌down to the U.S. Court of International Trade, which could determine the process for refunding more than $130 billion to importers.

The ​U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ​issued a one-page order granting the motion by ⁠importers to send the case back to the trade ​court, where it originated in early 2025. The motion was ​opposed by the Trump administration, which said it wanted the case delayed for up to four months to give it time ​to consider its options.

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The Supreme Court struck down tariffs on ​February 20 that Trump imposed under an economic emergency law. More ‌than ⁠300,000 importers paid those tariffs, but the Supreme Court did not provide any guidance on how the government should refund that money, and Trump said the process ​could lead to ​five years ⁠of litigation.

Around 2,000 importers have sued for refunds, many of them large multinational companies ​like FedEx (FDX.N). Smaller importers are hoping customs ​officials will ⁠adopt a simple and low-cost process for obtaining refunds.

The importers have already asked the trade court, once the case ⁠is ​back in its jurisdiction, to ​order the government to begin taking steps to create a refund process.

Reporting ​by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; Editing by Bill Berkrot

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Trump says US sank 10 ships in Iran strike, ‘last, best chance’ to act

The president’s comments came during a White House ceremony honoring US heroes

By Brooke Singman
Fox News
Published March 2, 2026 12:45pm EST

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President Donald Trump Monday said the United States and Israel’s joint military operation against Iran was “our last, best chance to strike” to “eliminate the intolerable threats” posed by Tehran.

The United States and Israel launched the operation against Iran Saturday known as Operation Epic Fury. The attacks left major Iranian leaders dead, including its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The U.S. will continue the operation with “ferocious, unyielding resolve,” Trump said, adding that the U.S. already has sunk 10 of Iran’s naval vessels in addition to eliminating 49 of its top leaders.

The operation is expected to carry on for days, as the U.S. military continues to target military targets and ballistic missile sites that pose an “imminent threat.”

President Donald Trump speaks about Iran before a Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House, March 2, 2026, in Washington.(Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)

Trump warned against Iranian retaliation, saying that if Iran were to “hit very hard,” it would be met with “a force that has never been seen before.”

During a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House Monday, the president touted his success in combating the threats posed by Iran —during both his second administration and his first.

“I was very proud to have knocked out the Iran nuclear deal by President Barack Hussein Obama,” Trump said. “That was a horrible, horrible, dangerous document. They would have had nuclear weapons three years ago.”

The president said that Iran, “for almost 47 years” has been “attacking the United States and killing Americans.”

“Every time you see someone with missing arms and legs or a face that’s been absolutely shattered violently — it was almost certainly caused by an Iran roadside bomb,” Trump said. “They were put there by General Soleimani, who was the father of the roadside bomb … But I terminated him in my first term.”

HEGSETH LAYS OUT ‘CLEAR’ 3-PART MISSION AGAINST IRAN, SAYS WAR ‘IS NOT ENDLESS’

Trump was referring to Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Trump ordered the January 2020 strike that killed Soleimani at Baghdad International Airport

Soleimani was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more, according to the State Department.

Soleimani was the long-running leader of the elite intelligence wing called Quds Force — which itself has been a designated terror group since 2007 and is estimated to be 20,000 strong. Considered one of the most powerful men in Iran, he routinely was referred to as its “shadow commander” or “spymaster.”

President Donald Trump Monday the United States and Israel’s joint military operation against Iran was “our last, best chance to strike.”(Truth Social)

“This was our last, best chance to strike what we’re doing right now and eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime,” the president said Monday. “And they are indeed sick and sinister.”

Trump declared that the United States’ “objectives are clear.”

“First, we’re destroying Iran’s missile capabilities, and you see that happening on an hourly basis and their capacity to produce brand new ones and pretty good ones they make,” the president said. “Second, we’re annihilating their Navy. We’ve knocked out already ten ships. They’re at the bottom of the sea.”

“Third, we’re ensuring that the world’s number one sponsor of terror can never obtain a nuclear weapon,” he said. “They are never going to have a nuclear weapon. I said that from the beginning. They’re never going to have a nuclear weapon. They were on the road to getting one legitimately through a deal that was signed foolishly by our country.”

A U.S. Navy ship launches Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles in support of Operation Epic Fury.(U.S. Central Command Public Affairs)

FLASHBACK: TRUMP SAYS SOLEIMANI SHOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED ‘YEARS AGO,’ WAS ‘HATED’ WITHIN IRAN

Finally, the president said, the United States is “ensuring that the Iranian regime cannot continue to arm, fund and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders.”

“And we thought we had a deal, but then they backed out and and they came back and we thought we had a deal and they backed out,” Trump said. “I said, you can’t deal with these people. You got to do it the right way.”

The Pentagon confirmed that the United States deployed B-2 stealth bombers armed with 2,000-pound bombs as part of the Operation Epic Fury campaign.

The president Monday also honored the lives of four “heroic” American service members.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pictured sitting next to senior military official in Iran.(Getty Images)

IRAN’S NEAR HALF CENTURY WAR ON AMERICANS

“Today we grieve for the four heroic American service members who have been killed in action and send our love and support to their families,” the president said. “In their memory, we continue this mission with ferocious, unyielding resolve to crush the threat this terrorist regime poses to the American people and a threat, indeed it is.”

The president said the United States has “the strongest and most powerful by far military in the world, and we will easily prevail.”

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“We’re already substantially ahead of our time projections, but whatever the time is, it’s okay. Whatever it takes, we will always, and we have, right from the beginning, we projected 4 to 5 weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that,” Trump continued. “We’ll do it.”

He added: “Please join me in thanking every American service member who bravely is standing in harm’s way. They really are incredible.”

Related Article

Tomahawks, B-2 stealth bombers and attack drones pound over 1,000 Iranian targets in 24-hour blitz

Brooke Singman is a political correspondent and reporter for Fox News Digital, Fox News Channel and FOX Business.

More U.S. employees are hugging tight to their jobs. Here’s why.

Updated on: March 2, 2026 / 2:19 PM EST / CBS News

Employees in the U.S are clinging to their jobs in a labor market characterized by historically low rates of worker turnover, recent data shows.

Data from ADP Research, a provider of labor market analysis, shows that workers are leaving their jobs either through quitting or layoffs at an unusually low rate. Measured by the rate of employee turnover, so-called job “stickiness” is at a multi-year high as many workers hunker down amid significant economic uncertainty. The pace of job turnover hit a nine-year low in January, at 5.8%, ADP found.

“What this means for the labor market is that workers and employers, for now, are sticking together,” ADP chief economist Nela Richardson said in a recent report.

Hug it out

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This dynamic, sometimes referred to as “job hugging,” is currently most visible among white-collar workers in finance, information technology and professional business services. These are also among the industries that are most exposed to AI-driven changes in hiring, with a number of large companies attributing recent job cuts to AI.

“These sectors have made headlines recently as advances in artificial intelligence both augment employment (through demand for developers, for example) and curtail it (by automating tasks),” Richardson wrote.

Relatedly, fears that increasingly advanced AI tools could displace white-collar employees are driving renewed interest in blue-collar careers among some young job-seekers.

Why more workers are staying put

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According to Richardson, the relatively sluggish state of the current labor market reflects a hangover from the pandemic, when robust hiring followed dramatic employment losses.

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The current trend also reflects a stark contrast to the period during the pandemic known informally as the “Great Resignation,” when employees quit at record rates and job listings soared.

“That experience has yielded to a more cautious approach to both hiring and firings, with employers doing less of both. For workers, the hyper-competitive labor market of the Great Resignation, which generated larger salaries and improved benefits, has been replaced by a stable, but softer employment environment,” Richard said.

Anecdotal evidence suggests some workers are hunkering down in their jobs because AI is gobbling up the kinds of roles they would have once pursued.

AI effect

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Radouane Khiri, a full-stack web developer who works at wireless carrier US Mobile, said his industry experience has allowed him to use AI coding tools to become more efficient at his job, which involves writing code for new web features.

“You need to know what you’re doing in order for the AI to do a good job, because you need to give it specific prompts,” he said. “If you’re not a professional, it won’t do what you want it to. But I use it like a junior coder.”

Still, Khiri noted that his company is hiring fewer entry-level developers than in the past.

“Now AI can do those small tasks that used to take a week in a much shorter period of time,” he told CBS News. “I think since AI took over, startups are hiring very few junior developers, especially right out of college.”

Over time, the conventional wisdom among most experts is that AI will foster innovation and spur job creation, as past major technological shifts have tended to do.

“The U.S. economy creates more than 30 [million[ gross new jobs per year, and technological change is the main driver of long-run employment growth,” Joseph Briggs, global economist at Goldman Sachs, said in a recent report. “We expect that these dynamics will repeat and AI will create new jobs while it destroys others. We therefore do not anticipate a job apocalypse.”

Edited by Alain Sherter

Hilary Knight reflects on “incredible” support for U.S. women’s hockey after Trump comments

March 2, 2026 / 1:21 PM EST / CBS News

Olympian Hilary Knight said it’s been “incredible” how much support the U.S. women’s hockey team has received since defeating Canada at the 2026 Games in Italy and following President Trump’s controversial comments.

In a congratulatory call to the U.S. men’s hockey team, who also won gold, Mr. Trump invited the men to his State of the Union speech and added he’d have to invite the women too or risk being impeached.

Knight, a five-time Olympic medalist, previously referred to the president’s joke as “distasteful and unfortunate.”

“To double down and have people support us, you know, when we returned back from that journey was incredible. So, we’re just excited to share that with our respective communities and continue to do our thing and be awesome representatives and be great humans,” she said in an interview with “CBS Mornings” on Monday.

The U.S. women’s hockey team declined Mr. Trump’s invitation to the State of the Union, citing scheduling conflicts.

“Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate,” a USA Hockey spokesperson said in a statement. “They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment.”

“Incredible ride”

Knight, the captain of the women’s hockey team at the Olympics, said it’s been an “incredibly epic journey.”

Hilary Knight, No. 21 of Team USA, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the women’s gold medal match Feb. 19, 2026, in Milan, Italy. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Knight, who scored the tying goal against Canada in the final before the U.S. won in overtime, said she’s dreamed of competing at the Olympics since she was just 5 years old.

“I am dialed a little differently,” Knight said, reflecting on her Olympic journey. “To realize those dreams, to do it with the group that we had, it’s just been such an incredible ride.”

At 36 years old, Knight said she’s “certainly capable” of returning to the Olympics, but added, “I think this is … we are just processing this amazing storybook, so to speak, ending for myself.”

Adams unloads on Mamdani over Iran, says he’s choosing ‘tyrants over victims’

Former mayor responds to successor Mamdani’s condemnation of military action

By Charles Creitz
Fox News

Published March 2, 2026 11:05am EST

Former New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams sounded off against his successor, Democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and politicians on both fringes of the political spectrum for their knee-jerk reaction to the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Adams has not been shy about attacking people within his own party, including Kamala Harris, in a recent volley, and on Sunday addressed what he suggested could be construed as hypocritical sympathy for the Iranian dictatorship rather than the actual will of the oppressed Iranian people.

He said Iranian Americans living in New York are cheering and not protesting the U.S. for “finally confronting the savage regime that has tortured, murdered, and terrorized their families for nearly half a century.”

“The ones screaming in protest are the usual political fanatics on the far left and far right, people so blinded by ideology that they will defend a regime that whips women for showing their hair, executes LGBTQ people from cranes, bankrolls terrorism, and openly calls for America’s destruction,” Adams said.

Former New York Mayor Eric Adams, left; New York Mayor Zohran K. Mamdani, right.(Michael Loccisano/Getty Images; Theodore Parisienne/Getty Images)

“If you are running interference for that regime, you are not ‘anti-war,’ you are morally hollow,” Adams said, going on to share images of New Yorkers, including children, waving Iranian flags.

Adams posted the statement in response to Mamdani’s own critical view of the military action, in which the socialist said, “Americans do not want this… You are choosing tyrants over victims.”

“Today’s military strikes… mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression. Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening a new theater of war,” Mamdani said.

“They want relief from the affordability crisis. They want peace. I am focused on making sure that every New Yorker is safe.”

Mamdani then addressed Iranian American New Yorkers directly, telling them they are the “fabric of this city” and that they will be “safe here.”

Adams’ critique of Mamdani – and the far-left and far-right – came following his own lengthier commentary on the Iran matter, in which he celebrated the death of Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei.

[TEL AVIV ANALYST SHELTERS FROM 30 MISSILE SIRENS IN 48 HOURS, SAYS IRAN ‘WON’T RECOVER’]

“While the military operation continues and the regime’s ultimate fate remains uncertain, the passing of a man who ruled through fear, repression, and brutality cannot be ignored,” he said.

“We also stand with the Iranian people, who have endured so much and long for dignity, liberty, and a future free from tyranny. New York is home to a vibrant Iranian community. I know how long you have hoped and prayed for the freedom of your loved ones in Iran. Be assured that the overwhelming majority of New Yorkers stand with you tonight.”

Adams received bipartisan praise, including from former Secretary of Defense Gen. James “Mad Dog” Mattis, Ret.

“Many Iranian Americans support the U.S. for taking action against Iran’s brutal regime, while the loudest critics are ideological extremists defending tyranny over victims. New Yorkers stand with those confronting this evil and protecting freedom,” Mattis said, adding that Khamenei’s death is a “significant moment” but the focus must remain on support for U.S. forces.

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Adams’ comments drew global reaction as people responded on X with videos of street celebrations in Washington, Berlin, Sydney and beyond, with some wishing the ex-mayor had been as cogent on the campaign trail and thereby prevented Mamdani’s rise.

Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment.

Related Article

[Mamdani pledged to fight for all but scrapped order Jewish students say protected them]

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.

Photo shows slain Texas gunman with Iranian symbol on his T-shirt

Updated on: March 2, 2026 / 12:25 PM EST / CBS News

CBS News has obtained a photo showing the Austin gunman wearing a shirt emblazoned with a design similar to the Iranian flag.

Ndiaga Diagne, who was killed by police after he killed two people and wounded 14, was also wearing a hoodie that said “Property of Allah.”

Photo at left shows the gunman in the Austin, Texas bar shooting wearing a “Property of Allah” hoodie. At right, a photo obtained by CBS News shows the Iranian flag shirt he was wearing underneath, after he was killed by police. Left: Fox News; Right: Obtained by CBS News

U.S. officials say Diagne was a Senegalese-born immigrant who came to the U.S. in 2000 on a tourist visa, got a green card in 2006 after marrying a U.S. citizen and became an American citizen in 2013.

He had at least one prior arrest in 2022 in Texas stemming from a car collision. Sources familiar with the investigation also said Diagne had a history of mental health issues.

Officials have said they’ve been probing a potential terrorism nexus. A law enforcement source briefed on the matter said the gunman appears to have been fueled at least in part by the U.S. attack on Iran.

Sources said the gunman appears to have acted alone but that investigators are scrutinizing his digital footprint and his contacts to see he if was connected to anyone in the United States or overseas who may have influenced him to act.

Officials executed a search warrant at the gunman’s home on Sunday and found an Iranian flag and pictures of Iranian leaders, according to an official with direct knowledge of the investigation. Sources told CBS News that a Quran was found in the gunman’s vehicle.

The shooting happened a little after 1:30 a.m local time on Sunday at Buford’s, a bar in Austin’s Sixth Street entertainment district.

Sources told CBS News that the gunman was driving around in an SUV circling the block when he began shooting from the vehicle’s open window at people seated outdoors. He then exited the SUV and continued shooting as he walked up the street.

He was shot and killed by responding police officers. Multiple weapons were found in the SUV, sources said.

A video obtained by CBS News shows law enforcement officers with weapons running westbound away from Buford’s as people in the street run and take cover. Austin Police said the suspect had also moved westbound down the block after shooting at patrons at the bar, before then walking eastbound.

The footage was filmed by Nathan Comeaux, who witnessed police officers exchange fire with the gunman down the block. Comeaux said he saw the gunman fire at police before officers returned fire.

Pat Milton, Anna Schecter and Maddie Kornfeld contributed to this report.

CDC acting director Bhattacharya urges use of measles vaccine

March 2, 2026 6:36 PM UTC / Reuters

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A general view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia September 30, 2014. REUTERS/Tami Chappell

March 2 (Reuters) – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new acting director, Jay Bhattacharya, on Monday ​urged Americans to get vaccinated against measles, saying it was the best ‌protection against the disease.

“Measles is preventable, and vaccination remains the most effective way to protect yourself and those around you,” Bhattacharya said in a video posted on X.

Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here.

The public health message was in sharp contrast ​to those from the previous acting CDC head, Jim O’Neill, who raised questions ​about the shot’s safety last fall and called for it to be split ⁠into several shots.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has dropped broad recommendations for six childhood ​vaccines, saying that parents must make these decisions on an individual basis and only after ​consulting a doctor.

South Carolina is battling a measles outbreak. The state reported 985 cases on Friday. As of February 26, 1,136 confirmed measles cases were reported in the U.S. in 2026, according to the CDC’s ​latest data.

A bipartisan majority of Americans believe vaccines are safe and that children should receive ​them to attend school, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.

AMERICANS BELIEVE VACCINE IS SAFE

Bhattacharya said the CDC was ‌surging ⁠resources to support prevention and response efforts, and coordinating regularly with health officials across the country.

“We stand ready to provide CDC technical staff, laboratory support, vaccines and therapeutics upon request,” he said.

Reuters last month exclusively reported that South Carolina was seeking non-CDC reinforcements to contain the ​growing measles outbreak. The ​South Carolina Department of ⁠Public Health had told Reuters it has requested personnel from the nonprofit CDC Foundation.

A South Carolina health official last week said the CDC ​had allowed the state to temporarily expand its epidemiology workforce, and ​that it would ⁠seek additional analytical support from scientists and infectious-disease specialists to help evaluate the data and guide future response efforts.

Bhattacharya, who is also the director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, ⁠stepped in ​as acting director of the CDC in February.

The U.S. ​is trying to retain its status of having eliminated measles even after recording the highest number of confirmed infections ​in three decades.

Reporting by Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid and Shinjini Ganguli

Trump: ‘I got him before he got me’ after killing Iran’s Supreme Leader

Published March 2, 2026 1:35pm EST | Updated March 2, 2026 2:12pm EST

By Morgan Phillips | Fox News

President Donald Trump said he authorized the strike that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei before Tehran could act on alleged plots against him, telling ABC: “I got him before he got me. They tried twice … I got him first.”

The president’s blunt remark appears to link Khamenei’s killing to previously reported Iranian-backed assassination plots targeting Trump during the 2024 election cycle — plots that U.S. prosecutors tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The U.S.-Israeli operation that killed Khamenei marked the most dramatic escalation in years of tensions between Washington and Iran. Iranian state media confirmed the longtime supreme leader’s death after coordinated strikes targeted senior regime figures and key facilities around Tehran, Iran.

Trump has framed the strike as both a strategic blow to the Iranian regime and a personal reckoning with a government he says sought his life.

Federal prosecutors in 2025 unsealed criminal charges against individuals accused of acting on behalf of the IRGC in alleged efforts to surveil and assassinate Trump. One case involved an Afghan national, Farhad Shakeri, whom authorities said was directed by Iranian contacts to track Trump’s movements and develop a plan to kill him in the closing weeks of the 2024 campaign.

In a separate case, prosecutors charged a Pakistani national, Asif Merchant, in what officials described as another Iranian-linked murder-for-hire plot connected to U.S. political figures, including Trump.

Iran has denied orchestrating assassination attempts against the president.

U.S. officials long have warned that Iran vowed revenge after Trump ordered the 2020 drone strike that killed IRGC Quds Force commander Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad. Iranian leaders publicly pledged retaliation at the time, and U.S. intelligence agencies repeatedly have assessed that threats against Trump from Iranian actors remained elevated.

Trump’s comments suggest he views the killing of Khamenei as the culmination of that yearslong shadow conflict.

While the administration has not publicly detailed specific imminent threats tied to the strike, Trump’s statement underscores his argument that the move was justified not only as a matter of national security but also as a response to direct threats against him.

The fallout from Khamenei’s death remains uncertain. Iran’s succession process is opaque, and regional tensions are high as Tehran weighs its response. Security officials have historically warned that Iran is more likely to retaliate through proxy groups or asymmetric operations rather than through direct conventional confrontation.

For Trump, however, the message was simple: Tehran tried — and failed.

“I got him first,” the president said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations for comment.

Air travel chaos intensifies as airports remain closed, flights canceled amid Iran war

March 2, 2026 / 11:00 AM EST / CBS/AP

Air travel chaos intensified Monday as the war with Iran stretched into a third day — keeping airspace and airports in the Middle East closed and leaving travelers stranded.

Tourists, business travelers and religious pilgrims found themselves stuck unexpectedly in hotels, airports and on cruise ships, with no word on when many airports would reopen or when flights to, and through, the Middle East would resume.

Among the many people stranded were more than 58,000 Indonesians in Saudi Arabia who had been visiting Islam’s holy sites of Mecca and Medina during Ramadan. And about 30,000 German tourists were also stranded on cruise ships, in hotels or at closed airports.

Airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha — important hubs for travel between Europe, Africa and the West to Asia — remained shuttered after they were all directly hit by Iranian strikes.

A person points at a page on the Flightradar 24 website that shows civilian flights avoiding Iranian and Iraqi airspace, in Paris, on March 1, 2026. Anna Kurth/AFP via Getty Images

However, the government of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, said on Monday that both of its major airports would reopen later in the day for “limited” flights, several days after both facilities were closed due to the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone fire.

“Dubai Airports announces a limited resumption of flights from Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) starting this evening,” the Dubai government said on X.

“Dubai Airports urged passengers not to go to the airport unless they have been contacted by the relevant airline to confirm their flight departure time,” the administration noted.

Dubai International Airport is the busiest commercial aviation hub in the world by passenger volume, with some 95.2 million people traveling through the airport last year, according to Dubai Airports.

Emirates, based in Dubai International Airport, said it will resume operating a “limited number of flights” on Monday evening, without providing more details. It previously said it was suspending flights until 3 p.m. local time Tuesday.

“We are accommodating customers with earlier bookings as a priority,” it said and advised people not to go to the airport unless they were notified.

Doha-based Qatar Airways said Monday its flights remained suspended, with its next update planned for Tuesday morning.

Air France canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dubai and Riyadh, while carriers from Air India to KLM suspended flights and issued advisories.

Airspace over multiple countries across the region was closed. Jordanian authorities announced Monday that its airspace would be closed from later in the evening “until further notice, in order to ensure the safety and security of civil aviation in Jordanian airspace,” according to the country’s official news agency.

The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority said Monday that the complete closure of the country’s airspace to civilian traffic would be extended for at least 48 hours due to “ongoing security concerns in region.”

Some governments were scrambling to help their citizens get home after the conflict erupted on Saturday with Israel and the U.S. bombarding Iran.

U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Britain was establishing support systems to help citizens flee the Gulf region, home to an estimated 300,000 Britons.

“We are looking at a wide range of options, working, crucially with the travel industry and with government evacuation if necessary,” Cooper told Britain’s Sky News.

Asked by Sky if the U.K. might stage government evacuations from some countries, Cooper said: “We’re working on every possible option.”

“We have to recognize the scale of this as well, and also the fact that there are strikes still underway,” she said.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said late Sunday a military evacuation wasn’t possible because of airspace closures and that the government was looking into other options to help bring citizens home. He said everyone should follow advice from German travel agencies and local authorities.

The German Travel Association called on tourists to “remain at their booked hotels as a matter of urgency” and not “make their own way to the airport or to a neighboring country.”

Other governments made similar recommendations.

The U.S. Embassy in Israel said in a security alert Sunday that it directed all U.S. government employees and their families to shelter in place in and near their residences until further notice.

It said the embassy would be closed on Monday and that it was not in a position to evacuate or directly assist Americans in leaving Israel.

President Trump said Sunday that the joint operation would continue “until all of our objectives are achieved,” which he said could be up to four weeks. At least four American service members have been killed, according to the U.S. military.

Tucker Reals contributed to this report.