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Cuba's 'Humanitarian Gesture': Releasing 2K Prisoners

Move made as US keeps up pressure on nation via oil blockade; Cuba says release was for Holy Week

(Newser) - The Cuban government said on Thursday that it would release 2,010 prisoners in a move that comes as the Trump administration is putting extreme pressure on the island's government with a suffocating oil blockade. The announcement said the pardons were a "humanitarian gesture" in connection with Holy...

Trump Blasts Allies: 'USA Won't Be There to Help Anymore'

US president slams UK, France, NATO over their wariness at joining US-Israel blitz against Iran

(Newser) - President Trump is signaling a colder era for some of America's closest partners. In a series of Truth Social posts, the president lashed out at the UK, France, and NATO over their reluctance to join US and Israeli military action against Iran and efforts to reopen the Strait of...

Gas Prices Top $4 as Iran War Disrupts Global Oil Supply
Gas Prices Just
Crossed a Threshold
Mar 31, 2026 5:50 AM CDT

Gas Prices Just Crossed a Threshold

Tuesday's average hovered at just over $4 a gallon in the US

(Newser) - American drivers are once again seeing a number they don't like at the pump: a $4 national average for regular gas. AAA put Tuesday's average at just over $4.01 a gallon, the first time prices have crossed that line since the inflation surge of 2022, when gas...

Sources: Trump Weighs Ending Iran War Without Hormuz Open

Decision could prolong Iran's control of key global oil chokepoint, sources say

(Newser) - President Trump is signaling to aides he's ready to declare victory over Iran without fully reopening one of the world's most critical oil routes, according to sources who spoke to the Wall Street Journal . Administration officials tell reporters Trump has privately said he's prepared to wind down...

US Troop Buildup in Middle East Tops 50K

Surge comes amid talk of possible special operation ground raids

(Newser) - The US troop presence in the Middle East has quietly swelled to a level not seen in decades, now hovering above 50,000. The latest additions: 2,500 Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and 2,500 sailors, plus about 2,000 paratroopers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division,...

Trump Says His 'Preference' Is to Take Iran's Oil

Trump weighs seizing Kharg Island as oil prices surge

(Newser) - President Trump is floating a blunt idea for ending the US-Israeli war with Iran: seize Iran's oil. In a weekend interview with the Financial Times , the US president said his "preference" would be to capture Iran's main export terminal, Kharg Island, insisting it could be taken "...

USPS Adds First-Ever 8% Fuel Surcharge on Packages
USPS Adds First-Ever
Fuel Surcharge
Mar 26, 2026 3:00 AM CDT

USPS Adds First-Ever Fuel Surcharge

Temporary 8% package fee aims to offset soaring fuel costs

(Newser) - Americans who ship with the Postal Service are about to see a new line on their receipts. The USPS will roll out its first fuel surcharge on packages April 26, tacking on an 8% fee that's set to run through Jan. 17, 2027, pending regulatory approval, the Wall Street ...

China Tries to Hold Off on Oil Reserves 'for as Long as It Can'

But as Mideast conflict drags on, nation may not have a choice but to tap into its supply

(Newser) - China may soon be leaning on a different kind of oil lifeline. Energy consultancy FGE says Beijing is nearing the point where it will let refineries tap into the country's large commercial crude reserves as Middle East tensions disrupt flows, especially through the Strait of Hormuz, reports Bloomberg . The...

Trump Temporarily Freezes Jones Act to Ease Fuel Costs

Waiver greenlit by president allows foreign tankers to move US fuel, related cargo domestically

(Newser) - President Trump is temporarily setting aside a 100-year-old shipping rule as his administration scrambles to curb rising fuel costs tied to the war in Iran. The White House on Wednesday approved a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act, a 1920 law that normally requires goods moving between US ports to...

Iran War Has Exacerbated Fed's 'Worst Nightmare'

High inflation-weak jobs scenario presents a dilemma for Powell and Co. in deciding on rate cuts

(Newser) - Oil and jobs are pulling the Federal Reserve in opposite directions, and a war in Iran just tightened the vise. At its meeting on Wednesday, the Fed faces a familiar dilemma: Inflation remains stubborn, while hiring has cooled. The conflict in Iran adds a new layer of uncertainty, with Goldman...

Sri Lanka Makes Every Wednesday a Holiday

A 4-day workweek has been introduced in Sri Lanka as fuel shortages loom amid Gulf conflict

(Newser) - Sri Lanka just gave workers a midweek day off, though it's not for fun. The government has announced that every Wednesday is now a public holiday, in an attempt to cut fuel use as it braces for possible shortages linked to the war involving the US, Israel, and Iran,...

2 EU Nations Are Reportedly Talking With Iran Over Hormuz

Officials tell FT that France, Italy have moved to restart Gulf energy flows without escalating conflict

(Newser) - European leaders are quietly testing a diplomatic side door around the Strait of Hormuz crisis. France and Italy have opened exploratory talks with Iran over securing safe passage for commercial ships, hoping to restart oil and gas flows through the narrow waterway without sliding deeper into the regional war, officials...

Trump: US Bombed Iran's Key Kharg Island Oil Hub

Strike raises stakes in Hormuz standoff, global oil markets

(Newser) - President Trump says the United States has hit what may be the most valuable piece of real estate in Iran's energy network. In a Truth Social post on Friday night, the president claimed that American forces bombed Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, calling it Iran's "crown...

Cuba Confirms Talks With US as Fuel Crisis Deepens

Discussions with Trump administration come amid crippling fuel shortages, US pressure

(Newser) - Cuba just confirmed what had previously only been whispered about: It's been talking to the Trump administration. President Miguel Diaz-Canel acknowledged on state media that his government is in early-stage discussions with Washington, framing them as an attempt to address "bilateral differences" and explore whether both sides are...

US to Tap Oil Reserves Following Trump's '180'

Release of 172M barrels aims to ease war-driven price spike and reassure markets

(Newser) - President Trump is cracking open the nation's oil piggy bank, despite opposition to a similar move by President Biden. The Trump administration will release 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in a push to cool surging prices tied to the US war with Iran and attacks on tankers...

2 Pipelines Could Ease the Pressure on Trump

Saudi, UAE lines bypassing Hormuz chokepoint are keeping crisis from spiraling, for now

(Newser) - Two long-ignored desert pipelines are suddenly doing a lot of the heavy lifting for the global oil system. With shipping through the Strait of Hormuz throttled by the Iran war and more than 1,000 vessels backed up, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are pushing crude through overland...

Iran Security Leader Issues a Personal Warning to Trump

Don't 'get eliminated yourself,' senior security official Ali Larijani cautioned Trump in online post

(Newser) - Iran's war of words with Washington just escalated alongside a sharp squeeze on global oil. Responding to President Trump's warning that any Iranian move to stymie oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz would bring US retaliation "twenty times harder," senior security official Ali Larijani wrote...

Hegseth: Iran Is in for 'Most Intense Day'

Defense secretary promises heavy action as Iran missile launches continue to decline

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says Tuesday's action against Iran will mark the heaviest US aerial assault since the conflict began 10 days ago. Speaking at the Pentagon alongside Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine, Hegseth said Iran "stands alone" and is "badly losing," claiming Tehran has launched its fewest missiles...

The War With Iran Could Be a Financial Lifeline for Putin

Middle East turmoil may boost Russian oil sales, so long as it lasts long enough

(Newser) - "For our budget, the attack on Iran is a big plus," a Russian TV host proclaimed Monday. The Guardian digs into the potential truth of that statement. Russia's oil and gas revenues are a linchpin of its war financing, and they hit a five-year low last year...

Strait of Hormuz Showdown Could Be a 'Historic' One

Traffic through key waterway has ground to a halt, with higher oil prices looming

(Newser) - Oil tankers are all but sidelined in one of the world's most important energy conduits. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has plunged since US and Israeli strikes began on Iran , as ship operators steer clear of the narrow passage that usually carries about a fifth of the world'...

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