Gas prices could jump as Middle East tensions threaten global oil supply

Americans could soon see higher gas prices as escalating tensions in the Middle East threaten a critical global oil choke point, raising fears of supply disruptions that could quickly reverberate across U.S. energy markets.

After joint U.S.–Israeli strikes, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, targeted Iranian sites over the weekend and killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, concerns quickly shifted to how Tehran might respond and whether oil infrastructure or tanker traffic could become collateral damage.

Any disruption to global crude supplies could translate into higher costs for American drivers at the pump.

“Every time we’ve had flare-ups in the Middle East like we’re seeing right now — and we’ve seen this kind of situation periodically over the last 50 years — it has caused significant disruption to energy markets,” economist Stephen Moore told Fox News Digital. 

“I would expect we could see anywhere from 25 to 50 cents a gallon increase in gas prices in the short term,” he said.

Market data already shows prices moving higher.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said oil prices were up $5 per barrel, while wholesale gasoline prices had risen 11 cents per gallon.

He expects retail gas prices to begin climbing immediately, especially in areas where stations tend to adjust prices in sharp, periodic jumps.

The national average could hit $3 per gallon as soon as Monday, De Haan said, with some stations increasing prices by 10 to 30 cents this week and potentially more in markets that see larger price swings.

Moore warned that prices could climb further and remain elevated if vital transit routes or oil facilities are disrupted.

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“Huge amounts of global oil travel through the Strait of Hormuz, so this could be incredibly disruptive, delaying delivery of oil and gas,” he said.

“The Iranians have already knocked out some oil facilities in the Middle East, and who knows what they’re up to next. When you have less supply, prices go up. The big question is whether this will be a temporary bump or something more prolonged.”

The ongoing conflict sits near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important energy corridors.

“This shipping route represents around 25% of global oil trade and 23% of liquefied natural gas trade,” explained Jaime Brito, executive director of refining and oil products at OPIS.

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane between Iran and Oman that has long been a flash point during regional crises, serves as a vital artery for global energy markets.

Roughly 20 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products — about one-fifth of global oil supply — transit the strait each day, underscoring how disruption there can quickly send shock waves through international energy markets.

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Highlighting the growing concern, Maersk, widely regarded as a bellwether for global ocean freight, said it will suspend all vessel crossings through the Strait of Hormuz until further notice and cautioned that services to Arabian Gulf ports may be delayed.

Still, not all price movements are immediate.

“Developments over the weekend in the Middle East should hypothetically take time to ripple into the global supply chain. An initial assessment would suggest no specific price impacts should be seen in the gasoline market across the world, including the U.S.,” Brito told Fox News Digital.

However, Brito said prices could climb quickly if markets expect trouble ahead, even before supplies are actually affected.

As a result, Brito said, developments in Iran may have already translated into higher gasoline, diesel and other fuel prices in parts of the U.S., depending on regional supply dynamics and individual company pricing strategies.

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From a domestic standpoint, Brito added that gasoline prices follow a seasonal pattern, typically climbing during the summer travel months.

“March prices are not expected to be significantly high,” he said, noting that spring break travel could support demand in certain areas — but not at the level seen during peak summer driving season.

Ultimately, the direction of gasoline prices will depend less on seasonal demand and more on how the geopolitical situation unfolds in the days ahead.

Missiles above, newborns below: Israeli hospitals shift critical care underground

TEL AVIV, Israel: The Israeli Health Ministry reported Monday that 777 people have been evacuated to hospitals since the start of the joint Israeli-U.S. war against Iran.

At least 10 people were killed directly by Iranian missile attacks on Israel, and two died on their way to shelters.

Since fighting began Saturday morning, hospitals nationwide have restructured operations, relocating patients underground to maintain functionality.

“See, this child,” professor Efrat Bron-Harlev, CEO of Schneider Children’s Medical Center, told Fox News Digital, pointing to a young patient. “This cart is his artificial heart. He has been living here while waiting for a heart transplant. He moved to the underground area together with 119 other children. This is not just a hospital — it’s his home.”

Schneider Children’s Medical Center has so far treated three children injured as a result of the war. The greater challenge, Bron-Harlev said, is continuing to care for all existing patients as missile sirens sound across the country.

All patients have been relocated to level minus one. Standing in a corridor, Bron-Harlev explained that if a missile were to strike at that moment, those present would need to move behind the heavy doors of reinforced areas for protection.

Once sealed, she said, the fortified section is designed to withstand even a direct missile hit and continue operating as a unit for a limited time. “We have electricity supplied by large batteries located in another sheltered area, as well as oxygen and air,” she said. “How long we could remain there would depend on the extent of damage to the overall building. A catastrophic strike on the oxygen tanks, for example, would affect how long we could stay.”

Lessons learned from the June 2025, 12-day war include establishing a separate unit for bone marrow transplant patients with an independent ventilation system. Fresh air enters and exits the space without circulating from the regular ward, protecting the children not only from missile threats but also from potential infections from other patients.

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In the event of a mass-casualty incident involving severely ill children, the hospital has prepared an intensive care unit capable of accommodating up to 20 patients at a time.

The staff’s underground dining room has been converted into a dormitory for parents. Although there was not enough time to construct fully fortified operating rooms, Bron-Harlev said part of the neonatal intensive care unit has been transformed into a restricted-access surgical area.

“We are performing only emergency surgeries,” she said. “We have created two provisional but fortified operating rooms that will function until the permanent ones currently under construction are ready. Two are sufficient for now for emergency procedures. I hope we will not face a situation in which 10 children arrive from a major incident needing surgery, but even then, we could operate on them one after the other.”

At the nearby adult hospital, which is part of the same complex — Rabin Medical Center —17 people were treated as a result of the war. The hospital has moved 500 beds 60 meters underground.

Schneider Children’s Medical Center and Rabin Medical Center are two of 14 hospitals operated by Clalit Health Services, the largest healthcare organization in Israel, providing day-to-day primary care, specialty care, and hospital care to over 5 million Israelis.

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During the 12-day war, Prof. Ran Balicer, Deputy Director General and Chief of Innovation at Clalit Health Services, told Fox News Digital that a missile targeted Soroka Hospital in Beersheba and hit a building that had fortunately been evacuated the day before.

“We’ve learned a lesson about the importance of preparing for attacks of Iranians targeting civilians in general and hospitals in particular,” he said.

In the 24 hours following the start of the war, all patients not in safe areas were moved underground, where staff can focus on care despite the threats. The parking lot, Balicer explained, is more condensed than a normal ward.

“There are challenges from congestion to infection control and privacy, there are no windows, all of the noise and the pressure is in, it’s a mental and physical strain on the staff, but they are here to do what they vowed to do,” he said.

The area includes stockpiles of food, oxygen, and medical supplies. The hospital also focuses on virtual care and digital health to provide effective care without requiring patients to come in.

War-associated wounds, Balicer said, include limb injuries and other severe trauma. “Our rate of mortality on the frontlines is the lowest compared to anywhere else in the world. As such we have to really be effective in rehabilitation work,” he said.

The line between the frontlines and the homefront in terms of injuries is no longer clear-cut.

“They target civilians like they are on the frontlines, they aim deliberately to strike and hurt civilians with weapons that aim to inflict mass-casualty events,” he said.

Israeli hospitals are also being secured by IDF soldiers deployed to assist with moving patients during missile alerts, if necessary, and to coordinate the arrival of casualties.

Major S., head of operations in the IDF’s search and rescue unit, told Fox News Digital that the forces are preparing for a prolonged campaign.

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“The last operation lasted only 12 days, and it was very significant for our unit, but this time is different,” she said.

“Our mindset is that this will not end until it is over for good. As the war continues, we are facing attacks from additional fronts, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and potentially the Houthis in Yemen. We are ready for every scenario,” she added.

Ex-CIA chief warns not to underestimate Iran’s response after Operation Epic Fury exposed regime ‘arrogance’

Former CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus said Sunday the U.S.-led campaign that killed Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei capitalized on the regime’s “stunning arrogance” while warning that Tehran still has “retaliatory capabilities” as it seeks to maintain unity under new leadership.

Petraeus called the operation “an extraordinary military achievement by the Israelis and the Americans” on “Sunday Morning Futures.”

“Clearly, a lot of this was led by intelligence, precise intelligence, and a degree of stunning arrogance on the part of the Iranians,” he said, noting that Iran’s top leadership appeared confident enough to meet together, making them vulnerable to being targeted simultaneously.

He also said it would be “foolish” for the Iranians to retaliate with attacks on U.S. interests in neighboring countries, saying those nations had preferred to stay out of the conflict but now risk being drawn in.

“Their aircraft are already flying as part of the overall defensive effort. And we’ll see if there is a decision about [America] using their bases again, which they had initially denied because they had wanted to stay on the sidelines,” Petraeus said.

The U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury on Saturday morning, a joint military campaign that officials say targeted Iranian leadership and key military installations. Iran’s state media confirmed that Khamenei was killed in the strikes, along with several senior officials.

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The military operation is expected to carry on for days. Officials tell Fox News that Israel is focusing on Iranian leadership targets, while the United States is targeting military sites and ballistic missile infrastructure it says pose an “imminent threat.”

Amid the ongoing fight, Petraeus noted that an interim Iranian leadership council is “very deeply underground” and their intentions are presently unclear.

“Iran still clearly has quite a capability,” he warned. 

“And keep in mind that it’s not just the longer-range missiles that can hit Israel… when you come to the shorter-range missiles, there’s quite a large number of those as well.”

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The former CIA chief questioned whether a new leader could emerge who would appeal to the Iranian people, unite disaffected elements of the regime and stand against hardliners — and whether any such figure would embrace President Donald Trump’s call for Iranians to challenge their government in exchange for immunity.

“So the real question is, could there be an alternative to this very hardline ideological clerical regime? Could some other leader step up, and [could] the people and those disaffected elements of the regime rally to that individual? And I’m not sure that that is quite the base case,” he said.

National security expert urges DHS to raise terror threat level, warns of sleeper cell risks in US

A national security expert is urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to raise the national terror threat level following a shooting that investigators say may be linked to terrorism, warning that sleeper cell activity within the United States poses an escalating danger.

“We are facing a wide variety of threats here, and the problem is, they’re all located within our own borders right now,” former DHS advisor Charles Marino said Monday.

Marino, a former Secret Service supervisory agent, joined “Fox & Friends First” following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed several Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The unrest prompted retaliation threats along with warnings from security officials who say sleeper cells that have infiltrated the U.S. may be preparing to strike.

“There’s no doubt that law enforcement and intelligence agencies are operating at an elevated threat level here in the United States,” Marino said. 

“That’s based on the correct operating assumption that the United States has been allowed to be infiltrated with a myriad of threats from around the globe, thanks in large part to the policies of the Biden administration, which turned our borders into a sieve.”

Marino blamed several border policies for what he described as an increasingly vulnerable domestic threat environment, including “the undercutting and exploitation” of asylum and temporary protective status programs and weakness in the legal immigration process.

“What you have is you now have communities comprised of immigrants in the United States that have been allowed to segregate themselves based on culture and ideologies, and what this leads to is an ability to become radicalized,” he continued. 

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“And as reported, sometimes this radicalization is focused on those with mental health issues, those going through a tough time in their lives… this also impacts American citizens as well, who are open to becoming radicalized.”

Marino said he remains confident in federal law enforcement’s ability to respond but warned that potential adversaries could target critical infrastructure and cybersecurity systems.

He reiterated his call for DHS to formally elevate the National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) level and urged Americans to stay vigilant and cooperate with authorities.

Marino’s comments come as federal authorities investigate a deadly Texas bar shooting as a possible act of terrorism, while funding battles in Congress threaten DHS operations.

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Former ATF Special Agent in Charge Bernard Zapor warned Sunday that the U.S. faces growing vulnerabilities, particularly as DHS contends with funding uncertainty.

“It makes no practical sense whatsoever, and it puts our country and our communities down to something like a restaurant or a bar in Austin, Texas potentially at risk for a really unnecessary and ridiculous motive, I would say, political,” he said. 

“Our public safety has to be paramount above all. National security and public safety are the paramounts of our democracy, and it’s something we have to treat with ultimate care and that nothing like politics interferes with the ability to protect our citizens.”