Featured image: Israeli soldiers are seen along the border with Lebanon in northern Israel, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

U.S. President Donald Trump fumed in a post Tuesday, saying “WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE” to break Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz. As the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran rages, analysts say it’s extremely dangerous for vessels to pass through the strait, where they’re vulnerable to attack from Iran’s anti-ship missiles, drones or mines. The effects are being felt in rising gas prices as sharply reduced energy supplies destabilize economies.

Israel announced Tuesday that its military killed top Iranian security official Ali Larijani in an overnight strike, and killed Gen. Gholam Reza Soleimani as he met in a combat tent with commanders of the Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force. The Iran judiciary’s news agency later confirmed Soleimani’s death, but Iran has not confirmed or denied the killing of Larijani. Both men were key to Iran’s violent crackdown on protests in January.

Gulf Arab nations faced more missile and drone fire Tuesday from Iran, which has been targeting regional oil infrastructure. Israel also launched new strikes on Iran and Lebanon. In Iraq, officials say drones hit the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad, where an Associated Press journalist saw a massive fire.

The war has killed at least 1,300 people in Iran, more than 900 in Lebanon and 12 in Israel, according to officials in those countries. The U.S. military says 13 U.S. service members have been killed and about 200 wounded.

FILE – Joseph Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appear before the House Committee on Homeland Security on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Head of counterterrorism resigns over Iran war

Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his resignation on Tuesday, citing his concerns about the justification for military strikes in Iran and saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration’s war.

“Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” Kent said in a statement posted on social media, making claims President Donald Trump has denied.

Kent, a former Green Beret and political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists, was confirmed last July on a 52-44 vote. As head of the National Counterterrorism Center, he was in charge of an agency tasked with analyzing and detecting terrorist threats. Kent’s decision came down to the reasoning behind the strikes on Iran, he wrote in his resignation letter.

His resignation demonstrates that the unease about the war within Trump’s base extends to at least one senior member of his Republican administration. The leadership change comes at a time of heightened concern about terrorism following several recent violent attacks in the U.S.

Kent’s military background and his personal story of sacrifice made him a compelling figure among Trump supporters. Before joining Trump’s administration, Kent ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Congress in Washington state.

As a Green Beret, he saw combat in 11 deployments before retiring to join the CIA. He also endured tragedy: His wife, a Navy cryptologist, was killed by a suicide bomber in 2019 in Syria, leaving him with two young sons. Kent, 45, has since remarried.

During the United States’ chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Kent criticized what he said was a misguided desire for nation building by some in Washington, D.C.

“It speaks to our hubris,” Kent told reporters while campaigning for Congress. “For us not to have learned from all this just shows that there are people making money and making their careers at the other end of it. They’ve been doing it on the backs and dead bodies of U.S. soldiers.”

During his 2022 congressional campaign, Kent paid Graham Jorgensen, a member of the far-right military group the Proud Boys, for consulting work. He also worked closely with Joey Gibson, the founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer, and attracted support from a variety of far-right figures.

Travelers wait in a help line at a Southwest Airlines ticketing gate at Love Field Airport in Dallas, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Oil prices continue to rise

According to the American Automobile Association, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline jumped to $3.79 on Tuesday, up from $2.98 before the U.S. and Israel launched the war against Iran. That’s the most expensive since October 2023.

State averages for regular gas now range from about $3.21 to more than $5.54 a gallon, per AAA data.

Jet fuel prices are also rising as the war in the Middle East disrupts global oil supplies, putting cost pressure on airlines as the busy summer travel season approaches.

Experts say it’s not a question of if airfares will go up, but when, for how long and by how much. The impact may be felt most on long-haul international routes, which burn significantly more fuel than shorter flights.

Some airlines outside of the U.S. have announced fare increases or fuel surcharges in an effort to offset the growing expense. In the U.S., United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby recently warned that airfare increases will “probably start quick” as increasing fuel costs work their way through the industry.

The war is constraining oil exports and prompting major producers like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq to scale back output as shipments face growing obstacles.

Iran has attacked commercial ships across the Persian Gulf and targeted oil infrastructure in Gulf Arab nations following U.S. and Israeli strikes. The attacks have effectively halted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage that carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.

The volatile crude oil prices causing retail gasoline prices to swing up sharply have had the same effect on the price of jet fuel. The average price in the U.S. reached $3.99 per gallon on Friday, up from $2.50 the day before the war started two weeks ago, according to the Argus U.S. Jet Fuel Index. The index tracks the average price airlines pay for jet fuel across major U.S. airports.

Figures from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics show that U.S. airlines paid about $2.36 per gallon for fuel in January, the most recent data available.