The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared more than 950 points on Tuesday after President Donald Trump appeared to suggest the U.S. may end the Iran war without reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

In a post on social media, Trump indicated that the task of reopening the strait may fall to other countries, urging them to “go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT.”

The Dow jumped 970 points, or 2.1%, by early afternoon, while the S&P 500 climbed 2.4%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq increased 3.4%.

Since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began on Feb. 28, Trump has voiced mixed messages about the expected duration of the war. On several occasions, markets have climbed after traders interpreted comments from Trump as a potential off-ramp from the Middle East conflict.

The war prompted Iranian closure of the strait, a maritime trading route that facilitates the transport of about one-fifth of the global oil supply. A potential U.S. exit from the war without ensuring that the strait is open could leave uncertain the path to a resumption of normal tanker traffic and a resulting remedy for the current global oil shortage.

Global oil prices surged more than 5% on Tuesday, exceeding $118 a barrel, just shy of its highest price since 2022.

Gas prices in the United States topped $4 per gallon on average Tuesday, underscoring the link between rising oil prices and strained consumers.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Gas prices in the United States topped $4 per gallon on average Tuesday, crossing the milestone for the first time in nearly four years, just weeks after the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran set off a global oil shock and spiked fuel costs.

Prices at the pump have soared more than 30% since the war began on Feb. 28., AAA data showed. Fuel costs last exceeded $4 a gallon in August 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Middle East conflict prompted Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime trading route that facilitates the transport of about one-fifth of global oil supply. The risk of a prolonged oil shortage triggered a surge in crude prices.

The U.S. is a net exporter of petroleum, meaning the country produces more oil than it consumes. But since oil prices are set on a global market, U.S. prices move in response to swings in worldwide supply and demand.

Global oil prices hovered around $104 a barrel on Tuesday, which amounted to a nearly 50% price leap from pre-war levels.

Crude oil is the main ingredient in auto fuel, accounting for more than half of the price paid at the pump, according to the federal U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), earlier this week said the current oil crisis had surpassed the combined effect of worldwide energy shocks in the 1970s.

The global economy faces a “major, major threat,” Birol said at an event in Canberra, Australia, noting that no country would be “immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues to go in this direction.”

Member nations of the IEA announced two weeks ago that they plan to release 400 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserve, marking the largest oil release in the 32-nation group’s history.

The Trump administration is set to carry out the second-largest-ever delivery from the nation’s emergency reserve, which will make up nearly half of the IEA’s planned release. Trump also eased sanctions on Russian oil and suspended a key regulation of domestic oil transport. The president has also sought to restore tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

NEW YORK — U.S. gas prices jumped past an average of $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday as the Iran war pushed fuel prices to soar worldwide.

According to motor club AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now $4.02 — over a dollar more than before the war began. The last time U.S. drivers were collectively paying this much at the pump was nearly four years ago, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The price is a national average, meaning drivers in some states have been paying well over $4 a gallon for a while now. Prices vary from state to state due to factors ranging from nearby supply to differing tax rates.

Since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint war against Iran on Feb. 28, the cost of crude oil — the main ingredient in gasoline — has spiked and swung rapidly. That’s because the conflict has caused deep supply chain disruptions and cuts from major oil producers across the Middle East.

Higher gas prices are impacting consumers and businesses as many households continue to face wider cost of living strains. And as drivers pay more to cover necessities like gas, many may be forced to cut their budgets in other places.

More expensive fuel can also push up other spending, from utility bills to the price of many goods consumers buy each day.

In the immediate future, analysts point to groceries, which have to be restocked frequently and could also see price hikes as businesses’ transportation costs pile up.

But hauling other cargo and packages has also been impacted. The United Postal Service, for example, is seeking a temporary 8% added charge on some of its popular products including Priority Mail.

Diesel, the fuel used for many freight and delivery trucks, is now going for an average of $5.45 a gallon, up from about $3.76 a gallon before the war began, per AAA.

If the war drags on, it’s possible that those prices could tick up even higher. Most tanker movement in the key Strait of Hormuz, where roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil typically sails through, remains at a halt. That’s led to cuts from major producers in the region who have no way of getting their crude to market. Meanwhile, Iran, Israel and the U.S. have all struck oil and gas facilities, worsening supply concerns.

In a search for some relief, the International Energy Agency pledged to release 400 million barrels of oil from emergency stockpiles of member nations. That includes the U.S., despite Trump initially downplaying the need for reserve oil.

The Trump administration has also eased sanctions to free up some oil from Venezuela, and temporarily Russia. The White House also says it’s waiving maritime shipping requirements under a more than century-old law, known as the Jones Act, for 60 days.

It’s not yet clear if those efforts will bring relief for consumers. A lot of factors contribute to gas prices.

Refineries buy crude oil in advance, meaning some could be work with more expensive oil for a while, and it will take time for any new supply to trickle down to consumers.

And while steep crude prices are a leading driver behind today’s surge, U.S. gas prices typically tick up a bit at this time of year. More drivers are hitting the road and trying to fuel up while they can, so there’s higher demand. Warming weather also brings a shift to summer blend fuel, which is more expensive to produce than winter blend.

The U.S., which is a net oil exporter, hasn’t seen as stark a shock as other parts of the world that rely more heavily on fuel imports from the Middle East, notably Asia. But that doesn’t mean America is immune to price spikes.

Oil is a globally-traded commodity. And most of what the U.S. produces is light, sweet crude — but refineries on the East and West coasts are primarily designed to process heavier, sour product. As a result, the country also needs imports.

Escalating geopolitical conflicts have disrupted oil flows and contributed to a surge in gas prices in the past. The U.S. average for regular gasoline climbed to its highest level of more than $5 a gallon in June 2022, nearly four months after the Ukraine war began and world leaders imposed sanctions against Russia, a leading oil producer.

Prices at the pump later fell from that record. Before Tuesday, per AAA data, the national average had stayed below the $4 mark since mid-August of 2022.

TOKYO — Japan’s first long-range missile was deployed at a southwestern army camp, officials said Tuesday, as the country pushes to bolster its offensive capabilities.

The upgraded Type-12 land-to-ship missiles, developed and produced by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, became operational at Camp Kengun in Kumamoto prefecture.

“As Japan faces the most severe and complex security environment in the postwar era … it is an extremely important capability to strengthen Japan’s deterrence and responsiveness,” Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters. “It demonstrates Japan’s firm determination and capability to defend itself.”

The upgraded Type-12 missile has a range of about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), a significant extension from the 200-kilometer (125-mile) range of the original that would allow it to reach mainland China.

The deployment of the long-range missile gives Japan a “standoff” capability, meaning it can strike enemy missile bases from afar, marking a break from the self-defense-only policy the country long followed under its pacifist constitution.

Residents opposing the deployment near the residential area staged protests outside the Kengun camp, saying it would escalate tension and increases risks the area could be targeted by potential enemies.

Also Tuesday, a hypersonic glide vehicle, a new weapons system designed for island defense, was deployed to Camp Fuji in the Shizuoka prefecture, west of Tokyo. Additional deployment of the upgraded Type-12 missiles and HGVs at other locations in Japan, including Hokkaido in the north and Miyazaki in the south, are planned by March 2028.

Japan also plans to deploy U.S.-made, 1,600-kilometer (990-mile)-range Tomahawk cruise missiles on Japanese destroyer JS Chokai later this year, and eventually on seven other destroyers.

Japan considers China its main regional security threat and has fortified the country’s southwestern islands near the East China Sea in recent years.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ‘s Cabinet in December approved a record defense budget plan exceeding 9 trillion yen ($58 billion) for the fiscal year beginning April and aims to fortify its strike-back capability and coastal defense with cruise missiles and unmanned arsenals.

Japan last June spotted two Chinese aircraft carriers almost simultaneously operating near Japanese remote islands in the Pacific for the first time, sparking Tokyo’s concern about Beijing’s military activity stretching far beyond its borders.

The defense minster last week announced the establishment of a new office dedicated to studying China’s Pacific activity.

Tensions have escalated further since Takaichi’s statement in November that any Chinese military action against Taiwan could be grounds for a Japanese military response.

The Army is reviewing why two U.S. Army attack helicopters flew low and hovered just outside Kid Rock’s house in Nashville, the service said. 

On Saturday, Kid Rock posted on his social media two videos of him pointing to and saluting two AH-64 Apache helicopters flying low and hovering adjacent to his swimming pool. 

Both helicopters are a part of the 101st Airborne Division, based out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, roughly 60 miles north of Nashville, according to Maj. Jonathon Bless, a division spokesperson.

“Army aviators must adhere to strict safety standards, professionalism, and established flight regulations,” Bless said in a statement. “An administrative review is underway to assess the mission and verify compliance with regulations and airspace requirements. Appropriate action will be taken if any violations are found.”

Both helicopters were a part of a planned training exercise which included Nashville airspace, according to Bless. The flyover came amid nationwide “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump.

“These helicopters were flying a route in the Nashville vicinity for training purposes,” Bless said. “Any association with the No Kings Rally also happening in Nashville that day is entirely coincidental.”

Apaches are the Army’s primary attack helicopter, being fully integrated into the force in the 1980s and seeing their combat debut during the U.S. invasion of Panama. They continued to be heavily used in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and are currently deployed in the war with Iran.

While military flyovers are not uncommon, they are typically coordinated for major public events, such as sporting contests or large-scale ceremonies, not conducted in close proximity to private residences.

Kid Rock, rock star and conservative activist, has emerged as one of Trump’s most visible celebrity allies, regularly appearing at Trump campaign events.

“This is a level of respect that s— for brains Governor of California will never know,” Kid Rock said in the post, apparently referring to California Gov. Gavin Newsom. “God Bless America and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend her.”

The man armed with fireworks who rammed his truck into a West Bloomfield, Michigan, synagogue was carrying out “a Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism purposely targeting the Jewish community and the largest Jewish temple in Michigan,” the FBI said.

Ayman Mohamad Ghazali was “motivated and inspired by Hezbollah’s militant ideology” for his March 12 attack at Temple Israel, Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, said at a news conference on Monday.

Ghazali — who wanted to kill as many people as possible, Runyan said — died at the scene. Dozens of law enforcement officers were hurt in the incident but nobody inside the synagogue was injured, authorities said.

On March 9, three days before the attack, Ghazali, 41, started looking at web pages for local synagogues, Runyan said.

He tried to buy a gun from two different people. After they said no, he bought an AR-style rifle at a gun store, along with 10 rifle magazines and approximately 300 rounds of ammunition, she said.

Ghazali searched online for phrases including “largest gathering of Israelis in Michigan” and “Israelis near me,” and tried to delete his search history, Runyan said.

He also practiced using his gun at a shooting range and purchased more than $2,200 worth of fireworks, she said.

On March 11, he began adding photos to a Facebook photo album that he called “vengeance,” Runyan said. He posted images that included Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran who was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, she said.

On March 12, the morning of the attack, Ghazali posted numerous photos of his deceased family members to Facebook, and he wrote online, “We will seek retribution for his sacred blood,” according to Runyan.

Ghazali’s two brothers and several other relatives were killed in an Israeli airstrike on March 5, a town official in Mashghara, Lebanon, told ABC News earlier this month.

On March 12, while sitting in the synagogue parking lot, Ghazali sent his sister “19 videos, photos and messages that reiterated his intent to commit a mass terrorist attack, as well as affirming his Hezbollah-inspired ideology,” Runyan said. 

Ghazali also exchanged several short phone calls with his ex-wife shortly before the attack, Runyan said. The ex-wife called local police requesting a welfare check, she said.

On the afternoon of March 12, Ghazali plowed his truck into the synagogue and struck a security guard, authorities said. When Ghazali’s truck jammed in a hallway, he opened fire, authorities said, and security guards returned fire.

The synagogue became engulfed in fire. Runyan said Ghazali used approximately 35 gallons of gasoline.

Ghazali died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound during an exchange of gunfire with security guards, officials said.

Dozens of law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation, authorities said, but nobody inside the synagogue was hurt, including all 140 students at the building’s preschool. The security guard hit by the suspect’s truck was expected to be OK, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said.

Runyan said she couldn’t say whether Ghazali was inspired by the strikes in Iran but did say he was “engaging in that ideology” before his relatives’ deaths. She said the FBI has not been able to verify if Ghazali — a U.S. citizen with no criminal history — was in Hezbollah.

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Jerome Gorgon said at Monday’s news conference, “Had this man lived, I’m convinced that my office would prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that he committed the federal crime of providing material support to Hezbollah.”

Ghazali “acted under Hezbollah’s direct and control,” Gorgon said. “Terrorist propaganda is designed to activate the so-called ‘lone wolf’ to act on behalf of the terrorist organization.”

President Donald Trump on Monday said the U.S. is engaged in serious talks with a “new” and “more reasonable” regime in Iran as the war enters its fifth week.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during an appearance on “Good Morning America,” declined to say who exactly the U.S. is negotiating with.

“Well, I’m not going to disclose to you who those people are, because it probably would get them in trouble with some other groups of people inside of Iran. Look, there’s some fractures going on there internally,” Rubio said.

“And if there are new people now in charge who have a more reasonable vision of the future, that would be good news for us, for them, for the entire world,” the secretary continued. “But we also have to be prepared for the possibility, maybe even the probability, that that is not the case.”

When pushed for more clarity, Rubio said, “You have people there that are saying some of the right things privately.”

“But at the end of the day, we have to see if these people end up being the ones in charge, seeing if they’re the ones that have the power to deliver. We’re going to test it. We are hopeful that’s the case,” he went on. “There are clearly people there talking to us in ways that previous people in charge in Iran have not spoken to us in the past.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, at a briefing on Monday, also denied to identify the “new” leadership in Iran mentioned by the president, but insisted talks are ongoing.

“When the president says ‘more reasonable,’ again, these folks are appearing more reasonable behind the scenes privately in these conversations than perhaps some of the previous leaders who are now no longer on planet Earth because they lied to the United States, and they strung us along in negotiations,” she told reporters. “And that was unacceptable to the president, which is why many of the previous leaders were killed.”

Iranian officials have denied any direct talks with the U.S., saying that messages have been passed through intermediaries. Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said Monday, “We have not had any negotiations with America.”

The U.S. presented Iran with a 15-point framework for a peace deal by way of Pakistan last week. Baqaei commented on the U.S. proposal during a press conference Monday.

“The information that has been conveyed to us [from the US], regardless of what name you want to give it, as 15 articles or whatever you call it, involved a large number of requests that are excessive, unrealistic, and illogical,” Baqaei said.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Sunday that the country would host talks between the U.S. and Iran “in the coming days.” There has not been confirmation from either Iran or the U.S. on when exactly these talks would take place or who will be involved for either side.

Trump on Sunday told reporters he could “see a deal” being made with Iran soon, though “it’s possible we won’t.”

The president suggested talks were moving in a positive direction because Iran allowed 20 oil tankers to pass through the critical Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blocked to international shipping traffic after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on the country last month.

Trump on Monday continued to tout progress but also threatened major U.S. attacks on Tehran’s energy infrastructure and more if a diplomatic off-ramp isn’t reached.

“The United States of America is in serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran,” he wrote in a post to his social media platform.

“Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet ‘touched,'” the president posted.

Last week, Trump extended the deadline for Iran to reopen the strait twice. Trump said the U.S. would continue a pause on energy site attacks until next Monday, April 6.

Trump has not ruled out using ground troops in Iran. Experts say troops could be used to seize Iran’s nuclear material or Kharg Island, the country’s primary oil export hub.

“I just have lots of alternatives,” Trump said on Sunday.

More U.S. service members have arrived in the Middle East, including roughly 3,500 sailors and Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Trump told the Financial Times on Sunday that he wants the U.S. to “take the oil in Iran.”

“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” Trump told the news outlet.

ABC’s George Stephanopoulos pressed Rubio on Monday about how the president would go about taking Kharg Island and whether it would require American troops on the ground.

Rubio was noncommittal, but said again that Iran’s threats about controlling the Strait of Hormuz in perpetuity needed to be addressed. 

“That’s not going to be allowed to happen. And the president has a number of options available to him, if he so chooses, to prevent that from happening,” Rubio said.

“There is a way forward here. We are going to achieve our objectives in a matter of weeks, not months,” Rubio added.

Leavitt on Monday reiterated the administration’s four-to-six-week timeline for the military operation against Tehran.

“We’re on Day 30 today. So, again, you do the math on how much longer we, the Pentagon, needs to fully achieve the objectives of Operation Epic Fury,” she said.

ABC News’ Nicholas Kerr, Emily Chang and Meghan Mistry contributed to this report.

Some of the nation’s airports are still seeing long wait lines as Transportation Security Administration officers continued to call out sick over the weekend, despite President Donald Trump signing a presidential memorandum ordering the Department of Homeland Security to begin issuing paychecks.

The TSA workers have been required to work without pay for the past 44 days due to an ongoing fight between Democrats and Republicans over the way immigration enforcement has been handled by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents.

White House Border Czar Tom Homan said during an interview on CNN on Sunday that TSA officers’ paychecks will “hopefully” arrive by Monday or Tuesday.

Despite the promised resumption of pay, many of the TSA officers who haven’t yet quit continue to call out sick, according to DHS officials. At least 10.27% of all scheduled TSA workers called out sick on Saturday, according to DHS.

The airport with the highest number of TSA officers calling out sick on Saturday was Bush International Airport in Houston, where 38.3% of the officers scheduled to work didn’t show up, according to the DHS. The second-highest number of TSA officers calling out sick on Saturday was at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, where 36.8% of TSA officers were no-shows, according to DHS.

Baltimore’s Thurgood Marshall Airport, New York’s John F. Kennedy International and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport all reported that at least 30% of TSA officers called out sick on Saturday, according to DHS.

More than 500 TSA officers have quit since the funding crisis began on Feb. 14, according to DHS.

Trump signed a directive on Friday, instructing his newly sworn-in DHS secretary Markwayne Mullin to work with the Office of Management and Budget to use funds “that have a reasonable and logical nexus to TSA operations” to pay the agency’s workforce.

“TSA officers should begin seeing paychecks as early as Monday, March 30,” the TSA said in a statement on Sunday. “TSA is grateful to the President and Secretary for their leadership to put money back into the pockets of TSA employees who worked without pay during the longest government shutdown in history.”

Earlier in the funding crisis, Trump deployed ICE agents, who remained funded through appropriations from Trump’s tax and spending bill passed last summer, to airports to assist TSA officers dealing with long security lines.

Democratic Congress members questioned the president’s authority to direct the DHS to pay TSA officers, while also demanding to know why he didn’t implement such orders earlier if he had this authority all along. 

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that his party is not blocking funding for the DHS after House Republicans did not take up a vote last week on the Senate-passed bill to fund most of the department.

“We’re not holding up all of the money for all the Department of Homeland Security,” Van Hollen told “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl. “That’s just a false statement. We have said repeatedly, repeatedly, we should fund [the Transportation Security Administration].”

Democrats blocked funding for DHS more than a month ago, demanding reforms to federal immigration agents after federal agents shot and killed U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise defended the House’s position on Sunday, saying on “This Week” that some senators regret their vote without sharing their names.

“We actually read their bill, and frankly, a number of senators have expressed buyer’s remorse with what they did at 3 in the morning,” Scalise said. “One of the things that we had real concerns with is it actually defunds over 25% of the baseline operations of the Department of Homeland Security, 25% at a time when we’re at a heightened threat level.”

Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen said Sunday that his party is not blocking funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after House Republicans did not take up a vote on the Senate-passed bill to fund most of the department.

“We’re not holding up all of the money for all the Department of Homeland Security,” Van Hollen told ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl. “That’s just a false statement. We have said repeatedly, repeatedly, we should fund [the Transportation Security Administration].”

Democrats blocked funding for DHS more than a month ago, demanding reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after federal agents shot and killed U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Since the shutdown began, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers have missed paychecks and called out from work, leading to hours-long lines at the nation’s busiest airports.

Democrats have since proposed passing a bill to fund components of DHS, including TSA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), while leaving out funding for ICE unless reforms are made. The Senate unanimously passed such a proposal early Friday morning, but House Republicans did not take up the measure, instead passing a bill to fund DHS entirely.

“You had a bipartisan bill, Republicans and Democrats, passed the Senate that would immediately fully fund TSA and by the way, FEMA and the Coast Guard while we continue to negotiate reforms to ICE, a lawless ICE operation. And the Republican speaker of the House refused to even have a vote on that in the House and went home.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise defended the House’s position on Sunday, telling Karl that some senators regret their vote without sharing their names.

“We actually read their bill, and frankly, a number of senators have expressed buyer’s remorse with what they did at 3 in the morning,” Scalise said. “One of the things that we had real concerns with is it actually defunds over 25% of the baseline operations of the Department of Homeland Security, 25% at a time when we’re at a heightened threat level.”

Karl pressed Van Hollen on what Democrats will push for after the Trump administration had agreed to some of the reforms Democrats demanded, including body cameras for ICE agents.

“Let me ask you, the White House did agree to some reforms, as you were negotiating all of this … what’s happened due to that? I mean, that was at least something you were getting,” Karl asked.

“They were not willing to make meaningful reforms, in my view,” Van Hollen said. “We want some independent, credible review. We don’t think you can trust the agency that called Renee Good and Alex Pretti domestic terrorists to conduct a credible, independent investigation. I mean, do you think that would be credible? They refused to do that.”