The defense secretary has avoided public questioning from lawmakers about the conflict, although he has held televised Pentagon briefings.

Sanctioned tankers are allegedly disguising Iranian oil shipments as Iraqi cargo while Trump doubles down on the naval blockade to squeeze Tehran.

Oil extended gains on Thursday as signs of a prolonged U.S. blockade on Iranian exports and stalled nuclear negotiations.

Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine are testifying before lawmakers about the Pentagon's ask for $1.5tn (£1.1tn).

President Donald Trump has told his top advisers in recent days he wants the US naval blockade of Iranian ports to continue, sources familiar with the talks said, and his team has begun laying the groundwork for such an extension,

Countries across the world have cut fuel taxes as the Iran crisis continues to bring significant economic consequences.

Follow live updates as King Charles III and Queen Camilla travel to New York today for the third day of their state visit, where they plan to see the 9/11 memorial.

By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON/DUBAI/ISLAMABAD, April 29 (Reuters) - Donald Trump discussed how to mitigate the impact of a possible months-long U.S. blockade of Iran's ports with oil companies, a White House official said on Wednesday,