AP News Summary at 12:25 a.m. EDT

US bombs military sites on Iranian island as Trump threatens its oil infrastructure

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump says the U.S. destroyed military sites on an island vital to Iran’s oil network and warned that the island’s oil infrastructure could be next if Iran continues to interfere with the passage of ships through the the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said U.S. forces on Friday “obliterated” targets on Iran’s Kharg Island, which is home to the primary terminal that handles the country’s oil exports. Meanwhile, an American official said 2,500 more Marines and an amphibious assault ship are being sent to the Middle East nearly two weeks into the war with the Islamic Republic.

US eases some Russian oil sanctions but crude prices stay high

The U.S. is temporarily easing part of its sanctions measures on Russian oil, a reflection of global worries about sharply higher oil prices due to the Iran war. U.S Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the U.S. will lift sanctions for 30 days on Russian oil that is already aboard tankers. That means customers in other countries can buy it without worrying about sanctions punishment. The move, intended to soothe jittery markets over the disruption of Middle Eastern oil and gas supplies, underlines how the Iran war has boosted Moscow’s ability to profit from its energy exports, a pillar of the Kremlin’s budget as it presses its invasion of Ukraine.

All 6 crew members on a US refueling plane that crashed in Iraq are dead, US military says

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military says a KC-135 refueling aircraft supporting operations against Iran crashed in western Iraq, killing all six crew members. U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace,” and that the other plane landed safely. The KC-135 Stratotanker is a U.S. Air Force aircraft used to refuel other planes in midair, allowing them to travel longer distances and maintain operations longer without landing. The plane has been in service for more than 60 years, and has been involved in several fatal accidents. The most recent happened on May 3, 2013, when a KC-135R crashed after takeoff south of Chaldovar, Kyrgyzstan.

US stocks lose ground as war with Iran keeps pressure on oil prices

Wall Street’s losses deepened as the ongoing fallout from the war in Iran keeps pushing oil prices higher, ratcheting up inflationary pressure on the global economy. After briefly easing early Friday, crude oil prices rose again, bringing the benchmark oil price back above $100 a barrel. The S&P 500 fell 0.6%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.3% and the Nasdaq composite dropped 0.9%. A measure of inflation closely monitored by the Federal Reserve moved higher in January, even before the war with Iran sent energy prices higher.

Old Dominion shooter was released from prison early after completing drug program

NEW YORK (AP) — The man who opened fire in a classroom at Virginia’s Old Dominion University completed a drug treatment program that allowed him early release from federal prison, even though he was convicted of a terrorism charge that should have disqualified him from that benefit. Mohamed Bailor Jalloh was sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty in 2017 to providing material support to the Islamic State group. Prison records show he was released about 2½ years early. The federal Bureau of Prisons said Friday that Jalloh was released in 2024 because of a loophole in a legal provision that allows some inmates to shave time off their sentences by completing a substance abuse treatment program.

Man who rammed into Michigan synagogue had just lost family in an Israeli strike in Lebanon

DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) — A Lebanese-born man who had learned a week earlier that four of his family members were killed in an Israeli airstrike in his native country, waited in his car outside a Detroit-area synagogue for two hours before ramming into the building. Authorities say 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali crashed into Temple Israel Thursday, got his vehicle stuck in a hallway and started firing his gun through the windshield. The FBI says he fatally shot himself. Ghazali was granted U.S. citizenship in 2016. An official in Lebanon told The Associated Press that an Israeli airstrike killed Ghazali’s two brothers and a niece and nephew at their home on March 5.

Zelenskyy says US 30-day waiver on Russian oil sanctions is 'not the right decision'

PARIS (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the U.S. 30-day waiver on Russian oil sanctions amid the Iran war is “not the right decision” and won’t help bring a stop to Russia’s more than 4-year-old invasion of Ukraine. He said Friday the easing of oil sanctions could provide Russia with about $10 billion for the war. He says that “certainly does not help peace.” He said at a news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron during a visit to Paris that Russia spends the money from energy sales on weapons, which are used against Ukraine.

Jury finds ex-NY trooper guilty of manslaughter in 2020 chase that killed 11-year-old

KINGSTON, N.Y. (AP) — A former New York state trooper accused of ramming his vehicle into an SUV during a high-speed chase leading to the death of an 11-year-old girl has been convicted of manslaughter at his second trial. Jurors returned the verdict against Christopher Baldner on Friday. Prosecutors say Baldner rammed the SUV twice on the New York State Thruway on Dec. 22, 2020, causing it to lose control and flip over. Eleven-year-old Monica Goods, who was in the SUV, died in the crash.

Key inflation gauge worsened in January, before Iran war lifted gas prices

WASHINGTON (AP) — An inflation gauge closely monitored by the Federal Reserve moved higher in January in the latest sign that prices were persistently elevated even before the Iran war caused spikes in oil and gas costs. Prices rose 2.8% in January compared with a year earlier, the Commerce Department said Friday. And excluding the volatile food and energy categories — which the Fed pays closer attention to — core prices rose 3.1%, up from 3% in the prior month and the highest in nearly two years.

Cuban president confirms US talks as island's energy and economic crises intensify

HAVANA (AP) — Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel says his government has held recent talks with the U.S. His comments on Friday mark the first time the Caribbean country has confirmed speculation about active communication with the Trump administration which has been openly hostile toward the communist government. Díaz-Canel said the talks were aimed at finding solutions to differences between the two nations. Cuban officials have bitterly complained about a U.S. oil blockade on the island that they blame for severe energy shortages. Cuba's western region was hit by a major blackout last week that has left millions without power.