Fox News Digital has confirmed that a key investigative panel in the Senate has obtained Dr. Anthony Fauci’s pandemic-era cellphone.

The cellphone was transferred from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations chaired by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.

A spokesperson for the senator told Fox News Digital the subcommittee «obtained a copy of Dr. Fauci’s iPhone that was used during his time at HHS.»

Whether the panel has access to the phone remains unclear.

RAND PAUL SEEKS CONTEMPT CHARGES AFTER FAUCI INVOKES FIFTH AMENDMENT MORE THAN 100 TIMES

The committee’s procurement of the phone, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, comes as the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee readies to decide whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress. It also follows the HHS’ move to dump over 1,000 pages of Fauci’s personal diary to the panel just days before the blockbuster hearing.

The hearing, slated for Thursday morning, comes after the panel’s chair, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., subpoenaed Fauci to testify on his alleged role in funding «risky» gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China, where the COVID-19 virus originated.

A source close to Paul’s office told Fox News Digital that the lawmaker is also in possession of the phone. 

Last week’s testimony was meant to serve as the climatic duel between Fauci and Paul, who has demanded Fauci be thrown into prison for his role in the nation’s pandemic policy and alleged lies to Congress.

But it didn’t turn out that way.

TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM FAUCI’S HEARING: PAUL BOOTS LAWYER, MORENO ERUPTS AS CONTEMPT VOTE LOOMS

Fauci, on advice from his lawyers, opted to plead the Fifth Amendment out of concern about self-incrimination before a panel that he charged was designed to ensnare him.

«Although it pains me to do so because of the respect I have for the legislative branch of government and my decades-long record of cooperating with Congress under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution to refrain from answering your questions,» Fauci said.

What ensued was Republicans on the panel peppering Fauci with questions probing his involvement in an alleged lab leak that led to the virus’ rapid spread to what day of the week it was. Democrats charged that his decision to activate his constitutional rights was the right call given Paul and his colleagues’ determination to catch him in a lie.

WATCH: RAND PAUL SAYS THERE’S ONE THING AMERICANS HAVE NEVER HEARD FROM FAUCI

Ranking member Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., speaks as U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan testifies at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Investigations hearing on Capitol Hill June 11, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

And it culminated in Paul vowing that Fauci would face consequences for declining to comment and questioning whether his pardon from former President Joe Biden could protect him.

«I think there’s another legal question that the courts may have to decide upon, and that is whether or not a presidential pardon offers you complete immunity,» Paul said at the time.

Fox News Digital did not immediately receive comment from HHS on Fauci’s pandemic-era iPhone.

Iran’s top Revolutionary Guard commander declared Wednesday that Tehran would continue working on nuclear weapons as long as the United States and Israel possess them, intensifying concerns that Iran is using negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz to postpone concessions on its nuclear program.

«As long as the United States and Israel possess nuclear weapons, we will continue working on them for our national security,» IRGC commander-in-chief Ahmad Vahidi said, according to a translation of remarks circulating Wednesday. «If they disarm, we will disarm.»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by vowing that Israel would continue preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, with or without a diplomatic agreement.

WHO IS AHMAD VAHIDI? IRAN’S NEW IRGC CHIEF TIED TO GLOBAL ATTACKS AND ‘DEATH TO AMERICA’ IDEOLOGY

«Today, we heard the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Vahidi, explicitly declare Iran’s intention to continue developing nuclear weapons — ‘continue,’ as he put it,» Netanyahu said at a ceremony marking the reinterment of Shimon and Rivka Herzl, the grandparents of the founder of modern day Zionism, Theodor Herzl.

«Well, as prime minister of Israel, I too am determined to continue — to continue preventing Iran from possessing nuclear weapons,» he said.

Netanyahu praised President Donald Trump as Israel’s greatest friend in the White House and expressed appreciation for the two countries’ joint efforts against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

«Israel’s existence is not subject to negotiation,» Netanyahu said. «With an agreement or without an agreement, I am determined — we are all determined — to do whatever is necessary to ensure our security and our future.»

NETANYAHU’S ISRAEL GRAPPLES WITH TRUMP-IRAN DEAL AS DETAILS REMAIN UNCLEAR

President Pezeshkian said Iran would rebuild the nuclear facilities targeted by the U.S. and make them stronger in 2025. (Iranian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The exchange came as nuclear experts urged Trump to keep Iran’s nuclear program at the center of negotiations, warning that Tehran could use the Hormuz crisis to secure sanctions relief and other concessions before addressing its remaining nuclear capabilities.

Trump told «Fox News at Night» Tuesday that military force remained an option if Iran abandoned the talks, while insisting Tehran could not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.

«If they back out again, they’re going to get hit really hard,» Trump told Fox News’ Trace Gallagher. «They know that. They understand that. I have no choice. They can’t have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple.

«The hard hit is yet to come, and hopefully we won’t have to use it.»

Trump said negotiators held an «all-day negotiation» Tuesday and described the discussions as «very good.» He has said the talks would initially focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz before turning to Tehran’s nuclear program.

TRUMP WARNS IRAN WILL BE HIT ‘REALLY HARD’ IF NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS COLLAPSE AGAIN

A satellite view of the Natanz nuclear facility and Pickaxe Mountain, near Natanz, Iran, June 30, 2026 (Vantor/Handout via Reuters)

Andrea Stricker, deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program, said that sequence could play directly into Iran’s strategy.

«It is in the Iranians’ interest to steer the negotiations toward the issues that they most care about,» Stricker told Fox News Digital, including securing major U.S. concessions over Hormuz and «maintaining control of that crucial waterway that has proven a lifeline for Tehran to survive this war.»

She said Iran would also seek oil sanctions relief and potentially relief from all U.S. sanctions, before addressing the nuclear file.

«If Tehran is able to structure the talks that way — and I’m concerned that Trump appears to be going along with that approach — there may be little left in terms of leverage to get big concessions from the Iranians on the nuclear file down the line,» Stricker said.

There is evidence that Tehran has sought to sequence the talks in its favor. Axios reported in April that Iran proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war before beginning nuclear negotiations, potentially reducing U.S. leverage over enrichment and Iran’s enriched-uranium stockpile.

President Donald Trump, right, speaks alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a model of Air Force One on the table during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House April 7, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The Washington Post later reported that Tehran was focused on preserving its leverage over Hormuz rather than engaging deeply on major nuclear restrictions.

Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, agreed Iran is seeking to capitalize on the leverage it gained by disrupting maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

«The current focus on the Straits of Hormuz is not surprising. Iran is looking to capitalize on leverage gained by disrupting maritime traffic through the waterway and test if Trump is willing to negotiate in good faith,» Davenport told Fox News Digital.

TRUMP WARNS IRAN FIGHTING ISN’T OVER AS HE VOWS US WILL ‘WIN’ AS TALKS FADE

Satellite imagery taken Jan. 30, 2026, shows a new roof over a previously destroyed building at Natanz nuclear site. (2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters)

She said Tehran understands that any durable agreement will ultimately have to address its nuclear program but said, «At the end of this conflict, Iran will still possess the capabilities necessary to build a bomb,» Davenport said, «The relevant knowledge and nuclear expertise cannot be bombed away.

«Tehran retains key materials and technologies necessary to build a bomb,» she added. «If left unchecked, the nuclear program will be a source of instability and renewed conflict, even if Iran does not resume more proliferation-sensitive nuclear activities.»

A proposed agreement between Iran and Oman could give Tehran some control over ships entering the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source and two regional officials told Reuters Wednesday. One regional source described the arrangement as a concession that had already been made, although the precise meaning of Iranian «control» remained under negotiation.

Iran is also seeking fees from ships traveling through the waterway, according to Reuters, while Washington has opposed both Iranian control and mandatory transit charges.

Stricker said postponing the nuclear issues would allow the regime to preserve its remaining enriched-uranium stockpiles and avoid fully dismantling its nuclear infrastructure.

She said Iran also wants to avoid accounting for its past nuclear weapons-related work or committing to end uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing.

The Bushehr nuclear plant in Iran April 29, 2024 (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

«Leaving them as a last-order issue in the negotiations likely means that we will not see the Iranians make big concessions and make a solid nuclear deal,» Stricker said.

Davenport said the administration should prioritize restoring access for inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency before beginning detailed nuclear negotiations.

«The IAEA has not visited key Iranian nuclear sites in more than a year,» she said. «It remains unclear how much of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure remains and where any gaps might be in trying to account for Iran’s nuclear materials.»

She said renewed inspections would give Washington a clearer picture of Iran’s remaining facilities and materials, while helping negotiators design a verification regime capable of addressing any gaps.

Davenport also recommended pairing sanctions relief with specific, verifiable Iranian steps rather than negotiating one sweeping package.

«A series of smaller deals could build confidence in the process,» she said.

Stricker urged the administration to link every concession involving Hormuz, sanctions or the U.S. blockade to a measurable Iranian step on the nuclear file.

The U.S. military has been enforcing a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, even during the ceasefire. (U.S. Central Command)

«The best approach to ensure a solid deal is to make the nuclear issues just as important as the Strait of Hormuz, removing the blockade and other top Iranian priorities,» she said.

Una fuga de petróleo procedente de un petrolero presuntamente vinculado a la denominada “flota fantasma” de Rusia amenaza una extensa zona marina frente a la costa sur de Omán, cerca de una reserva natural protegida. Organizaciones ambientalistas advirtieron que el derrame se expandió hasta cubrir unos 600 kilómetros cuadrados, mientras expertos alertaron sobre el riesgo de una catástrofe ambiental de mayor magnitud si la embarcación se rompe por completo.

Imágenes satelitales verificadas por AFP muestran una extensa mancha de petróleo que se extiende desde un buque encallado desde hace más de un mes cerca de la isla al-Qibliyyah, integrante del archipiélago de al-Hallaniyat, una zona que Omán declaró reserva marina el año pasado por su elevada biodiversidad.

La embarcación identificada como Caroline Bezengi cargó un millón de barriles de petróleo crudo el 11 de mayo en la terminal rusa de Sheskharis, sobre el mar Negro, según datos de la firma Kpler. El buque todavía transportaba esa carga cuando emitió su última señal de localización un mes después.

La organización Greenpeace sostuvo que la superficie afectada aumentó de unos 20 kilómetros cuadrados el 24 de julio hasta aproximadamente 600 kilómetros cuadrados el 4 de agosto, de acuerdo con el análisis de imágenes satelitales.

“Con el petróleo aparentemente todavía en fuga y el buque encallado en un lugar de difícil acceso, el riesgo de un desastre ambiental aún mayor sigue siendo grave”, declaró a AFP Nina Noelle, integrante de Greenpeace.

La especialista también advirtió que las consecuencias podrían ser “graves y duraderas” para el ecosistema de la región.

El investigador ambiental Wim Zwijnenburg, de la organización neerlandesa PAX, coincidió con la estimación sobre la magnitud del derrame y alertó sobre el escenario más crítico. “Una ruptura completa del buque puede provocar una catástrofe ambiental regional, que afecte tanto la vida de las comunidades pesqueras de Omán como la biodiversidad marina y de las islas”, afirmó.

Zwijnenburg también subrayó la necesidad de una intervención inmediata. “La intervención oportuna y el rescate del petrolero son esenciales para evitar un escenario peor”, sostuvo.

Las advertencias se concentran sobre la reserva marina de las islas al-Hallaniyat, donde habitan especies de alto valor ecológico. Según Greenpeace, la contaminación amenaza arrecifes de coral, praderas marinas y hábitats costeros que sirven de refugio para tortugas marinas en peligro, aves migratorias y mamíferos marinos.

Noelle explicó que las tortugas utilizan las playas de estas islas para anidar y depositar sus huevos, mientras numerosas aves marinas se reproducen en el archipiélago. Además, las aguas cercanas albergan la rara ballena jorobada del mar Arábigo.

La especialista también recordó que incluso los derrames de menor magnitud pueden provocar daños persistentes. “La contaminación por petróleo en las islas Hallaniyat amenaza los arrecifes de coral, las praderas marinas y los hábitats costeros que sostienen tortugas marinas en peligro, aves marinas migratorias y mamíferos marinos”, señaló.

Además, agregó: “Incluso derrames de petróleo relativamente pequeños pueden permanecer durante años en los sedimentos marinos y comprometer la resiliencia ecológica de este ecosistema marino protegido”.

El incidente se produjo lejos del estrecho de Ormuz, una zona que registró numerosos ataques contra petroleros durante la guerra en Medio Oriente. Sin embargo, hasta el momento no existe confirmación sobre el origen de las explosiones que sufrió el buque.

La empresa de seguridad marítima Vanguard Tech informó a AFP que el 6 de junio tres explosiones sacudieron la embarcación e inundaron varios compartimentos, entre ellos la sala de bombas y el compartimiento del sistema de gobierno.

La compañía precisó que tanto el motor principal como el sistema de dirección quedaron fuera de servicio y confirmó que toda la tripulación estaba localizada. No informó la causa de las explosiones ni indicó si el buque sufrió un ataque.

Según sitios especializados de seguimiento marítimo revisados por AFP, el Caroline Bezengi emitió su última transmisión de radio el 11 de junio, cuando navegaba frente a la costa de Yemen. Posteriormente dejó de transmitir su señal del sistema AIS, utilizado para identificar y localizar embarcaciones.

Las imágenes del programa europeo Copernicus sugieren que el barco quedó encallado frente a la isla al-Qibliyyah entre el 18 y el 23 de junio. Su tamaño, forma y color de cubierta coinciden con observaciones satelitales previas del Caroline Bezengi.

En febrero, el Reino Unido sancionó al buque por su presunta participación en el transporte de petróleo ruso. Expertos sostienen que Rusia recurrió a una red de petroleros antiguos, con estructuras societarias opacas, para mantener sus exportaciones de crudo pese a las sanciones occidentales impuestas tras la invasión de Ucrania en 2022.

Para Greenpeace, este caso refleja los riesgos asociados a esa denominada flota fantasma. “Las sanciones están siendo eludidas mediante petroleros antiguos y con mantenimiento deficiente, lo que pone en riesgo las costas y los ecosistemas marinos”, concluyó Noelle.

La Organización Marítima Internacional informó a AFP que “actualmente ofrece asistencia a Omán”, aunque no brindó más detalles sobre las tareas en desarrollo. Las autoridades omaníes no respondieron a la solicitud de comentarios formulada por la agencia.

(Con información de AFP)