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THE conflict between Iran and the United States has entered its third week with no sign of diplomatic progress, as Tehran warns of broader regional escalation and Washington urges allied nations to deploy naval forces to protect shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has continued launching strikes across the region in response to American and Israeli air attacks that began on 28 February.
The latest escalation included a drone strike that disrupted a major energy hub in the United Arab Emirates, while a missile attack targeted the U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad, prompting Washington to warn American citizens to leave Iraq.
Reuters reported today that, amid rising tensions, U.S. President Donald Trump called on countries that rely on energy shipments through the strategic waterway to contribute naval forces to safeguard maritime traffic.
“The Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — A LOT!” Trump wrote in a social media post on Saturday.
“The U.S. will also coordinate with those Countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well.”
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical corridor for global oil and gas shipments, and Iran’s capacity to disrupt shipping there has raised alarm among governments and energy markets alike.
The war has already triggered the largest disruption to oil supply on record, sending prices sharply higher.
Despite attempts by Middle Eastern governments to mediate, prospects for negotiations appear remote.
Three sources familiar with diplomatic efforts said the Trump administration had rejected proposals from regional allies to initiate talks aimed at ending the conflict.
Tehran has likewise ruled out a ceasefire while airstrikes by the United States and Israel continue.
Since the start of the campaign, more than 2,000 people have reportedly been killed, most of them in Iran, according to figures released by governments and state media.
In the central Iranian city of Isfahan, at least 15 people died when an airstrike struck a factory producing refrigerators and heaters, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
Iran has warned civilians in the United Arab Emirates to leave areas near ports and locations it described as “American hideouts”, saying U.S. forces had launched attacks on Iran from those areas.
The UAE rejected claims that its territory had been used for the overnight strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said facilities associated with the United States in the region would be treated as “legitimate target[s]”, and urged American companies to withdraw from the Middle East.
Energy infrastructure has also come under strain. Oil-loading operations in the emirate of Fujairah, a major global ship refuelling centre, were partially suspended after the drone incident, according to industry and trading sources.
Local authorities said the drone had been intercepted, but debris caused a fire that civil defence teams were still attempting to extinguish late on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Washington said its latest wave of airstrikes had hit more than 90 sites on Kharg Island, about 24 kilometres off Iran’s Gulf coast. U.S. Central Command said the targets included naval mine storage facilities, missile bunkers and other military infrastructure.
Iranian officials insisted that the damage to the island had been limited and warned that any attack on Iran’s energy facilities would provoke retaliation.
Iran’s Ministry of Defence said nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones had been launched towards the United Arab Emirates.
Tehran also warned residents to leave areas near Jebel Ali port in Dubai, Khalifa port in Abu Dhabi and Fujairah port, and said branches of American banks in the Gulf were among its targets.
Fujairah lies outside the Strait of Hormuz but serves as the export outlet for roughly one million barrels per day of the UAE’s Murban crude, equivalent to about one per cent of global oil demand.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father after he was killed earlier in the conflict, has said the Strait of Hormuz should remain closed. He has not appeared in public in recent days, instead issuing a statement on Thursday read by a television presenter.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi dismissed speculation from U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth that Khamenei had been wounded.
“There is no problem with the new supreme leader. He sent his message yesterday, and he will perform his duties,” Araqchi told MS Now.
Meanwhile, France has continued pushing diplomatic efforts to organise a multinational naval presence to protect shipping through the Strait of Hormuz once conditions allow. Britain said discussions with allies were ongoing.
A spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defence said: “As we’ve said previously, we are currently discussing with our allies and partners a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region.”
With both sides appearing entrenched and attacks continuing across the region, the risk of further disruption to global energy markets remains high. - March 15, 2026
