The US-Iran war entered its third week on Saturday with every front active and the global economy increasingly anxious. US planes continued bombing Iran, Israeli warplanes struck targets across the country, Iran launched missiles at the UAE and rockets at Israel, and Iranian-aligned militias struck the US embassy in Baghdad. The conflict, which erupted on February 28, had expanded far beyond its initial parameters and showed no signs of contraction. Every new day brought fresh strikes, fresh casualties, and fresh warnings from economists about the growing risk of a global energy shock.
The centre of gravity on Saturday was Kharg Island, Iran’s primary oil export hub. US warplanes had struck the facility for the second consecutive day, with President Trump claiming in public it had been effectively demolished and suggesting further strikes were possible. The island sits 15 miles off Iran’s coast and is the gateway through which the country exports the vast majority of its crude oil. Its destruction or sustained damage threatened to cause serious long-term disruption to global oil supply beyond the immediate crisis of the Hormuz closure.
Iran retaliated across the region. Ballistic missiles struck Fujairah in the UAE, halting oil-loading operations at the globally critical port. Iranian commanders warned civilians near UAE ports and US facilities to evacuate and threatened to hit any Gulf energy facility with American ties. The foreign minister demanded Arab states expel US forces. Iran continued firing rockets at Israel simultaneously. Analysts described Tehran’s approach as deliberate: survive the bombing, keep fighting, and drag the conflict out until a deal could be reached on Iranian terms.
Trump took to social media to call on China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz. The appeal was the first public suggestion that the US might need multilateral support to reopen the waterway, closed by Iran since the start of hostilities. Energy markets responded nervously, with oil near $120 per barrel and analysts warning of a surge toward $150 if Kharg Island’s capacity were fully eliminated. The deployment of the USS Tripoli and 2,500 additional marines added military muscle to the US position.
The war’s human cost continued to accumulate. More than 1,400 Iranians had been reported killed under relentless bombing. Thirteen Israelis and roughly 20 Gulf residents had died. In Lebanon, over 800 people had been killed and 850,000 displaced from Israeli strikes on Hezbollah. Six US troops died in an aircraft crash in Iraq. The US embassy in Baghdad was struck, and Americans in Iraq were ordered to leave. Trump provided no end date, saying the conflict would last “as long as it’s necessary.” For the world watching from outside, that answer was becoming harder to accept.
War Enters Third Week: Every Front Is Active, Every Economy Is Nervous
