United States President, Donald Trump, on Saturday called on allied nations to deploy warships to secure the strategic Strait of Hormuz, intensifying international involvement in the escalating conflict with Iran.
The announcement came as Iran warned it would step up attacks across the region against any facility linked to the United States, following a US strike on Kharg Island, a major hub handling 90 percent of Iran’s crude oil exports.
As the war entered its third week, tensions spilled beyond Iran’s borders when a missile struck the US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, raising fears of wider regional escalation.
In Tehran, the Israeli military reported on Saturday that it had killed two senior Iranian intelligence officials, Abdollah Jalali-Nasab and Amir Shariat, just days after they succeeded the former intelligence chief assassinated on February 28.
“Both were close to the leadership of the Iranian terrorist regime,” Israel said, adding that the intelligence branch of the Khatam al-Anbiya Emergency Command is tasked with analysing intelligence used to conduct operations against Israel.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the international community to end the conflict and support Lebanon, warning that southern Lebanon “risks being turned into a wasteland.”
Global financial markets continued to tumble as crude oil prices remained above $100 per barrel, reflecting investor concerns over the widening crisis.
Trump, posting on Truth Social, said, “Many Countries, especially those that are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending warships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe.”
He added that he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain, and others would contribute naval forces. “In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline and continually shooting Iranian boats and ships out of the water.”
The White House has not confirmed which countries have agreed to participate. Western nations have increased their military presence in the eastern Mediterranean, with a focus on Cyprus, after an Iranian-made drone struck a British military base on March 2.
Defence Minister John Healey said Britain is considering additional deployments to the Gulf, with the Ministry of Defence noting ongoing consultations with allies about “a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region.”
France has dispatched about a dozen naval vessels, including its aircraft carrier strike group, to the Mediterranean and Red Sea, with potential deployment near the Strait of Hormuz.
French officials have been coordinating with European, Asian, and Gulf states to possibly escort tankers through the strait.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that US-linked facilities would be targeted if Iranian energy infrastructure is attacked.
“If Iranian facilities are targeted, our forces will target facilities of American companies in the region or companies in which the United States has shares,” he said. Araghchi emphasized that while “the Strait of Hormuz is open,” Iran would block “the oil tankers and vessels of enemies and their allies.”
US Central Command reported that the strikes on Kharg Island destroyed naval mine storage and missile bunkers among “90 Iranian military targets,” while preserving the oil export infrastructure. The tiny but strategic island, 15 miles off Iran’s coast, houses air defences and buried military mines alongside the oil terminal.
