The crisis over the Strait of Hormuz deepened sharply on Saturday as President Trump publicly acknowledged the US might need multinational naval support to reopen the critical waterway, while Iran demonstrated it could strike well beyond its own borders by hitting the UAE with ballistic missiles. Trump called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK to send warships to the strait, which Iran had kept closed since the war began on February 28. The closure had disrupted roughly one-fifth of the world’s daily oil and gas supply.
Iranian missiles struck targets near Fujairah in the UAE, halting oil-loading operations at one of the world’s most important ship-refuelling ports and sending dark smoke into the sky over the coastal port. Iran warned civilians near UAE ports and US military installations to evacuate. The UAE government condemned the strikes as “terrorist aggression” but said it was still prioritising restraint and seeking an exit for Iran from the conflict. The strikes were a sign of Iran’s willingness to punish US allies in the region as part of its broader strategy.
The US continued its air campaign, striking Kharg Island on Friday and conducting additional raids on Saturday. Trump claimed the island had been effectively destroyed and suggested further strikes were possible. He also threatened to authorise attacks on Iran’s remaining oil infrastructure if Tehran did not allow free shipping through the strait. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth painted a picture of an Iranian leadership in disarray, hiding underground and dealing with a wounded supreme leader, though Iranian officials disputed the severity of Khamenei’s injuries.
Israel conducted dozens of airstrikes on Iranian territory, killing at least 15 people in Isfahan alone. The Israeli military said its strikes were designed to eliminate Iran’s ability to fire missiles and degrade its security forces. Iran continued firing rockets at Israel in return, maintaining simultaneous military pressure across several fronts. The depth and breadth of the conflict were stretching the resources and attention of every nation involved.
The war was exacting a growing toll in human lives and economic stability. More than 1,400 Iranians had been reported dead. Thirteen Israelis had died, and around 20 people elsewhere in the Gulf. Lebanon’s crisis continued to deepen, with 800 dead and 850,000 displaced from Israeli strikes on Hezbollah. The US embassy in Baghdad was hit by missiles, and Americans in Iraq were told to leave immediately. Six US troops died in a military aircraft crash. Analysts said Trump’s window to contain the conflict before it triggered an irreversible global economic shock was closing rapidly.