On Wednesday, Iran struck a tanker near the coasts of Qatar and Kuwait International Airport, maintaining its aggressive stance against Gulf Arab nations. In a notable development, Tehran admitted having direct communications with Washington regarding a potential ceasefire.
Israel issued alerts about attacks originating from both Yemen and Iran, while it conducted its own military operations in Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of at least five individuals.
An airstrike targeting Tehran struck what was believed to be the former US Embassy compound, now under the control of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard since the 1979 hostage crisis. Eyewitnesses reported that the blast shattered windows of buildings outside the compound, suggesting the attack occurred within the secured perimeter.
As the conflict shows no signs of slowing, with over 3,000 casualties already reported, US President Donald Trump expressed optimism that it could conclude within a fortnight. Simultaneously, he is deploying additional troops to the region.
No signs of Iran relinquishing grip on Strait of Hormuz shipping
Trump faces increasing demands to end the conflict as Iran’s control over maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on energy facilities have driven gas prices to their highest point since 2022, leading to significant stock market volatility.
Following an assault by the US and Israel on February 28, Iran restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage from the Persian Gulf to open waters. This strait handles a fifth of global oil shipments in peacetime. Consequently, the Brent crude spot price has surged over 40% since the war’s inception, exceeding $104 per barrel.
The US has presented Iran with a 15-point plan aimed at bringing about a ceasefire, which includes a demand for the strait to be reopened. Iran’s own five-point response includes it retaining sovereignty over the waterway, and Trump on Tuesday suggested that the war could be brought to an end even with Iran still controlling the strait.
The US “will not have anything to do with” what happens in the Strait of Hormuz, instead telling reporters that the responsibility for keeping the vital waterway open would belong with countries that rely on it.
“That’s not for us. That’ll be for France. That’ll be for whoever’s using the strait,” Trump said.
It was not clear why Trump brought up France, since Europe receives very little oil shipped through the strait, with most going to Asian countries. The president plans a prime-time address on Wednesday.
Push for diplomatic solution showing little signs of progress
Trump, who has vacillated between insisting there is progress in diplomatic talks with Iran and threatening to widen the war, added that the US is “finishing the job” in Iran and predicted it will be “maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer to do the job.”
Trump has warned that if a ceasefire is not reached “shortly,” and if the strait is not reopened, the US would broaden its offensive, including by attacking the Kharg Island oil export hub and possibly desalination plants.
Thousands of Marines and paratroopers have been ordered to the region in possible preparation for an assault in Kharg, though to reach the island by ship would mean transiting the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, which Iran has threatened to mine.
In an interview with pan-Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged receiving direct messages from US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. He insisted, however, that there were no direct negotiations and said Iran has no faith that talks with the US could yield any results, saying “the trust level is at zero.”
He warned against any attempt to launch a ground offensive, saying “we are waiting for them.”
“We know very well how to defend ourselves,” Araghchi said.
Iran hits tanker off Qatar’s coast and attacks other Gulf states
Qatar was attacked with three cruise missiles early in the day, the Defense Ministry said. The country’s defenses intercepted two but the third slammed into an oil tanker off the coast, the Defense Ministry said. The 21-member crew of the tanker, contracted by state-owned QatarEnergy, were evacuated and no casualties were reported.
A fully-loaded Kuwaiti oil tanker came under attack off Dubai the day before, one of more than 20 ships attacked by Iran during the war.
In the United Arab Emirates, a person was killed when a drone was intercepted and debris hit him while he was working on a farm in Fujairah, one of the country’s seven emirates.
Bahrain sounded two alerts for incoming missiles, and said an Iranian attack had caused a fire at a business facility.
In Kuwait, the state-run KUNA news agency said a drone had hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, sparking a “large fire” that crews were working to control.
Two drones were also intercepted in Saudi Arabia, which has come under repeated Iranian attack, and air raid sirens sounded in Israel though there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
Israel hits Iranian fentanyl plant and kills 5 in strikes on Beirut
In Iran, Israel said it had hit a plant producing fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, to allegedly be used in a chemical weapons program. Iran acknowledged the strike on Tofigh Daru factory, but insisted it only supplied “hospital drugs” used for medical purposes.
The strike happened Tuesday, both the Israelis and the Iranians said.
Hospitals extensively use fentanyl to treat severe pain. But a small amount of the drug can be fatal.
Both Israel and the United States have alleged in recent years that Iran was experimenting with fentanyl in munitions.
In Beirut, at least five people were killed in an Israeli strike on a Beirut neighborhood. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said another 21 people were wounded.
Israel invaded southern Lebanon after the Iran-linked Hezbollah militant group began launching missiles into northern Israel days after the outbreak of the wider war. Many Lebanese fear another prolonged military occupation.
More than 1,200 people have been killed in Lebanon and more than 1 million displaced, according to authorities. Ten Israeli soldiers have also died there.
In Iran, authorities say more than 1,900 people have been killed, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel.
Since the Iran war began, 13 US service members have been killed and 348 wounded, six seriously, according to US Central Command.
More than two dozen people have died in Gulf states and the occupied West Bank.
