In the early hours of Monday, the city of Beirut was rocked by explosions as Israeli forces targeted the Lebanese capital. Meanwhile, a series of fresh assaults were unleashed upon Tehran, escalating regional tensions further. The situation took another dramatic turn when Dubai had to temporarily shut down its airport following an incident involving an Iranian drone striking a fuel tank.
The conflict has been intensifying since Iran came under attack from the United States and Israel more than two weeks ago. In retaliation, Iran has been launching a barrage of drone and missile strikes, targeting not only Israel and American military bases but also the vital energy infrastructure of its Gulf Arab neighbors.
One of the most significant repercussions of this confrontation has been the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. This crucial waterway is a conduit for approximately a fifth of the world’s oil supply, and its blockade has sparked fears of a looming global energy crisis. The situation is adding pressure on Washington, especially as consumers are already grappling with rising fuel prices.
Brent crude oil prices, a global benchmark, have remained persistently above the $100 per barrel mark. On Monday, prices reached $104 in early trading, reflecting an increase of nearly 45% since the initial US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. At the height of the conflict, prices soared to around $120 per barrel.
In response to these developments, President Donald Trump has been appealing to about seven nations, urging them to deploy warships to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open. However, his calls have so far yielded no firm commitments. This situation is causing growing concern within his party, as escalating fuel prices could adversely affect Republican prospects in the upcoming fall elections.
President Donald Trump said he has made demands to about seven countries to send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, but his appeals have brought no commitments. His party is increasingly concerned that rising prices for American consumers will hurt the Republicans in elections this fall.
“I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their own territory,” Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington from Florida aboard Air Force One. He did not identify the countries, but has previously appealed to China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called claims that his country may be seeking a negotiated end to the war “delusional,” saying in a social media post early Monday that his country was seeking neither “truce nor talks.”
“Our Powerful Armed Forces will keep firing until POTUS realizes that illegal war he’s imposing on both Americans and Iranians is wrong and must never be repeated,” he wrote on X.
Iran hits Dubai airport, forcing temporary closure
As morning broke Monday, a drone hit a fuel tank near Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international passenger traffic, causing a large fire.
Firefighters were able to contain the blaze and there were no injuries reported but the airport temporarily suspended all flights before resuming them a few hours later.
Later, a person was killed in the capital when an Iranian missile hit a vehicle, the Abu Dhabi media office said. Fire also broke out at an oil facility in Fujairah, one of the UAE’s seven emirates, following a drone attack.
Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones toward Gulf countries hosting US military assets since the war began. Emirati authorities say most have been intercepted by air defenses, though debris and some drones have fallen inside the country.
Iranian officials have recently accused the UAE of allowing its territory to be used for attacks against Iran. Emirati officials have rejected the allegations as misleading and said the country’s actions have been defensive.
Saudi Arabia, meantime, said it had intercepted a wave of 35 Iranian drones sent at its eastern region, home to major oil installations.
Israel’s military said early Monday that Iran launched missiles toward Israel as well.
Israel’s military says Iran is firing cluster bombs that can evade some air defenses and scatter submunitions across multiple locations.
Israel hits Beirut and launches new attacks on Tehran
Massive explosions were heard in Beirut as Israel launched new attacks on the Lebanese capital before dawn, saying it was striking infrastructure related to the Iran-linked Hezbollah militia group.
The Israeli army has issued evacuation orders for many neighborhoods in Beirut as well as southern Lebanon. To date, over 800,000 people have been displaced by Israel’s campaign in Lebanon.
At least 850 people have been killed by Israeli strikes so far, including 107 children and 66 women.
Not long after Israel’s military announced it had launched new strikes on Tehran targeting infrastructure, explosions were heard in the Iranian capital and outlying areas.
More than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran so far, according to the Red Cross.
In Israel, 12 people have been killed by Iranian missile fire and more have been injured, including three on Sunday. At least 13 US military members have been killed, six in a plane crash in Iraq last week.
Trump threatens to ‘remember’ which allies do not help
On Air Force One, Trump wouldn’t say which countries could be part of the coalition he wants to police the Strait of Hormuz to provide security for oil tankers and other commercial ships passing through.
But he said he won’t forget the countries that decline to help. He named British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who he said initially declined to put British aircraft carriers “into harm’s way.”
“Whether we get support or not, but I can say this, and I said to them: We will remember,” Trump said.
Ahead of a meeting in Brussels, the European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc’s foreign ministers would discuss possibly extending its Aspides naval mission, which protects ships in the Red Sea, to the Strait of Hormuz, without giving any details on how such a mission would work or how long it would take to decide on it.
Europeans have been critical of the US and Israel for failing to provide clarity on their objectives in the war, and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Sunday questioned EU involvement, saying security for the Strait of Hormuz can only come “if there is a negotiated solution.”
“Europe always gives constructive support when it comes to securing sea routes, but I see neither an immediate necessity nor above all Germany participating,” he said on ARD television.
Monday Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told parliament that her government “has not heard anything” from Washington about Trump’s call help protecting the Strait of Hormuz.
Japan imports more than 90% of its crude oil from the Middle East, however, and she said there had been discussions about what could be done to protect Japanese ships “regardless of a US request.”
Japan on Monday began releasing its oil reserves to address concerns about supply shortages and rising prices.
Trump has speculated that prices would fall, but wouldn’t directly answer whether his administration is talking about selling oil futures as a way to cap surging oil prices, something his interior secretary had mentioned as a possibility.
“The prices are going to come tumbling down as soon as it’s over. And it’s going to be over pretty quickly,” he told reporters.
