WASHINGTON / DUBAI / TEHRAN: Iran has warned other nations against getting involved in the conflict as US President Donald Trump urged allies to deploy warships to safeguard shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tensions.
Trump called on countries including China, France, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom to send naval vessels to the region to help secure the vital oil shipping lane, warning that Iran’s threats had disrupted global energy supplies.
The conflict has severely affected shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, with reports of at least ten oil tankers being attacked or targeted since hostilities began. The disruption has pushed global oil prices up by about 40 per cent, unsettling the world economy.
Trump said several countries affected by the disruption would join the US in keeping the waterway open. However, responses from allies have been cautious. The United Kingdom has not committed to deploying ships, while South Korea said it was reviewing the request.
Meanwhile, reports suggest British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is considering sending interceptor drones to the Middle East to strengthen defences against Iranian drone attacks.
A day earlier, Trump claimed US forces had bombed Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal, and warned that further strikes could follow. He also said negotiations with Tehran were possible but insisted that the current terms were “not good enough”.
Iran rejects talks
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected the prospect of negotiations with Washington, saying Iran had been engaged in talks when the United States launched its attacks.
“We were talking with them when they decided to attack us,” Araghchi said, adding that Iran was focused on defending its people and saw no reason to negotiate with the US at this stage.
He also urged other countries to avoid actions that could expand the war and accused regional states of allowing their territory to be used for attacks on Iran. According to Araghchi, Tehran has evidence that US bases across the Gulf were involved in operations targeting the country.
In separate remarks, senior Iranian official Ali Larijani warned that Iran could be falsely blamed for a major terrorist attack similar to the September 11 attacks, claiming a conspiracy might be staged to implicate Tehran.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also threatened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, vowing to pursue him over the ongoing conflict.
Situation inside Iran
Despite the conflict, some signs of normal life have returned in Tehran, where traffic has increased and several cafés and shops have reopened ahead of the Persian New Year, Nowruz.
However, Iranian authorities have detained dozens of people across the country on suspicion of cooperating with Israel. Officials said some suspects were accused of sharing information about military and security sites with Israeli-linked networks.
Israel intensifies strikes
Meanwhile, Israel approved an emergency military spending package worth $827 million and launched a fresh wave of strikes targeting infrastructure in western Iran.
The Israeli military said it had begun a large-scale operation against what it described as facilities linked to Iran’s leadership. In Israel, at least eight people were injured after Iranian missile attacks.
Iran’s military claimed it had targeted Israeli security and communications facilities with drone strikes.
Elsewhere in the region, violence has also spread to Lebanon, where the health ministry said Israeli attacks over two weeks had killed 850 people and injured more than 2,100 others. Among those killed was Hamas official Wissam Taha in an Israeli strike near Sidon.
Security sources also reported drone and rocket attacks on a military base at the Baghdad International Airport complex, which hosts US diplomatic facilities.
Separately, Italy’s military confirmed a drone strike targeted the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, where Italian and US forces are stationed, though no personnel were harmed.