As the U.S. and Israeli military campaign against Iran enters its third week, drone and missile strikes have killed at least 18 people across the Gulf while Hamas issued an appeal for its ally to stop
The war between Iran, the United States, and Israel entered its third week today with no signs of slowing down. Instead, the conflict expanded further into the Gulf, with Iran issuing evacuation warnings for three major ports in the United Arab Emirates and drone debris striking an oil facility in Fujairah. At least 18 people have been killed across the region since the fighting began on February 28.
Iran accused the U.S. of launching strikes from UAE territory
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said today that U.S. forces attacked Kharg Island and Abu Musa Island using low-range artillery fired from two locations inside the UAE. He identified those locations as Ras Al-Khaimah and a site he described as being close to Dubai. Iran did not provide evidence to support the claim.
Iran then issued evacuation warnings for three UAE ports. 1) Jebel Ali in Dubai, the busiest port in the Middle East. 2) Khalifa port in Abu Dhabi. 3) A port in Fujairah. Hours after the warnings, there was no sign of attack at Jebel Ali or Khalifa, but Associated Press images showed a fire at the Fujairah port caused by debris from an intercepted Iranian drone striking an oil facility.
Araghchi said Iran would try to avoid hitting populated areas, a statement that offered little reassurance given the pattern of strikes over the past two weeks. Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Arab Gulf neighbors during the conflict, insisting it was targeting U.S. assets, even as strikes or attempts were reported on civilian infrastructure including airports and oil fields.
Kharg Island became the war’s latest flashpoint
On Friday, President Donald Trump said the U.S. had struck military sites on Kharg Island, a small coral landmass in the Persian Gulf that serves as the terminal for roughly 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports. Trump said oil infrastructure could be targeted next if Iran continues to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, where one-fifth of global oil supplies typically transit and where vessels are now backed up.
U.S. Central Command said strikes destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and other military sites on the island. Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency claimed no oil infrastructure was damaged, saying the hits landed on an air defense facility, a naval base, an airport control tower, and an offshore oil company helicopter hangar.
Iran’s parliamentary speaker warned that any strike on the country’s oil infrastructure would provoke a new level of retaliation. Iran’s joint military command repeated its threat today to attack U.S.-linked oil, economic, and energy assets across the region if its own oil infrastructure is hit.
Kharg Island sits about one-third the size of Manhattan and is surrounded by deep waters that allow large tankers to dock. Iran has relied on the island as its primary oil export route since the 1960s. Disrupting it would damage Iran’s economy and rattle global energy markets.
The U.S. is sending 2,500 more Marines to the region
The Pentagon is deploying 2,500 Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit along with the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli to the Middle East, adding to what is already the largest buildup of U.S. warships and aircraft in the region in decades. The Tripoli was spotted by commercial satellites sailing near Taiwan, putting it more than a week away from waters off Iran.
Earlier in the week, the Navy had 12 ships in the Arabian Sea, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and eight destroyers. The total number of U.S. service members on the ground in the Middle East remains unclear.
Trump said today that he hopes China, France, Japan, South Korea, the U.K., and others send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. Britain responded that it was discussing a range of options with allies to secure shipping.
Hamas called on Iran to stop striking Gulf neighbors
In a rare break from its usual alignment with Tehran, the Palestinian group Hamas called on Iran to stop targeting neighboring countries. Hamas affirmed Iran’s right to defend itself but urged its ally to avoid strikes on regional nations, calling for cooperation to preserve what it described as bonds of brotherhood.
The appeal is notable because Iran is Hamas’s largest backer in terms of funding, weapons, and political support. Hamas had earlier condemned the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28 as a heinous crime. Iran has not publicly responded to the statement.
The death toll across the Gulf now stands at least 18 people. 1) Six killed in the UAE. 2) Six in Kuwait. 3) Two in Oman. 4) Two in Saudi Arabia. 5) Two in Bahrain. Most of the dead were security personnel or foreign workers.
A missile hit the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad
A missile struck a helipad inside the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad today. No group immediately claimed responsibility, though the complex has been repeatedly targeted by Iran-aligned militias. The embassy renewed its Level 4 security alert for Iraq on Friday, warning that Iran and allied militia groups may continue to target U.S. citizens and infrastructure.
Israel also announced another wave of strikes in Iran today, saying its air force had hit more than 200 targets in 24 hours including missile launchers, defense systems, and weapons production sites. In Lebanon, the humanitarian crisis continued to worsen, with over 800 people killed and 850,000 displaced by Israeli strikes against Hezbollah militants.
SOURCE: tribuneonline