Iran has warned additional countries against entering the growing conflict with the United States and Israel, cautioning that foreign military involvement could further escalate the war centered around the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The warning came after Donald Trump urged several global powers to deploy naval forces to escort oil tankers through the narrow waterway, which connects major Gulf oil exporters to global markets.
Global energy prices have surged since Iran responded to the ongoing U.S.–Israeli campaign by threatening ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil shipments move through the strategic passage.
Trump on Saturday called on “China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and others” to send ships to escort tankers through the strait, while the U.S. military continues strikes on Iranian drone, missile and naval launch sites along the northern Gulf coast.
However, the countries mentioned have so far responded cautiously. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, warned against foreign intervention during a phone call with French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
He urged them to “refrain from any action that could lead to escalation and expansion of the conflict.” The UK Ministry of Defence said discussions were ongoing but stopped short of committing forces. In a statement, the ministry said: “As we’ve said previously, we are currently discussing with our allies and partners a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region.”
Meanwhile, Britain’s energy security minister Ed Miliband called for diplomacy. He told the BBC: “The plan now has to be to de-escalate the conflict… We are talking to our allies. There are different ways in which we can make maritime shipping possible.”
Asian governments also responded cautiously. South Korea said it was “closely monitoring President Trump’s remarks on social media.” In Japan, Takayuki Kobayashi said the legal threshold for deploying naval forces was “extremely high.”
The escalating conflict has already had severe economic consequences. Global oil prices have reportedly jumped by about 40 percent since Iran began restricting traffic through the strait and attacking energy targets in neighbouring Gulf states. The strikes were retaliation for the joint U.S.–Israeli air campaign that killed Iran’s supreme leader and triggered the wider Middle East war.
Despite growing pressure on global markets, Trump suggested the United States could continue military operations against Iran’s energy infrastructure. In an interview with NBC News, he said the U.S. might bomb targets on Iran’s key oil export hub, Kharg Island, “just for fun.”
He also said negotiations with Tehran were possible but not imminent. “Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet,” Trump said. Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed, though he has not yet appeared publicly since assuming power.
Trump questioned whether he was still alive, saying: “I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody has been able to show him.” Iranian officials insisted on Saturday, March 14, that “there is no problem with the new supreme leader.”
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces said it launched a new wave of strikes in western Iran after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and vowed to “pursue and kill” him.
Despite the harsh rhetoric from both sides, life in Tehran appeared to be slowly returning to normal. Traffic increased across the city, cafés and restaurants reopened, and more than a third of the stalls at the popular Tajrish Bazaar resumed business as residents prepared for Nowruz.
Elsewhere in the region, Gulf countries reported renewed attacks. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia said their air defences intercepted projectiles after warning sirens sounded in the Bahraini capital, Manama. Authorities in Dubai also reported air defence interceptions following Iranian warnings for civilians to avoid port areas.
Humanitarian consequences are mounting. More than 1,200 people have reportedly been killed by U.S. and Israeli strikes in Iran, according to figures from the Iranian health ministry. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says up to 3.2 million people have been displaced within Iran since the conflict began.
According to the United States Department of Defense, more than 15,000 targets in Iran have been struck by U.S. and Israeli forces since the start of the war. U.S. media also reported that the Pentagon has deployed the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA-7) along with thousands of Marines to the region as the conflict intensifies.
