A Region on Fire: The Iran-US War at Three Weeks Shows No Sign of Ending

Three weeks after the first shots were fired, the war between the United States and Iran showed no sign of approaching a conclusion on Saturday. Every front remained active. Every front was producing casualties. Every front was contributing to an economic crisis that was reshaping global energy markets in real time. The US was bombing Iran, Iran was bombing the UAE and Israel, Israel was bombing Iran and Lebanon, and Iranian-aligned militias were striking American targets in Iraq. The region was on fire, and no one in a position of authority appeared ready to put it out.
Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal located 15 miles off the Iranian coast, absorbed US airstrikes for the second consecutive day on Saturday. President Trump said in public remarks the island had been effectively demolished, while threatening that Iran’s remaining oil infrastructure could face destruction if Tehran continued to block the Strait of Hormuz. The strait, closed by Iran since February 28, carries roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas. Prices were already near $120 per barrel, and analysts warned of a surge to $150 if Kharg Island’s full export capacity were eliminated.
Iran struck back on multiple fronts. Ballistic missiles hit Fujairah in the UAE, halting oil-loading operations and prompting warnings for civilians near ports and US installations to evacuate. Iranian commanders threatened any Gulf energy facility with American connections. The foreign minister called on Arab states to expel US forces. Iran continued firing rockets at Israel simultaneously. Israel conducted dozens of airstrikes inside Iran, killing at least 15 people in Isfahan. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran’s leaders were “desperate and hiding.” Iran’s regime, analysts countered, remained structurally intact.
Trump called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz in what was seen as the first public admission that the US might need international help. The USS Tripoli and 2,500 additional marines were already heading to the region. Diplomatic channels were closed. Talks were not happening. Iran said the terms of any deal were not good enough. Trump said the same. The International Crisis Group warned that Iran’s strategy was to survive, fight on, and wait for better terms — a strategy that could keep the conflict burning for weeks or months more.
The human toll of the war defied easy comprehension. Between 1,400 and 1,800 Iranians had been killed in the bombing. Thirteen Israelis had died, and roughly 20 people had been killed across Gulf states. Lebanon’s crisis continued, with 800 dead and 850,000 displaced from Israeli operations against Hezbollah. Six US troops died in a military aircraft crash in Iraq. The US embassy in Baghdad was struck, and Americans in Iraq were ordered to leave. Oil prices rose, markets trembled, and governments scrambled for a response to a war that had no visible end and no clear path to peace.