US-Iran war Highlights: Trump slams allies for not being ‘enthusiastic’ about Hormuz help, says, ‘for 40 years…’

Drone struck the Shah oil field in Abu Dhabi on Monday evening.

No casualties reported following the attack.

Incident confirmed by the UAE media office.

Details on damage or perpetrator not provided.

Qatar has distanced itself from the US-Israeli war with Iran, emphasizing neutrality.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari called for an end to attacks on countries that have not targeted Iran.

Qatar hosts Al Udeid Air Base, a major US military hub in the region.

Al Ansari said Iranian strikes have targeted civilian areas and key infrastructure, including Hamad International Airport.

He stated that the Gulf region rejects Iranian aggression and is calling for de-escalation.

US President Donald Trump indicated his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, scheduled for late March–early April, could be postponed by “a month or so” due to the ongoing war.

Trump emphasized at the White House: “I want to be here… I have to be here, I feel.”

Trump suggested the trip could be delayed slightly: “It could be that we delay it a little bit.”

The summit with Xi Jinping remains scheduled for the end of March to early April, pending any changes.

President Donald Trump slammed US allies on Monday for their ‘not enthusiastic’ response to his appeal to help protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz during the US conflict against Iran.

"For 40 years, we're protecting you, and you don't want to get involved," Trump told reporters, according to AFP.

"We strongly encourage the other nations to get involved with us and get involved quickly and with great enthusiasm," he added.

US President Donald Trump said at a news conference that American military operations has been “hammering” Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, according to NBC News.

Trump said in his comments at a Kennedy Center board meeting event at the White House, "With more than 30 mine-laying ships destroyed, we hit, to the best of our knowledge, all of their mine-laying ships."

“Now they can put them on other types of ships, I guess, and drop them in, but we don’t know that any have even been dropped in. We’re not sure that any have been — that’s a big negative for them,” he added.

“If they do it, it’s a form of suicide. But we don’t know that they have dropped any in but we’ve, we’ve hit all 30 of their ships and destroyed them. They’re all at the bottom of the sea.”

Donald Trump said that “numerous countries” had signalled they were “on the way” to assist in efforts to police the Strait of Hormuz.

Addressing an event at the White House, the US President voiced disappointment over what he described as limited enthusiasm among some allies to take part in the initiative.

“The level of enthusiasm… matters to me,” Trump said, highlighting his concern over how prepared various nations were to contribute.

He also indicated that reluctance from certain partners could raise doubts about mutual support within defence alliances involving the United States.

“I know that we’ll protect them and if ever needed, if we ever needed help, they won’t be there for us,” he said.

“Iran has NO ability to defend anything that we want to attack — There is nothing they can do about it,” Trump said, according to The White House

After Donald Trump called for other countries to join a coalition to help police the Strait of Hormuz, Israel’s envoy to the UN, Danny Danon, urged global support for the US-led effort.

“We understand the need to support the effort of the U.S. and it should be a global effort. “You look at Israel, a tiny country and you know Iran is I think 80 times bigger than Israel and we take a lot of the burden for the world,” Danny Danon said.

The White House said that over the weekend, United States military forces carried out large-scale precision strikes on several key Iranian military targets located on Kharg Island.

“Iran has NO ability to defend anything that we want to attack — There is nothing they can do about it,” Trump said.

Ship-tracking information has indicated that an oil tanker bound for Pakistan transited the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, suggesting that certain countries are still able to negotiate safe movement for their vessels even amid the US–Israeli conflict involving Iran, according to Reuters.

Since hostilities began more than two weeks ago, Iran has targeted several ships in the Gulf, effectively disrupting traffic through the narrow waterway that serves as a key route for about one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, pushing up energy prices worldwide.

At the same time, Tehran has allowed select vessels to pass. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that Washington believed some fuel tankers from India, China and Iran had successfully moved through the strategic passage.

Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei has appointed the former chief of the Revolutionary Guards as a military adviser, according to local media reports on Monday. "General Mohsen Rezaei was appointed as military adviser by the order of commander-in-chief Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei," Mehr news agency reported.

International Energy Agency (IEA) chief Fatih Birol said on Monday that additional strategic oil reserves could be released if required to cushion the impact of the near-total disruption in supplies moving through the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing war involving Iran.

"In terms of government stocks and industry stocks held under government obligation, if you combine them, there will be still over 1.4 billion barrels remaining, which means we can do more later as and if needed," Birol said in a video statement, according to AFP.

Oil prices declined and equity markets moved higher on Monday as investors closely monitored the situation around the strategic Strait of Hormuz, with the head of the International Energy Agency indicating that additional crude supplies could be released if required, according to AFP.

With the Middle East conflict entering its third week, Wall Street began the session on a positive note and most European markets also advanced, even as Asian equities largely closed lower.

The global benchmark Brent crude fell about two per cent to around $101 a barrel after having risen roughly three per cent earlier in the day. Meanwhile, the main US crude contract, West Texas Intermediate, dropped by more than five per cent to $93.37 per barrel.

As the conflict in the Middle East enters its third week, the global semiconductor sector is facing growing fears that disruptions could cut off crucial supplies needed for chip production and drive up electricity costs in Taiwan, a key hub of the modern technology industry, according to Bloomberg.

Although Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and government authorities have sought to reassure markets, investors, analysts and industry leaders caution that the risks are mounting as hostilities continue. Taiwan’s expansive chip manufacturing industry, which contributes roughly one-fifth of the island’s economy, relies heavily on a wide range of imported chemicals, equipment, components and other materials. This supply chain underpins the global semiconductor market, which is expected to generate about $1 trillion in revenue this year.

Key US allies said they had no immediate plans to deploy naval forces to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, turning down President Donald Trump’s appeal for military assistance to secure the crucial shipping route, as per Reuters.

Trump had urged other countries to support efforts to safeguard the strait after Iran retaliated against US–Israeli strikes by deploying drones, missiles and naval mines, actions that effectively blocked the strategic passage used by tankers carrying nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies.

Rice mills in Rajasthan’s Bundi and Kota districts are grappling with a production standstill, threatening the livelihoods of nearly 10,000 workers, as the ongoing conflict in West Asia has brought export shipments to the region to a halt. Industry representatives said Basmati rice valued at about ₹300 crore is currently stranded at ports and in storage facilities, according to PTI.

Ramandeep Sharma, a rice mill owner and president of the Bundi District Laghu Udhyog Bharti, said that around 25,000 quintals of rice are processed daily by nearly 35 mills across the two districts, with nearly 80 per cent of the output typically exported to countries such as the UAE, Iran and Iraq.

He added that the Iran–Israel conflict has disrupted exports of nearly 3.75 lakh quintals of rice over the past 15 days, leading to consignments worth ₹300 crore being held up at seaports and warehouses.

Iran told the United Nations on Monday that it would not yield to what it described as “lawless aggression”, warning that its population was facing “grave danger” as a result of ongoing US and Israeli attacks, according to AFP.

Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where member states were reviewing Iran’s human rights record, particularly in the wake of its recent deadly crackdown on protesters — Tehran argued that attention should instead be directed towards the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

"The most urgent and fundamental human rights issue concerning Iran is the imminent threat to the lives of 90 million people whose lives are in immediate and grave danger under the shadow of reckless military aggression," said Ali Bahreini, Iran's ambassador to the UN in Geneva.

"An aggression that is carried out by some of the most lawless and unscrupulous actors on the international stage."

Amid the escalating conflict in West Asia, Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar on Monday said "we are ready to stop hostilities if Iran changes course", adding that Tel Aviv had engaged diplomatic channels in recent days, including consultations with its partners in the United States and other countries in the region.

Responding to questions about Israel’s next steps as the conflict entered its 17th day, Azar told reporters, "I don't think a full-fledged terrestrial invasion is on the cards."

He further stated that the ongoing military operations had significantly weakened Iran’s ability to launch attacks, saying "we've managed to degrade Iran's launching capabilities" to a large extent, as per PTI.

"We are still hunting launchers... And the remainders of other military capabilities," the envoy said.

"Right now, we are controlling the skies of Iran," Azar told reporters, adding, "They (Iran) are in dire straits."

Spain will not participate in any military operation in the Strait of Hormuz, as it views the US–Israeli war against Iran as unlawful, the country’s defence and foreign ministers said on Monday, as per Reuters.

The left-wing coalition government headed by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has openly criticised the offensive and has also barred US military aircraft from using jointly run bases located in southern Spain.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz cautioned on Monday that Lebanese displaced by battling with Hezbollah would not be permitted to come back home until the north of Israel was secure.

"Hundreds of thousands of Shia residents of southern Lebanon who have evacuated and are evacuating their homes from southern Lebanon and Beirut will not return to their homes south of the Litani area until the safety of residents in the north is guaranteed," Katz told military top brass according to a statement, reported AFP.

US President Donald Trump may postpone his planned trip to China due to the ongoing conflict involving Iran. However, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent clarified that any potential delay would not be intended to pressure Beijing over the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, reported PTI.

Bessent emphasised that a change in the timing of the visit would not stem from disagreements related to the Iran war or from diplomatic efforts aimed at reopening the crucial maritime route.

"If the meeting for some reason was rescheduled, it would be rescheduled because of logistics," he said, adding, "The president wants to remain in D.C. to coordinate the war and travelling abroad at a time like this may not be optimal."

Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that the United Kingdom would avoid becoming involved in a broader conflict with Iran. However, he emphasised that Britain would cooperate with European and other international partners to restore access to the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, while admitting that achieving this goal would be challenging, according to Reuters.

Facing domestic criticism as well as pressure from US President Donald Trump regarding Britain’s level of support for the strikes on Iran, Starmer highlighted that reopening the crucial shipping route, essential for global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, is necessary to help stabilise volatile energy markets.

He also announced the first financial relief measures linked to the crisis, unveiling a £53-million (about $70.3 million) assistance package. The support is aimed at protecting the most vulnerable households that depend on heating oil, whose prices have surged since the conflict began.

Dubai Police has shared an update on the traffic movement after a drone strike near the International airport caused a fire to break out. According to the police, traffic movement has been opened in the closed streets, the closure of Airport Road coming from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Al Khawaneej remains. Traffic movement from the Marrakesh intersection in the direction towards Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road also remains closed.

Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Shipping Ministry, has said in a statement that Shivalik which was carrying LPG has crossed the Strait of Hormuz and will be arriving in India today. Apart from Shivalik, Jag Laadki, carrying crude, is also on the way to India.

He also informed that all the Indian sailors in the Persian Gulf are safe.

Rajesh Sinha said, “Shivalik LPG carrier, which sailed from the Persian Gulf, crossed the Strait of Hormuz and headed towards India, will be reaching today around 5 pm, maybe after an hour or so.”

Delhi: Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Shipping Ministry, GoI says, "Indian-flag vessel 'Jag Laadki', which sailed from the UAE on 14th of March, is carrying about 81,000 tonnes of Murban crude oil, is safely en route to India. The vessel and all Indian seafarers on board are safe. They'll be reaching tomorrow at Mundra Port..."

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has explained that some of the Indian nationals have crossed over to Azerbaijan and Armenia with the help of the embassy.

He said, “We also have had approximately 90 of our nationals from Iran cross over into Azerbaijan through the land border. These movements were facilitated by our embassy in Tehran. In this group of 550 people that I mentioned, who have crossed from Iran into Armenia, we also have 284 people who had gone to Iran on pilgrimage. These people are there right now in both these countries.”

“Some of them have already returned, and others would be returning in the next few days or so. Our embassy in Tehran, in spite of all the difficulties, continues to be fully functional. For the last few days, they have also been able to relocate students who were outside Tehran to cities which are safer for them.”

Indian Embassy in Tehran, of Iran has issued an advisory to Indian nationals in the country to not to approach or attempt to cross any land border of Iran for onward travel without prior and explicit coordination with Indian Embassy.

In another press conference amid the West Asia conflict, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary of Marketing & Oil Refinery in the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas has said that there has been no dry out at the petrol pumps.

“Crude is available in sufficient quantity. All refineries are operating at the highest capacity. Our petrol pumps are operating normally. No dry out has been reported anywhere,” Sujata Sharma said.

Bahrain has said in a statement that since the start of the attacks on the country, it has intercepted destroyed as many as 129 missiles and 215 drones, as per a report in Al Jazeera.

In the 17 days of US, Israel-Iran conflict in the Middle East, Aviation minister Rammohan Naidu has informed that the Indian carriers have cancelled 4,335 flights till now.

According to some media reports, Germany has officially rejected Donald Trump's request of sending warships to Strait of Hormuz to escort ships out of the channel amid a shortage. As per the news reports Germany will not be sending warships to the Strait of Hormuz.

According to an Al Jazeera report, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been put into a high alert. The high alert came after Tehran, which has been battering the nation since February 28, has threatened to target ports, oil facilities and the al-Dhafra airbase.

“In recent days, 91st Division forces have begun focused ground activity targeting key objectives in southern Lebanon to expand the forward defense zone,” the IDF said.

“This operation is part of the effort to establish the forward defense, which includes the destruction of terror infrastructures and the elimination of terrorists operating in the area, in order to remove threats and create an additional layer of security for the residents of the north,” the statement added.

“The IDF will continue to act forcefully against the Hezbollah terror organization, which decided to join the campaign and operate under the auspices of the Iranian terror regime, and will not allow harm to the civilians of the State of Israel,” the statement concluded.

Logistics and service centres enabling the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier to remain operational are considered targets by Iran, Reuters reported citing a spokesperson for the Iranian armed forces.

"Aircraft carrier Gerald Ford in the Red Sea is a threat to Iran. Accordingly, the logistics and service centres for USS Ford strike group are considered to be targets," the spokesperson said in a video shared by the semi-official Fars news agency.

The Israeli Air Force destroyed the aircraft used by slain former Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei at the Mehrabad airport in Tehran in overnight strikes.

“The aircraft served Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Iranian terror regime, additional senior officials from the terror regime, and elements in the Iranian military, for advancing military procurement and managing ties with the Axis of Resistance countries through domestic and international flights,” said the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in a statement.

“The destruction of the aircraft impairs the ability of the Iranian terror regime's leadership to coordinate with the Axis of Resistance countries, to build military power, and to rehabilitate the terror regime. In this way, another strategic asset has been denied to the Iranian regime,” the IDF added.

EU member states will discuss what can be done from the European side to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday, as per a report by Reuters.

"It is in our interest to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and that's why we are also discussing what we can do in this regard from the European side," she said ahead a EU foreign affairs meeting in Brussels.

Her comments come amid US President Donald Trump's appeal for assistance from NATO members as well as other nations in keeping the Strait of Hormuz open.

Asked about how long the conflict in the Middle East will continue, Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar said, "We are not specifying exactly how long it will take because it depends on many factors...At the outset, both US and Israel talked about a few weeks. It also depends on the opportunity Iran has to change course. Right now, it doesn't seem that they are changing course. On the contrary, they are doubling down. They are digging in."

However, he said that the situation remained fluid and Israel would respond accordingly.

“But the situation can change in the future. We are hearing different rumours about differences within the Iranian decision-making process. So, this can take more time…," Azar said.

“We can have a diplomatic way out of this if the Iranians decide that they want to cooperate with the international community,” he added.

Fujairah, the largest port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was hit again on Monday, Reuters reported.

US Air Force fighter jets struck military targets on a mountain near the Chabahar Free Trade Zone in southeastern Iran, according to a report by Voice of America’s Persian-language service.

Intense explosions were heard in the area behind the zone following the strikes, the report said.

The India-funded Chabahar port lies within the free trade zone.

After a brief closure following a ‘drone incident’ at a nearby fuel tank, the Dubai International Airport resumed selected flights on Monday.

At least one person was killed in Abu Dhabi after a missile hit a civilian vehicle in the Al Bahya area, the city's media office said on Monday.

The casualty was of “Palestinian nationality”, the statement said.

“The public is advised to obtain information only from official sources and to avoid spreading rumours or unverified information,” the media office said.

Twenty Thai crew members of a cargo ship that was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz arrived in Thailand on Monday, news agency AFP reported, with three of their colleagues still stranded on the vessel in the Gulf.

The Thai-registered Mayuree Naree was hit by two projectiles on Wednesday while transiting through the crucial waterway, after departing a port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed that they had struck the Thai ship, as well as a Liberia-flagged vessel, in the strait because they had ignored "warnings".

The 20 sailors landed at Thailand's main international airport early Monday morning and were immediately escorted away by officials without offering any comments to media, AFP said.

Trump on Sunday said that his administration was in contact with seven countries regarding assistance in re-opening the Strait of Hormuz, but declined to name them. Separately, he called on China to help re-open the waterway and warned NATO of consequences if help did not arrive.

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UAE's defence ministry on Monday said that the country's air defence systems were actively intercepting missiles and drones launched by Iran.

"MOD asserts that the sounds heard are the result of the Air Defence Systems intercepting missiles and drones," the defence ministry said in a statement.

The defence ministry of Saudi Arabia on Monday said in separate updates that its security forces had intercepted and destroyed 23 drones in its eastern region.

The ministry had earlier reported intercepting 37 drones in the early hours of the Monday.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has hailed direct talks with Iran as the most effective way to restart shipping through the Strait of Hormuz amid tension in West Asia

“I am at the moment engaged in talking to them, and my talking has yielded some results,” Jaishankar told the Financial Times in an interview published on 15 March. He said the talks are ongoing.

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Japan has no plan to dispatch naval vessels to escort vessels in the Middle East, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Monday, after US President Donald Trump called on allies to protect tankers traversing through the Strait of Hormuz, where trade has effectively come to a halt.

"We have not made any decisions whatsoever about dispatching escort ships. We are continuing to examine what Japan can do independently and what can be done within the legal framework," Takaichi told the Japanese parliament, as per a report by Reuters.

Some flights from the Dubai International Airport (DXB) are being diverted to the Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), the Dubai Media Office said on Monday.

The update came after flights were temporarily suspended at the Dubai International Airport following a fire at a nearby fuel tank, which was attributed to a ‘drone incident’.

Authorities said that the fire had been contained and that there had been no injuries.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Monday labelled recent Israeli strikes on Tehran's fuel depots as “ecocide”.

"Israel's bombings of fuel depots in Tehran violate international law and constitute ecocide," Araghchi said, adding, “Residents face long-term damage to their health and well-being. Contamination of soil and groundwater could have generational impacts.”