The Strait of Hormuz can no longer be as it was before
Three weeks into a war that has already claimed thousands of lives and displaced over a million people, Israel and Iran continue to exchange strikes that are reshaping not only the Middle East but the arteries of global commerce. The reported killing of senior Iranian security figures follows the earlier death of Supreme Leader Khamenei, while Iranian pressure on the Strait of Hormuz threatens the flow of one-fifth of the world's energy supply. Nations from Russia to Australia are calling for restraint, yet the logic of escalation continues to outpace the language of diplomacy — and even within the United States, the war's justification is being openly questioned by those who once served it.
- Israel reports killing two of Iran's most senior security officials in overnight strikes, deepening a campaign of leadership decapitation that began with the death of Supreme Leader Khamenei in late February.
- Iranian pressure on the Strait of Hormuz has effectively blockaded a waterway carrying 20% of global oil and gas, trapping dozens of foreign vessels and crews and sending shockwaves through international energy markets.
- The human cost is staggering and accelerating — over 2,200 killed across Iran, Lebanon, Israel, and the UAE, with more than a million Lebanese displaced and civilian infrastructure under fire from Beirut to Abu Dhabi.
- Russia, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand have all called for an immediate ceasefire, while Trump presses allies to form a naval coalition to reopen the strait — a request met with cautious hesitation.
- The war has cracked the Trump administration from within, as the head of the National Counterterrorism Center resigned, publicly stating that Iran posed no imminent threat and that the conflict was driven by foreign pressure rather than American interest.
Three weeks into a war that has already redrawn the map of Middle Eastern power, Israel announced the killing of two of Iran's most senior security officials — Ali Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Revolutionary Guard's Basij force — in overnight strikes. The deaths follow the February assassination of Supreme Leader Khamenei and represent a sustained campaign to dismantle Iran's leadership from the top down. Iran has not publicly acknowledged either loss.
The conflict's reach has extended far beyond the battlefield. Iranian pressure on the Strait of Hormuz — through which a fifth of the world's oil and gas passes — has effectively strangled global shipping. South Korea alone reported 26 vessels and 183 crew members trapped near the strait, while a tanker off the UAE coast sustained structural damage from a projectile strike. President Trump has been pressing oil-dependent nations to contribute warships to a coalition to reopen the waterway, with limited enthusiasm from allies.
The human toll is severe and still climbing. At least 1,300 have been killed in Iran, 912 in Lebanon, and 12 in Israel, with 13 American military personnel also dead. More than one million Lebanese — roughly one-fifth of the country's population — have been displaced. In Abu Dhabi, a Pakistani man was killed by shrapnel during air defense operations, and Iran's president called on citizens to mourn 84 sailors lost when a US torpedo sank an Iranian naval vessel off Sri Lanka.
International calls for a ceasefire have grown louder. Russia offered to broker a resolution; British Prime Minister Starmer pledged to keep the UK out of a wider war while working with European partners on a plan to reopen the strait; Australia and New Zealand urged a negotiated settlement. Yet Iran's parliament speaker declared the Strait of Hormuz could never return to its former status, framing the blockade as a legitimate response to aggression.
The war has also begun to fracture the administration prosecuting it. Joseph Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned — the most senior official to do so — writing publicly that Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States and that the war had been launched under pressure from Israel and its lobby. Trump dismissed him as weak. Meanwhile, strikes continued across the region: Beirut's Airport Road was hit, sirens sounded across northern Israel, Qatar intercepted a missile near Doha, and Dubai's international airport briefly suspended operations after a drone ignited a fuel tank fire. The third week of fighting ended with no ceasefire in sight and every indicator pointing toward a longer, wider war.
Three weeks into a war that has reshaped the Middle East, Israel announced Tuesday that it had killed two of Iran's most senior security officials in overnight strikes. Ali Larijani, a top figure in Iran's security apparatus, and Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Revolutionary Guard's Basij volunteer force, were both reported dead by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. The killings represent another blow to Iran's leadership structure, following the February 28 strike that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at age 86. Iran has not yet publicly acknowledged the deaths of either man.
Meanwhile, the conflict's grip on global commerce tightened as Iranian attacks continued to strangle shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage through which one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas flows. A Pakistani tanker carrying roughly 110,000 tonnes of crude oil was allowed passage by Iranian authorities on Tuesday, but such exceptions only underscored the broader blockade. South Korea reported 26 of its vessels and 183 crew members trapped in waters near the strait, with officials scrambling to arrange food and supplies. A projectile struck a tanker off the UAE's coast early Tuesday, causing minor structural damage but no injuries. President Trump has been pressuring nations dependent on Middle Eastern oil to send warships and form a coalition to keep the waterway open, a task that has drawn cautious responses from allies.
The human toll continues to mount across the region. At least 1,300 people have been killed in Iran, 912 in Lebanon, and 12 in Israel, according to official counts. Thirteen American military personnel have died, including six in a plane crash in Iraq the previous week. More than one million people have been displaced in Lebanon—roughly one-fifth of the nation's entire population. In the UAE, a Pakistani man was killed Tuesday morning when shrapnel fell during air defense operations in Abu Dhabi, bringing the death toll there to eight. Iran's President Pezeshkian called on Tehran residents to attend funerals for 84 sailors killed when the Iranian Navy's IRIS Dena was sunk by a US torpedo off Sri Lanka earlier in the month.
International pressure for a ceasefire has intensified. Russia called on all parties to immediately halt hostilities and cease attacks on civilian infrastructure, offering to help broker a long-term resolution. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would not allow the UK to be drawn into a wider war and is working with European allies on a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Australia and New Zealand's foreign and defense ministers agreed the conflict should end as quickly as possible and move toward negotiated settlement. Yet Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf signaled defiance, saying the Strait of Hormuz could no longer operate as it had before, arguing that Iran had every right to respond to what it views as unprovoked aggression.
The conflict has also fractured the Trump administration from within. Joseph Kent, head of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned Tuesday, becoming the first and most senior official to step down over the war. In a letter posted to social media, Kent wrote that he could not support the conflict in good conscience, stating that Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States and that the war had been launched due to pressure from Israel and its lobby. Trump responded dismissively, calling Kent "very weak on security" and saying every country understood Iran was a threat—the only question being whether they would act on it.
The strikes on civilian areas continued throughout the day. An Israeli airstrike on Beirut's Airport Road killed one person and injured nine others, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Explosions were reported in northern Israel after the military detected incoming Iranian missiles, with sirens sounding in towns across Western Galilee. In Qatar, air defenses intercepted a missile attack near Doha as residents reported alerts. Iran's Intelligence Ministry announced it had seized hundreds of Starlink satellite internet devices, claiming they had been smuggled in by the US and Israel to aid the enemy.
Dubai International Airport gradually resumed some flight operations after a drone struck a fuel tank, igniting a fire that was quickly contained with no injuries reported. The incident underscored how the conflict has disrupted not just military operations but the basic infrastructure of regional commerce and travel. As the third week of fighting drew to a close, the war showed no signs of abating. The elimination of senior Iranian officials, the blockade of global shipping routes, the mounting civilian casualties, and the deepening international divisions all pointed toward a conflict that would reshape the region for years to come.
Citações Notáveis
I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful lobby.— Joseph Kent, National Counterterrorism Center director, in resignation letter
Certainly, from now on, with the interventions that have taken place, the strait can no longer be, from a legal standpoint and in terms of transit, as it was before. It no longer has the necessary security.— Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, speaker of Iran's parliament
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does killing these two officials matter so much right now? They're not the Supreme Leader.
No, but they're the people who actually run things day to day. Larijani handled security policy. Soleimani commanded the force that keeps the regime stable internally. You remove them, and you're not just striking at symbols—you're dismantling the machinery.
And Iran hasn't even confirmed they're dead yet?
Not publicly. That's telling. It suggests confusion, or they're still assessing what happened. When you lose people that senior, you don't always announce it right away.
The Strait of Hormuz—is Iran actually blocking it, or is it just the fear of attacks?
Both. They're firing at ships, so vessels are rerouting or refusing to enter. But the psychological effect is real too. When a tanker gets hit, every other ship captain thinks twice. Iran's parliament speaker basically said it won't go back to normal, which is Iran telling the world: this is our leverage now.
Why did that counterterrorism official resign? That seems significant.
Because he's saying publicly what a lot of people in the intelligence community probably believe privately—that this war was a choice, not a necessity. He's breaking ranks, which costs him everything. That matters.
What happens if the Strait stays closed?
Oil prices spike. Supply chains break. Every economy that depends on Middle Eastern energy starts to feel it. That's why Trump is scrambling to build a coalition. It's not about principle anymore—it's about keeping the global economy from seizing up.
And the million people displaced from Lebanon—where do they go?
That's the question no one has answered yet. They're in neighboring countries, in camps, in schools. The longer this goes, the harder it becomes to send them home.