US-Israel strikes Iran nuclear sites as regional conflict widens; oil sanctions eased

Three weeks into a war that began with the death of Iran's supreme leader, the United States and Israel have now struck nearly eight thousand targets across Iranian territory, killing senior military and intelligence officials while Iran retaliates against energy infrastructure and military installations throughout the Gulf. On the morning of March 21, as Iranians marked Nowruz—the Persian New Year—and Muslims observed Eid al-Fitr, Israeli warplanes hit Tehran with fresh airstrikes. Explosions were reported across the capital's eastern districts, in the suburbs of Karaj to the west, and in the central city of Isfahan. The Natanz uranium enrichment facility, one of Iran's most sensitive nuclear sites, was targeted in the coordinated US-Israeli assault, though Iranian state media reported no radioactive leaks and no danger to nearby residents.

The toll on Iran's leadership has been severe. Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naini, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman, was killed in the strikes. His funeral drew thousands of mourners. Earlier in the week, Iran's Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib was eliminated in an Israeli airstrike. The new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei—who succeeded his father when the war began on February 28—has not appeared in public since taking office, with Israeli and American officials claiming he was wounded in those initial strikes. Yet on Friday, as Nowruz arrived, Khamenei issued a defiant written statement read on Iranian television, praising Iranians for their steadfastness and claiming the enemy had fallen into contradictions and irrational statements.

Iran has shown no willingness to negotiate an end to the conflict. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Japanese media that Tehran would not accept a ceasefire, describing the war as one imposed upon Iran while it was engaged in negotiations with the United States. "This was a blatant act of aggression—illegal, unjustified, and unprovoked," he said. The country has continued its own offensive operations. Iran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia, a joint US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean roughly 3,800 kilometers away, though neither missile struck the target. The missiles exceeded Iran's own stated range limits, suggesting a deliberate escalation. Across the region, Iranian drones and missiles have targeted energy infrastructure in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Kuwait's Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery—one of the country's largest—was hit multiple times, forcing firefighters to battle blazes and workers to evacuate. The refinery had already been struck the day before.

The war's reach has expanded far beyond Iran's borders. In Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes have killed more than one thousand people since March 2, including seventy-nine women, one hundred eighteen children, and forty healthcare workers. More than twenty-five hundred others have been injured. The Israeli military issued evacuation orders for seven neighborhoods in Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahieh, where Hezbollah maintains its stronghold, then carried out two waves of airstrikes. In Syria, Israel struck military targets in the south in response to attacks on the Druze population. In Baghdad, a drone struck an Iraqi intelligence building that hosts a security agency collaborating with US advisers. A fire erupted at US diplomatic facilities in the Iraqi capital. Across the region, US embassies in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia suspended operations following Iranian attacks. The US consulate in Dubai was struck weeks earlier. Thirteen American personnel have been killed in the conflict so far.

The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz—the narrow waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil passes—has sent global energy markets into turmoil. To manage the crisis, the Trump administration has taken an unusual step: it temporarily waived sanctions on Iranian oil. On Friday night, the Treasury Department granted a thirty-day license allowing the sale of approximately one hundred forty million barrels of Iranian crude that have been sitting on tankers at sea. The waiver applies to oil loaded on vessels before March 20 and discharged by April 19. Indian refiners, which have long been major buyers of Iranian oil despite sanctions, signaled their intention to resume purchases and were awaiting government guidance on payment terms. Other Asian refiners were considering similar moves. The administration also authorized the release of one hundred seventy-two million barrels from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve and coordinated with the International Energy Agency, a coalition of thirty-two countries, to release four hundred million barrels—more than double the amount released after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The US also granted a temporary waiver on one hundred thirty million barrels of Russian crude stranded at sea.

Yet even as these measures were announced, the Trump administration was reportedly considering more aggressive options. According to reporting by Axios, the White House is weighing plans to occupy or blockade Kharg Island, a narrow eight-kilometer rocky outcrop deep in the Persian Gulf about fifty kilometers off Iran's coast, to pressure Tehran into reopening the Strait of Hormuz. When asked whether the US would move to seize Iran's near-weapons-grade uranium after the strikes, Trump suggested it was not an immediate priority. "We are not focused on that, but at some point, we might be," he said. However, CBS News reported that the Trump administration has been strategizing ways to seize Iran's nuclear materials. Iran possesses four hundred fifty kilograms of sixty percent-enriched uranium—convertible to weapons-grade material within weeks—enough for more than ten nuclear bombs.

The conflict has strained alliances and exposed divisions. Trump took to Truth Social to attack NATO allies as "paper tigers" and "cowards" for refusing to help resolve the Strait of Hormuz crisis, which he called "a simple military maneuver." Yet a coalition of nations has begun organizing to secure safe passage: Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Romania, Bahrain, and Lithuania have all signaled readiness to contribute. South Korea joined the effort. Iran's Foreign Minister told Japanese media that Tehran would allow Japanese vessels to pass through the strait. NATO, meanwhile, withdrew its security advisory mission from Iraq after Iranian attacks on allied bases, relocating several hundred personnel to Europe. The conflict has rippled across the global economy. Indonesia is seeking five billion dollars in budget savings to cope with the war's impact. Airlines operating in the region face airspace restrictions, elevated fuel costs, and soaring insurance premiums. India's aviation regulator ordered airlines to avoid nine airspaces in the region. Indian carriers warned their government that fare caps imposed in December would force route withdrawals and delayed fleet expansions if not revoked. An Indian national was killed in attacks on Riyadh on March 18. New Zealand issued a travel advisory warning that people in the Middle East "may not be able to leave if the conflict escalates." Ukraine, which has become a leading producer of battle-tested drone interceptors, is now providing expertise to five countries in the region to counter Iranian drone attacks, with the US and European nations also requesting support.