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Trump, Starmer Discuss Hormuz Blockage In War: UK

West Asia
15 March 2026 6:20 AM IST

Tehran said the U.S. had used “ports, docks and hideouts” in the UAE to launch strikes on Kharg Island, home to the main terminal handling Iran's oil exports

Trump, Starmer Discuss Hormuz Blockage In War: UK
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Smoke could be seen rising from the direction of a major UAE energy installation, in what appeared to be the latest strike targeting the Gulf's petroleum facilities hours after the US struck Iran's Kharg Island. (AFP)

LONDON, March 15, 2026 (AFP) - US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke Sunday about the "importance" of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, currently blocked by Iran, the UK leader's office said.

"The leaders discussed the ongoing situation in the Middle East and the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to end the disruption to global shipping, which is driving up costs worldwide," a Downing Street spokeswoman said in a statement.

On Saturday, Trump urged other countries such as China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain to send warships to help the United States secure the strait.

Iran's military is effectively blocking the crucial waterway in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes, aiming to damage the world economy and pressure Washington as oil prices soar.

Starmer also "expressed his condolences for the American service personnel who have lost their lives during the conflict", the statement said.


U.S. President Donald Trump threatened further strikes on Iran's Kharg Island oil export hub and urged allies to send warships to secure the Strait of ​Hormuz, as Tehran vowed to step up its response and the war showed no sign on Sunday of coming to an end.

Trump said the U.S. strikes had "totally demolished" most of ‌Kharg Island and warned that more could follow, telling NBC News, "We may hit it a few more times just for fun." While he said Tehran appeared ready to make a deal to end the conflict, he added that "the terms aren't good enough yet."
"The Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we ⁠will help — A LOT!" Trump wrote in a social media post on Saturday. "The U.S. will also coordinate with those Countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well."
As the conflict stretched into its third week, both sides appeared to ​be digging in for an extended fight.
Iran projected defiance, rejecting the possibility of any ceasefire until U.S. and Israeli airstrikes end.
Iranian forces have kept up their strikes. A drone attack disrupted a major United Arab Emirates energy hub on Saturday and ​the U.S. warned U.S. citizens on Saturday to leave Iraq after a missile attack on the embassy in Baghdad overnight Friday.

Iran Claims US Attacked it from UAE as War Enters Third Week

DUBAI: Iran urged people Saturday to evacuate the Middle East's busiest port and two others in the United Arab Emirates, openly threatening a neighboring country's non-U.S. assets for the first time as its war with the U.S. and Israel entered a third week.

Tehran said the U.S. had used “ports, docks and hideouts” in the UAE to launch strikes on Kharg Island, home to the main terminal handling Iran's oil exports, without providing evidence. It urged people to leave areas where it said U.S. forces were sheltering.
Hours later, there was no sign of an attack on Dubai’s Jebel Ali port — the Mideast’s busiest — or the Khalifa port in Abu Dhabi. But debris from an intercepted Iranian drone hitting an oil facility sparked a fire at the third port, in Fujairah.
Iran says the US attacked from close to Dubai Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told MS NOW that the U.S. attacked Kharg Island and Abu Musa Island from two locations in the UAE, Ras Al-Khaimah and a place “very close to Dubai,” calling that dangerous and saying Iran “will try to be careful not to attack any populated area” there.
U.S. Central Command said it had no response to Iran’s claim. A diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president, Anwar Gargash, said on social media the country has the right to defend itself but “still prioritizes reason and logic, and continues exercising restraint.”
Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Arab Gulf neighbors during the war , but it has said it was targeting U.S. assets, even as hits or attempts were reported on civilian ones such as airports and oil fields.

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  • 15 March 2026 6:33 AM IST

    A key oil hub in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was disrupted, and the US Embassy in Iraq was struck by drones on Saturday amid escalating West Asia conflict, according to CNN. A fire broke out at the Fujairah Port earlier after debris from an intercepted drone fell on the facility, the Fujairah Media Office said, as reported by CNN. - AP Photo




  • 15 March 2026 6:31 AM IST

    Militants from Hezbollah on Saturday (local time) have engaged with the advancing Israeli forces in southern Lebanon after air raids and artillery strikes targeted multiple towns in the region, Al Jazeera reported. Citing the official Lebanon National News Agency, Al Jazeera reported that Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire struck several towns across southern Lebanon.


  • 15 March 2026 6:30 AM IST

    Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Saturday criticised the United States' regional security role, saying Washington's security umbrella has failed to protect countries in West Asia. In a post on X, Araghchi said, "Touted US security umbrella has proven to be full of holes and inviting rather than deterring trouble."



( Source : Deccan Chronicle with agency inputs )
West Asia Crisis West Asia conflict US-Israel-Iran war Tehran 
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