A view of Kharg Island in Iran, which is home to the country's main crude oil export terminal and handles the vast majority of its oil shipments to the rest of the world, about 30 kilometers south of the mainland, in the northern Gulf, on February 22, 2026. (Credit: Planet Labs PBC / AFP) A view of Kharg Island in Iran, which is home to the country's main crude oil export terminal and handles the vast majority of its oil shipments to the rest of the world, about 30 kilometers south of the mainland, in the northern Gulf, on February 22, 2026. (Credit: Planet Labs PBC / AFP)
As the war in the Middle East entered its third week on Saturday, the United States, whose embassy in Iraq was targeted, bombed Iran’s Kharg Island, a key hub for the country’s crude oil exports.
On Feb. 28, Washington launched a major operation against Iran alongside its Israeli ally, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Since then, the conflict has spread across the region, sending oil prices sharply higher and raising concerns about the global economy.
Neither side appears ready to back down, with daily attacks and increasingly hostile rhetoric. The conflict has already killed more than 1,000 people, most of them in Iran, according to local authorities.
Following its largest military deployment in decades, the United States plans to send additional reinforcements, according to American media reports. The New York Times reported that about 2,500 additional Marines and three more ships could be deployed, while The Wall Street Journal said the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship, based in Japan, could also be sent.
‘Reduce to ashes’
In Baghdad, the U.S. Embassy was again targeted early Saturday in a drone attack, following strikes in the Iraqi capital against a powerful pro-Iran armed group that killed two people, according to security sources.
In Iran, Kharg Island, located about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the coast and home to the country’s largest crude oil export terminal, was bombed by the U.S. military.
President Donald Trump said the operation had “completely destroyed” military targets on the island. Iran’s Fars news agency, citing unidentified sources, reported that 15 explosions were heard but that oil infrastructure had not been damaged.
Trump warned that the United States would target the island’s oil facilities “if Iran, or anyone else, were to do anything to impede the free and safe passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz.”
The strait, through which about 20 percent of global oil shipments normally pass, has been largely blocked by Iran.
Tehran has threatened to “reduce to ashes” oil infrastructure in the Middle East linked to the United States.
Trump vows strikes ‘very hard’
After two weeks of fighting, the United States and Israel say they have significantly weakened Iran, targeting strategic infrastructure and killing several senior leaders.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump said Iran was “totally defeated” and wanted to “make a deal.”
“But not a deal that I would accept!” he added, without elaborating.
Iran, however, has shown no sign of backing down. On Friday, Iranian officials marched in central Tehran during a pro-Palestinian rally, despite nearby strikes, according to state television.
Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as supreme leader, has not yet appeared publicly.
Trump has warned that the United States would strike Iran “very hard over the next week,” while Israel continues its attacks. On Saturday, the Israeli military urged residents of some neighborhoods in Tabriz, in northwestern Iran, to evacuate ahead of possible operations.
The warning may not reach many residents, however, as internet access has been blocked in Iran for two weeks.
‘No more security’
Gulf countries remain potential targets of Iranian reprisals because of their economic ties with the United States and the presence of American military bases.
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, despite being allied with Tehran, has urged Iran to avoid targeting neighboring countries.
Qatar said Saturday it had intercepted two missiles after evacuating several areas earlier. Interceptors were seen shooting down projectiles over central Doha, and explosions were heard by AFP journalists.
In Lebanon, another front in the conflict, at least 12 staff members at a health center in the south were killed in an Israeli strike, according to the Health Ministry.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah movement entered the conflict on March 2, firing missiles at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Ali Khamenei.
Since then, Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed more than 773 people, including 103 children, and displaced over 800,000, according to the latest official figures.
“There is no more security. You never know where the next strike will come from,” said Hanadi Hachem, 50, a resident north of Beirut who said some relatives now sleep in their car out of fear of attacks.
A headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), deployed in southern Lebanon since 1978, was also hit, according to the National News Agency.
The Israeli military did not immediately confirm the report. The Nepalese army, whose contingent serves with UNIFIL, said no one was injured and the source of the strike had not been identified.
Israel continues attacks on southern Lebanon, demolishes buildings in Bint Jbeil