Live! Iran makes ominous threat to Netanyahu; Trump urges allies to send warships to Hormuz

US President Donald Trump on Sunday (March 15) warned that Washington could launch additional strikes on Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil export terminal, while urging allied nations to deploy warships to safeguard the Strait of Hormuz. The warning came as Iran pledged to intensify its response and the conflict showed no signs of easing.

Trump claimed recent US attacks had “totally demolished” much of Kharg Island and indicated that further strikes could follow. In remarks to NBC News, he said, “We may hit it a few more times just for fun.” While the US president suggested Tehran appeared willing to negotiate an end to the conflict, he said the terms being discussed were “not good enough yet.”

Iran's joint military command accused in a statement Sunday "the enemy” of using copycat Iranian drones to attack neighbouring countries and pin the blame on Tehran, state media reported.

Tehran usually uses “the enemy” as a reference to the United States and Israel.

The statement said copies of Iran's Shahed-136 drone, known as LUCAS, were used to hit “irrelevant targets in the regional states," including attacks on Turkey, Iraq and Kuwait. No evidence was provided.

Referring to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's comments in which he accused the US of using the UAE as a base for its attacks on Iran's Kharg Island, Anwar Gargash, adviser to the president of the UAE, wrote on social media late Saturday: “This reflects a confused policy that missed the point, lost its direction, and lacked wisdom.”

Air India Express on Sunday cancelled its planned flights connecting Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah following directions from the UAE airport authorities.

However, the airline will operate one round trip on the Delhi-Dubai sector, to and from Dubai, subject to slot availability and prevailing conditions.

In a statement, the airline said that following instructions from the UAE Airport authorities, it is compelled to curtail ad-hoc operations to and from Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah on Sunday.

Airlines have curtailed services to West Asia amid escalating conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran that has resulted in airspace restrictions.

Clouds of toxic smoke unleashed into the atmosphere by US-Israeli airstrikes on Iranian oil facilities made a dangerous return to Earth in the form of “black rain,” prompting international health officials to warn of serious risks to the public.

Residents in Tehran complained last week of burning eyes and difficulty breathing when the dark and oily precipitation fell near the Iranian capital after several fuel oil depots and a refinery were struck.

Plumes of dark smoke have also been seen across other parts of the region over two weeks of war, as Iran retaliates against US-Israeli airstrikes by firing drones and missiles at the oil and natural gas facilities of its Persian Gulf neighbours.

Exporters and logistics providers are minimising disruptions caused by the ongoing West Asia crisis by closely monitoring carriers, planning shipments in advance, and exploring alternative routes.

The exporting community said that businesses are also adjusting inventory, contracts, and schedules for flexibility.

"Things are not improving, but we are trying to manage our exports. Shipping lines should not take undue advantage of this situation," Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President SC Ralhan said.

An apparel industry expert said that export orders to the Middle Eastern region may decline over the next few months due to the ongoing war, and consumption may decline. Around 11.8 per cent of apparel exports go to the war-affected West Asian countries, which are now directly under stress.

Council for Leather Exports Chairman Ramesh Kumar Juneja said shipments to the Persian Gulf have stopped completely.

Due to the crisis, shipping lines are rerouting shipments around the Cape of Good Hope, encircling Africa to avoid the Strait and Red Sea.

A missile struck a helipad inside the US Embassy compound in Baghdad on Saturday. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The embassy complex, one of the largest US diplomatic facilities in the world, has been repeatedly targeted by rockets and drones fired by Iran-aligned militias.

The US Department of Defence on Saturday identified six service members who died when the military refuelling aircraft they were aboard crashed on Thursday while supporting operations against Iran.

The service members were Maj. John A. Klinner, 33; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31; Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34; Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, according to US officials.

As global anxiety soars over oil prices and supplies, Trump said Saturday that he hopes China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and others send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz “open and safe.” Britain, in response, said it was discussing with allies a “range of options” to secure shipping.

Araghchi, in a social media post, urged neighbours to “expel foreign aggressors” and described Trump's call as “begging.” On Saturday, Iran's joint military command reiterated its threat to attack US-linked “oil, economic and energy infrastructures” in the region if the Islamic Republic's oil infrastructure is hit.

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said the US 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.

US Central Command said it had no response to Iran's claim. A diplomatic adviser to the UAE's president, Anwar Gargash, rejected accusations that the US used its land or air as a base for its attacks on Kharg Island.

Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Arab Gulf neighbours during the war, but it has said it was targeting US assets, even as hits or attempts were reported on civilian ones such as airports and oil fields.