The US-Israel war on Iran entered its 33rd day on Wednesday amid a sharp escalation of hostilities across the region, with Iranian missiles striking an oil tanker in Qatari territorial waters, fresh Israeli strikes on Beirut, and US President Donald Trump threatening to pull Washington out of NATO after European allies refused to join military operations against Tehran.
Tanker Hit Off Qatar's Coast
Qatar's Defence Ministry confirmed that three missiles launched from Iran struck near its territorial waters, with two intercepted and a third hitting an oil tanker leased by QatarEnergy. The strike marked one of the most significant direct attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure since the conflict began, raising fresh alarm over the safety of oil shipping in the region. Iran has drawn widespread condemnation for firing missiles indiscriminately at Gulf states regardless of nationality, a pattern the Iranian foreign ministry has simultaneously sought to distance itself from by calling for the protection of Iranian citizens abroad — a contradiction noted by regional analysts.
Beirut Under Fire, Hezbollah Commander Killed
Israeli forces struck the Jnah neighbourhood south of Beirut, killing at least seven people and wounding 26, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. The Israeli army separately claimed to have killed Youssef Ismail Hashem, identified as Hezbollah's Southern Front commander. Hezbollah had not commented at time of writing. A Hezbollah military official responsible for the Iraq file was also reported killed in a Beirut airstrike, according to a security source cited by Agence France-Presse.
US-Israeli Strikes Hit Southern Iran
A series of US-Israeli air strikes targeted locations in southern Iran overnight, hitting a meteorological facility in Bushehr province as well as sites in the cities of Kerman and Sirjan. Reports from Tehran also suggested that an airstrike may have struck near the compound of the former US embassy in the Iranian capital — a site controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps since the 1979 hostage crisis. Witnesses described shattered windows around the large complex.
Iran Expands Proxy Operations
Iran continued to intensify its use of proxy forces across the region. Yemen's Houthis confirmed they fired missiles towards southern Israel in coordination with Iran and Hezbollah. An attack also targeted the Sarsang oilfield in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Duhok province, with a separate strike hitting an oil warehouse in Erbil. Bahrain, meanwhile, announced the arrest of three individuals linked to a new Hezbollah cell, the latest in a series of espionage and militant network discoveries across Gulf states. Bahrain's military also disclosed that its air defences have intercepted 186 missiles and 419 drones since the war began.
Trump: War Could End in Two to Three Weeks
President Trump told reporters that Iran does not need to reach a formal deal for the United States to end the war, adding that the conflict could conclude within two to three weeks. The White House announced that Trump would address the nation on Wednesday evening with a significant update on Iran. Trump also revealed that Washington is currently negotiating with Tehran on a 15-point framework, telling allies to either purchase oil from the United States or secure it themselves from the Strait of Hormuz — a pointed message to European governments that have declined to participate in military operations.
Trump Threatens NATO Withdrawal
In remarks to Britain's The Telegraph, Trump escalated his rhetoric against NATO allies, declaring he was "seriously considering" withdrawing the United States from the alliance and describing it as a "paper tiger." He said he was "never swayed by NATO," adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin shared that assessment. Trump drew a direct comparison between allied inaction on Iran and the war in Ukraine, suggesting European partners had failed to reciprocate US support. "We were there for them," he said of Ukraine, "and they weren't there for us." Netanyahu, for his part, vowed that Israel would press forward with its campaign, pledging to continue "crushing the terrorist regime in Iran."
UK Pledges Non-Involvement, Leads Hormuz Coalition
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told parliament that the UK would not be drawn into the war, responding to public anxiety about potential British military involvement. At the same time, Starmer convened 35 nations around a five-point plan to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, focusing on guaranteeing the safety of ships, securing the flow of vital commodities, reducing domestic energy bills, extending fuel duty relief, and investing in clean energy. The EU's energy commissioner separately warned that oil and gas prices would not return to normal quickly even after hostilities cease.
Markets Hammered
The financial toll of the conflict continued to mount. The so-called "Magnificent Seven" — Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, and Tesla — closed the first quarter of 2026 with combined market losses exceeding $3.3 trillion, a drawdown not seen on Wall Street in years, reflecting deepening investor anxiety over the war's impact on global supply chains and energy markets.