On Sunday, March 15, on the sixteenth day of the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran’s regime, military and political developments continued at a faster pace. New attacks inside Iran, proxy clashes in Iraq, and missile and drone strikes against Persian Gulf countries indicate that the scope of the war is still expanding, while political efforts to end it remain uncertain.
In the most important political development, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday, March 14, that he is not yet ready to reach an agreement with the Iranian regime to end the war. In a roughly 30-minute phone interview with NBC News, the American television network, he said the Iranian regime is interested in a deal, but the conditions it has offered are not good enough. Trump emphasized that any agreement must be very firm and decisive and must include the complete abandonment of Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Day 15 of the War: Major U.S. Attack on Kharg Island and $10 Million Reward for Mojtaba Khamenei
Trump also announced that he is cooperating with several countries to draft a plan aimed at securing maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. This comes as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Iranian regime’s main military force, has threatened to block this vital global energy corridor. The U.S. president said that if the Iranian regime attempts to disrupt the free passage of ships, Washington will reconsider its decision to refrain from targeting energy facilities.
He also commented on the situation of Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iranian regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei, saying it is unclear whether he is still alive. Trump added that no credible image or evidence of his presence has been released and that reports have circulated about him being wounded or even killed. The U.S. secretary of defense had previously said that Mojtaba Khamenei was injured and may have suffered serious damage.
On the military front, the Israeli military announced that it has launched a new wave of large-scale attacks against targets in western Iran. Following these strikes, reports emerged of explosions being heard in the cities of Isfahan, Khomein, Hamedan, Dezful, as well as in western areas of Tehran. Precise details about the extent of the damage or the exact targets of these attacks have not yet been released.
At the same time, the U.S. military announced that it carried out a heavy attack on Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal in the Persian Gulf. According to Trump, the operation destroyed almost all military targets on the island, but its oil facilities were deliberately not targeted. He emphasized that Washington refrained from striking the oil installations to prevent the destruction of energy infrastructure and broader economic consequences.
Tensions also increased in Iraq. Security sources in the country said that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad was targeted by a drone attack. The incident occurred several hours after separate strikes against positions of the militia group Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group in Iraq, which resulted in the killing of three of its members, including a commander. Reports also indicate that one of the group’s senior commanders was wounded.
Following these developments, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad urged American citizens to leave Iraq immediately and to avoid visiting the embassy or the U.S. consulate in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region.
On the regional front, several Persian Gulf countries also reported missile and drone attacks. Saudi Arabia announced that its air defense systems intercepted six ballistic missiles over Al-Kharj province. This area hosts Prince Sultan Air Base, a major Saudi air base that is also used by U.S. forces.
In Kuwait, several drone attacks were reported against the country’s international airport, damaging its radar system and causing a temporary closure of the airspace. In the United Arab Emirates, a drone was intercepted in the emirate of Fujairah, and the falling debris caused a fire and injured one person. Qatar also said it intercepted four ballistic missiles and several drones.
Meanwhile, the foreign minister of the Iranian regime, Abbas Araghchi, in a conversation with his French counterpart, claimed that the United States and Israel are responsible for insecurity in the region and called on other countries to refrain from actions that could escalate the conflict.
Overall, these developments show that on the sixteenth day of the war, while military pressure on the Iranian regime has increased, the risk of the conflict spreading across the entire Middle East remains serious, and the prospect of a quick end to the war is still unclear.
