U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to order strikes on the petroleum infrastructure of Iran’s Kharg Island oil hub unless Tehran stopped attacking vessels in the vital Strait of Hormuz, a warning that could further roil markets already coping with a historic disruption in ​supply, Reuters reported.

Trump paired his ultimatum with a social media post saying the United States had “totally obliterated” military targets on the island, the export terminal for 90% of Iran’s oil shipments, which lies about 300 miles (483 km) ‌northwest of the strait.

U.S. strikes did not target Kharg’s oil infrastructure, but “should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision,” Trump wrote.

Iran had no ability to defend against U.S. attacks, the president added. “Iran’s Military, and all others involved with this Terrorist Regime, would be wise to lay down their arms, and save what’s left of their country, which isn’t much!” he posted on Truth Social.

Iran’s armed forces responded on Saturday by saying ​any strike on their country’s oil and energy infrastructure would lead to strikes on facilities owned by oil companies cooperating with the United States in the region, Iranian media reported.

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency ​reported, citing sources, that more than 15 explosions were heard on Kharg Island during the U.S. attacks. The sources said the attacks targeted air defenses, a naval base, and ⁠airport facilities, but caused no damage to oil infrastructure.

Markets were watching for any sign that U.S. strikes had damaged the island’s intricate network of pipelines, terminals and storage tanks. Even minor disruptions could further tighten global supply, adding ​pressure to an already volatile market.

In other strikes across the region, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said early Saturday that it had carried out additional attacks on Israel with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported.

On Friday, the Israeli military said its air ​force had struck more than 200 targets in western and central Iran over the past day, including ballistic missile launchers, air-defence systems and weapons production sites.

U.S. forces have suffered casualties. The U.S. military on Friday confirmed that all six crew members aboard a refuelling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq were dead, read the report.

Five U.S. Air Force tankers at a base in Saudi Arabia had been damaged by an Iranian missile strike and were being repaired, reported The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials.

Oil prices have swung sharply on ​Trump’s changing comments about the likely duration of the war, which began on February 28 with massive U.S. and Israeli bombardments of Iran and quickly spread into a regional conflict with broad consequences for worldwide energy and stock markets.

Lebanon became ​an escalating flashpoint in the war with Israel’s military and Hezbollah forces exchanging strikes in and around Beirut.

In addition to Iran’s missile and aerial drone attacks on Israel and Gulf state allies of the U.S., Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has sought to ‌disrupt shipping ⁠through the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for 20% of the world’s fossil energy supplies.

Trump told reporters on Friday the U.S. Navy will “soon” start escorting tankers through the waterway.

Although he has previously said the war would last only weeks, Trump on Friday declined to publicly project an end date for the conflict.

“I can’t tell you that,” he said to reporters. “I mean, I have my own idea, but what good does it do? It’ll be as long as it’s necessary.”

Iran continued to export crude oil while other producers in the Gulf halted their shipments for fear of Iranian attacks.

Multiple very large crude oil tankers were loading at Kharg on Wednesday, according to satellite imagery reviewed by TankerTrackers.com. Iran exported between 1.1 million barrels ​per day and 1.5 million bpd from February 28 ​to Wednesday.

Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group, said ⁠Trump’s comments on Friday “will focus the market’s mind on pathways that this energy disruption, already history’s largest, could expand and last longer.”

Some energy industry observers expressed doubts that Kharg’s oil facilities would stay intact.

“Bombing Kharg Island but not the oil infrastructure is like going to McDonald’s and getting a hamburger with no meat,” said Josh Young, chief investment officer ​at Bison Interests. “What’s the point?”

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, in his first public comments on Thursday, vowed to keep the Strait of ​Hormuz shut and urged neighbouring ⁠countries to close U.S. bases on their territory or risk being attacked themselves.

European powers are trying to work out how to defend their interests, and France has been consulting with European, Asian and Gulf Arab states over the past week with a view to putting together a plan for warships eventually to escort tankers through the strait, French officials said.

After nearly two weeks of war, 2,000 people have been killed, most in Iran, but many in Lebanon and a growing number in the Gulf, which has ⁠for the first ​time in decades of Middle East conflicts found itself on the front line.

Several million people have been displaced from their homes. As Israeli warplanes ​pounded Beirut’s suburbs with air strikes, Lebanon’s interior minister said authorities were unable to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of people who have sought refuge in the capital.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate, held a telephone conversation with Wang Yi, China’s Foreign Minister, to discuss the expansion of bilateral relations between Afghanistan and China, regional security, and the impacts of ongoing developments in the region.

According to a statement from the Afghan Foreign Ministry, Muttaqi emphasized the Islamic Emirate’s economically oriented foreign policy and said that Afghanistan seeks to build trust, mutual respect, and economic cooperation with all neighboring and regional countries.

He also addressed recent regional security developments, underlining that the Islamic Emirate views dialogue and diplomacy as the only path to resolving any crisis.

During the call, Muttaqi shared the Islamic Emirate’s position on recent Pakistani incursions into Afghan territory, stressing that Afghanistan has the legitimate right to defend its people and territorial integrity, while simultaneously supporting political solutions rather than the escalation of conflict.

Wang Yi highlighted the importance of strengthening positive relations between Afghanistan and China and stated that China considers political understanding and problem-solving mechanisms crucial for regional stability and security. He also welcomed Afghanistan’s dialogue-based approach and stressed that targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure is unacceptable.

Regarding Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions, Wang Yi noted that military measures are not a solution and only heighten the crisis. He added that China is ready to play a constructive role in fostering understanding and trust.

At least seven police personnel were killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) targeted a police vehicle in northwest Pakistan on Friday (March 13, 2026), according to local authorities.

The blast occurred in the Shadi Khel Bettani area of Lakki Marwat District when a police mobile van on routine patrol near the Rasool Khel check post was struck by a roadside IED.

Police said the explosive device detonated with a powerful blast as the vehicle passed through the area, directly hitting the patrol unit.

Station House Officer (SHO) Azam, police driver Shah Bahram, and four other police personnel were killed instantly in the explosion. Another policeman, identified as Insafuddin, was critically injured and later died in hospital while receiving treatment.

Following the attack, police and other security forces sealed off the area and launched a search operation. Authorities are collecting forensic evidence from the blast site as part of the investigation.

Security officials said efforts are underway to identify and trace those responsible for the attack, while security measures in the area have been tightened.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sohail Afridi, took notice of the incident and strongly condemned the blast.