The escalating war involving the United States, Israel and Iran entered its third week on Saturday after a missile struck a helipad inside the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad and debris from an intercepted Iranian drone ignited a fire at an oil facility in the United Arab Emirates.
Images from the Associated Press showed smoke rising from the massive embassy complex in the Iraqi capital, while authorities in the UAE confirmed a fire broke out at Fujairah port after fragments from a downed Iranian drone hit an oil installation.
The latest incidents highlight the widening regional impact of the conflict, which has already drawn in multiple Middle Eastern countries and threatens global energy supplies.
A day earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said American forces had carried out strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island, a critical hub for the country’s oil exports. Trump stated that U.S. forces had “obliterated” military targets on the island but stopped short of attacking its oil infrastructure.
However, he warned that Iran’s oil facilities could become targets if Tehran continues to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important energy routes through which roughly one fifth of globally traded oil passes.
Iranian officials have responded with warnings of severe retaliation. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf previously cautioned that attacks on the islands along Iran’s southern maritime frontier would push the country to abandon restraint and escalate the conflict further.
Iran’s joint military command reinforced that warning on Saturday, stating that if Iran’s oil infrastructure were attacked, it would target oil, energy and economic facilities across the region linked to American interests.
The command also threatened to strike cities in the United Arab Emirates, claiming that U.S. forces used regional ports and facilities to launch operations against Iranian territory, though no evidence was provided.
Meanwhile, Iran has continued launching missile and drone attacks against Israel and Gulf Arab states while effectively shutting down shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, intensifying fears of disruption to global oil markets.
The conflict has also deepened the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. Israeli airstrikes targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants have killed nearly 800 people and displaced approximately 850,000 residents as Israel vows to continue its military campaign.
As tensions escalate, the United States is increasing its military presence in the region. An American official confirmed that 2,500 additional Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli are being deployed to the Middle East.
Marine Expeditionary Units are capable of amphibious assaults but are also frequently used for embassy protection, civilian evacuations and humanitarian operations during crises. Officials said the deployment does not necessarily indicate that a ground invasion is planned.
The USS Tripoli and accompanying vessels are based in Japan and had been operating in the Pacific Ocean before receiving orders to head toward the Middle East. Satellite images recently showed the ship sailing near Taiwan, meaning it could take more than a week to reach waters near Iran.
Earlier in the week, the U.S. Navy already had a major naval presence in the Arabian Sea, including 12 warships such as the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and eight guided missile destroyers. If the Tripoli joins the fleet, it would become the second largest ship in the American naval force operating in the region.
The exact number of U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East remains unclear, although Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar alone typically hosts around 8,000 American personnel.
Iranian state-linked media reported that U.S. strikes on Kharg Island triggered at least 15 explosions but claimed the country’s oil infrastructure remained undamaged. According to reports, the attacks targeted an air defence facility, a naval base, an airport control tower and a helicopter hangar belonging to an offshore oil company.
The strike on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad also underscores the growing security threats facing American personnel in the region. The embassy complex, one of the largest diplomatic facilities in the world, has repeatedly been targeted by rockets and drones launched by Iran-aligned militias.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for Saturday’s strike on the embassy compound. However, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad had renewed its Level 4 security alert a day earlier, warning that Iran and its allied militias may continue targeting American citizens, infrastructure and diplomatic facilities.
Meanwhile, Israel has intensified its own military operations inside Iran. Israeli officials said the country’s air force struck more than 200 targets in the past 24 hours alone, including missile launch systems, defence infrastructure and weapons manufacturing facilities.
In Washington, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the scale of the campaign had been extensive, revealing that more than 15,000 targets inside Iran have been hit since the conflict began.
Despite rising concerns over shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, Hegseth sought to reassure global markets, saying U.S. forces were actively managing the situation and that there was no immediate cause for alarm.