Maps show the global fallout of war with Iran : NPR
What began last Saturday with coordinated attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel has evolved into a broader conflict with repercussions around the world.
The US-Israeli military campaign triggered a series of attacks and counterattacks that hit or threatened several Gulf countries. The conflict has also sparked political tensions and economic upheaval, attracting countries far beyond the Middle East.
More than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran due to the ongoing fighting, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society. US and Israeli strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and dozens of his top officials. Iran’s navy and air force have also been wiped out, and soon Israel and the United States will have full control of Iran’s skies, according to the Pentagon.
On Friday, President Trump said he would not negotiate with Iran unless it was prepared to surrender unconditionally. making it difficult to know when the fighting will stop and how many additional nations could be drawn into the conflict.
Here’s what you need to know:
Trump says Iran ‘will be hit very hard’, warns of expanded target list
President Trump ratcheted up his rhetoric in a social media post Saturday, saying Iran “will be hit very hard” and warning that the United States was considering expanding its target list. “Due to Iran’s bad behavior, areas and groups of people that were not considered targets until now are under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, due to Iran’s bad behavior,” he wrote.
Trump issued the remarks shortly after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to Iran’s neighboring countries for firing missiles at them and promised he would stop targeting them unless Iran was attacked from their territory.
In his message, Trump claimed that Iran’s promise to stop attacking its neighbors “was only made because of the continued attacks by the United States and Israel.”
Countries caught in the crossfire of war
Shortly after the United States and Israel launched their first strikes, Iran carried out retaliatory attacks against Israel and American military bases in Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Some strikes also hit civilian areas, including hotels and airports, as well as oil and gas infrastructure.
US forces have intercepted numerous Iranian missile and drone attacks. But six American soldiers were killed by an Iranian strike on a command center in Kuwait. At least 10 people were killed in Israel following the clashes, according to Israeli authorities. A drone strike also hit a British air force base on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus last Sunday, and the UK says it has intercepted more drones there since.
Iranian drones have also struck its neighbor and former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan. Before the conflict, Azerbaijan wanted to remain neutral. But on Thursday, President Ilham Aliyev said in a speech: “We will not tolerate this unprovoked act of terror and aggression against Azerbaijan. Our armed forces have been instructed to prepare and implement appropriate retaliatory measures.”
Earlier this week, an Iranian missile headed toward Turkey but was shot down by a U.S. warship, NPR previously reported. Turkey is also where many Iranians are fleeing due to continued bombing in Iran by the US and Israeli military.
Meanwhile, fighting has spread to Lebanon after Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group, launched attacks on Israel. Hezbollah initially said its strikes were revenge for the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, but later added that they were due to ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon despite a ceasefire. Israeli forces, in turn, ordered Lebanese residents to evacuate as they launched attacks in southern and eastern Lebanon, including around the capital Beirut.
According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, Israeli strikes killed at least 123 people on Thursday. The Lebanese government has also taken steps to distance itself from Hezbollah, including issuing arrest warrants for members behind strikes against Israel and calling for the dismantling of Hezbollah’s military wing.
South Asian countries are also on alert after a US submarine sank an Iranian warship near Sri Lanka. Wednesday. The government of the small island off the coast of India has called for peace, adding that it does not want to become a victim of this war.
Ally Test
Beyond the fighting, the war poses a major test for the United States and Iran’s allies.
France, Italy and the United Kingdom were initially wary of the way the United States and Israel were overthrowing Iran’s top leaders. But now, in order to protect their expatriate citizens and their interests in the Middle East, as well as to avoid further escalation, European nations have strengthened their military presence in the region.
The conflict strained Britain’s friendship with the United States. Britain had initially rejected the American request to use British military bases. Britain later reversed this decision somewhat, allowing the United States to use its bases for what it called “limited defensive action against missile facilities in Iran,” but President Trump remained frustrated.
The war also deepened the feud between the United States and Spain. Earlier this week, Spain refused to allow the United States to use its two joint military bases, which serve as a strategic stopover for U.S. operations in the Middle East. In response, Trump threatened to suspend all trade with Spain if the government did not cooperate.
At the same time, Spain, France, Italy, Great Britain, Greece and The Netherlands has all pledged to help protect Cyprus, a member of the European Union, Reuters reported.
Iran’s relations with the Gulf Arab states have also been shaken; although they have centuries-old trade and cultural ties, Iran struck several of these states in the past week. The conflict also threatens the region’s tourism and its reputation as a hub for global trade. This is particularly worrying for Dubai, which prides itself on being a safe haven in the Middle East but has been hit hard by Iranian strikes.
China, the world’s superpower, also intervened by sending an envoy to the Middle East. Although the country is considered an ally of Iran, China has urged Iran and the United States to stop military operations and resume negotiations. Part of China’s concern is the war’s impact on global energy markets, since the country is the world’s largest importer of oil and gas.
Russia, one of Iran’s biggest allies provided target intelligence to Iran, NPR independently confirmed. But for the most part, Russia watched from the sidelines. President Vladimir Putin has issued a letter of condolence following the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader. But the country did not enter the fighting and Iran did not request aid, the Kremlin said on Thursday.
Part of Russia’s hesitation may be that it is already grappling with the bitter war it launched in Ukraine. Russia could also potentially benefit from attacking Iran if countries turn to Russia for oil.
Challenges for the oil and financial markets
The conflict is also having adverse consequences on the global economy.
Much of the upheaval is driven by oil and the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that borders Iran and serves as a transit point for about a fifth of the world’s oil supply.
Iran declared the closure of the strait on Monday, leading Iraq, a major oil producer, to halt part of its production. Meanwhile, ongoing fighting has caused Saudi Arabia’s largest oil refinery to suspend production. Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates reported that their oil refineries were affected. over the past week.
Threats to oil supplies are already sinking stock markets and fueling fears of high inflation. Oil prices climbed above $90 a barrel on Friday, the highest since September 2023. The disruptions have already pushed the average U.S. gasoline price to $3.32 a gallon on Friday, according to AAA.
India, a major buyer of Persian Gulf crude, is particularly vulnerable to oil shortages. The US Treasury Department on Friday granted a 30-day waiver to allow Indian refineries to purchase Russian oil, which was previously under US sanctions.
NPR’s Aya Batrawy in Dubai, Carrie Kahn in Tel Aviv, Hadeel Al-Shalchi in Beirut, Ruth Sherlock on Turkey’s border with Iran, Charles Maynes in Moscow, Jennifer Pak in Beijing, Rebecca Rosman in Paris, Tom Bowman and Scott Horsley contributed reporting.
