LIVE | West Asia conflict: Trump chides allies over Hormuz mission as Israel launches Lebanon ground assault

Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened to target US companies across the region and urged employees to evacuate, while European nations sought more details on Trump's plans for the war.

Summary

The war in West Asia entered its third week as the United States and Israel traded fire with Iran, with attacks continuing on military, diplomatic and strategic infrastructure.

Israel also said it had launched ground operations inside Lebanon.

The conflict, triggered by the Feb. 28 US-Israeli strikes on Iran, has spread across the region, roiling energy markets and pushing up oil prices.

Tehran maintains a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — a route for about 20% of global oil exports — while both sides threaten to target each other’s oil infrastructure.

TOP DEVELOPMENTS

Trump slams allies over Hormuz: US President Donald Trump on Monday criticised Washington's allies for their lukewarm response to his call to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz during the US war with Iran. Trump called for more "enthusiasm" from other countries, saying he believed France and Britain would reluctantly get involved.

EU demand clarity on war: European countries on Monday sought more details on Trump's plans for the war on Iran and warned NATO must not be drawn in, as they weighed his call to send warships to help secure the Persian Gulf. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said London was working with allies on a “viable” plan, while Germany said the conflict has “nothing to do with NATO” and is “not NATO's war.”

IRGC threatens US firms in Gulf: Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Monday threatened to target US companies across the region and urged employees to evacuate. It was not immediately clear which companies would be targeted, but the Tasnim news agency last week published a list of potential targets on Telegram including the offices of Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Nvidia in Gulf countries.

Citizens in ‘grave danger’: Iran told the United Nations on Monday it would not submit to “lawless aggression” and said its citizens were in “grave danger” from US and Israeli strikes.

Israel invades Lebanon: Israel's military said Monday it was carrying out what it described as "limited" ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, as Beirut said more than one million people had been displaced in two weeks of fighting.

UN adds to media speculation of a UN-led initiative around the Strait of Hormuz

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric raised speculation about an eventual UN-led initiative after saying the global impact of restrictions or closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz “cannot be underestimated.”

He referred to behind-the-scenes negotiations that led to the July 2022 deal that allowed Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea after Russia’s invasion, saying “silence was the better half of valor.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “remains very much engaged and in frequent contact with senior officials in the region and beyond,” he said, “but we’re not going to be feeding the speculation.”

Guterres “will continue to work discreetly on this, because, frankly, the stakes are too high,” Dujarric said. He announced that Guterres will head to Brussels on Tuesday for meetings with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other EU officials.

Israel approves new battle plans for continued ground operation in Lebanon

The military’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, said the army is “determined to deepen the operation until all of our objectives are achieved.”

Speaking on a visit to the northern border, Zamir said “We are preparing for what comes next and reinforcing the Northern Command with additional troops in order to strengthen the forward defensive posture, deepen the damage to Hezbollah, and push the threat away from the communities in the north.”

The army said in a statement that Zamir approved plans for “continued limited, targeted operations.”

A military spokesman said earlier on Monday that the army had deployed additional ground troops into Lebanon for what it calls a “limited and targeted operation.”

Drone strike causes fire at a major UAE oil field: authorities

A drone strike on Monday caused a fire at a major oil field in the United Arab Emirates, authorities said, as Iran continued its drone and missile strikes across the Gulf.

Authorities in the emirate of Abu Dhabi said they were still responding to the fire at the Shah oil field, without reporting injuries.

The Shah oil field, located 230 kilometres (143 miles) south of Abu Dhabi city, has a production capacity of approximately 70,000 barrels of crude oil per day, according to the UAE's state-owned energy giant ADNOC.

Hezbollah says it targeted Israeli troops in Lebanese border towns

Hezbollah on Monday said it targeted Israeli troops and vehicles in at least three Lebanese border towns, after the Israeli army announced it had begun limited ground operations in Lebanon.

In three separate statements, the group said it targeted an Israeli site "in the border town of Aitaroun with a rocket salvo" as well as "a gathering of Israeli vehicles and soldiers" in Odaisseh with artillery shells, and "a gathering of Israeli vehicles and soldiers" and a Merkava tank in the town of Taybeh with a rocket salvo.

Israel army says ground assault against Hezbollah underway in Lebanon

Israel's military said on Monday it was carrying out what it described as "limited" ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, as Beirut said more than one million people had displaced in two weeks of fighting.

Israel's defence minister warned that those displaced in Lebanon would not return home until northern Israel was secure, while Hezbollah said it targeted a north Israel city where first responders reported a man was wounded.

An Israeli military statement said that in recent days its troops "have begun limited and targeted ground operations against key Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon."

"This activity is part of broader defensive efforts" and includes "the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the elimination of terrorists... in order to remove threats and create an additional layer of security for residents of northern Israel," it said.

The ground operations were preceded by air and artillery strikes, it added.

The announcement echoes similar statements issued in 2024, when Israel and Hezbollah fought a major war in Lebanon, and in 2023, when the military launched a ground assault in Gaza in response to Hamas's October 7 attacks.