By Tucker Reals — Updated March 17, 2026 / 6:23 AM EDT
What to know
– The EU’s top diplomat said “nobody is ready to put their people in harm’s way in the Strait of Hormuz,” rejecting U.S. calls for allies to provide military protection for commercial shipping.
– Israel says overnight strikes killed two senior Iranian figures, including Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council; Iran continues missile and drone attacks on Gulf states and ships.
– The conflict has pushed crude toward $100 a barrel and raised U.S. gas prices. The Pentagon says more than 200 U.S. service members have been injured and 13 killed; Iran reports more than 1,300 killed. Iran’s retaliatory fires have killed scores across the region.
Key developments
EU response
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told Reuters that Europe remains allied with the U.S. but has grown wary of recent unpredictability in U.S. moves. She said Europeans are not willing to put personnel at risk in the Strait of Hormuz and urged diplomatic solutions to keep the waterway open to avoid food, fertilizer and energy crises. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has declined to commit warships, saying the U.K. will work with partners on a collective plan and noting existing British de-mining vessels in the region.
Israeli strikes, Iranian casualties
The Israel Defense Forces said it targeted senior Iranian figures overnight. The IDF named Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij paramilitary force, and Israel’s defense minister later confirmed Ali Larijani had been “eliminated.” Israeli statements accused Soleimani of directing repression during recent domestic protests and described the strikes as blows to Iran’s security command structures. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF will continue operations against Iranian leadership targets.
Regional attacks and casualties
Iran has continued to strike Gulf states and commercial vessels with missiles and drones. Falling debris from an intercepted missile killed one person in Abu Dhabi; the UAE’s death toll in the war stands at eight, including civilians and two military personnel who died in a helicopter accident. Fujairah’s oil industrial zone was hit again, igniting a fire and shutting some storage and loading activity. Explosions were reported in Doha as Qatar and other Gulf states face drone and missile strikes.
U.S. and Iraq developments
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad was struck by shrapnel after Iraqi forces intercepted four drones aimed at the compound; all four were shot down, officials said. A separate strike hit a house inside Baghdad’s fortified Presidential Compound. Iraqi authorities are reportedly in talks with Tehran to seek permission for some oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and are working to resume exports via the Kirkuk‑Ceyhan pipeline to reduce disruption.
Security and detention actions
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced the arrest of 10 alleged “foreign spies,” some accused of collecting information on sensitive sites and infrastructure, while others were linked to an alleged monarchist group.
Humanitarian and international reactions
China said it will provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Iran, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq to help populations affected by U.S. and Israeli strikes. The broader humanitarian toll from the conflict includes Iranian claims of more than 1,300 dead; other counts attribute dozens of deaths in Gulf states and at least 12 fatalities from retaliatory strikes in Israel. The Pentagon reports more than 200 U.S. service members injured and 13 killed in the conflict.
Economic impact
Disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which handles about a fifth of global crude flows, has pushed oil prices higher and contributed to rising gasoline costs in the U.S.
Political context
President Trump and Israeli leaders have framed their actions as responses to an imminent threat from Iran. European leaders, who were largely excluded from planning discussions before the strikes, have pushed back on calls to place forces in harm’s way. Kallas emphasized the EU’s preference for diplomatic measures to maintain the strait’s openness.
Ongoing situation
Fighting and strikes continued across the region as nations and international organizations weigh responses. Israeli officials said they would brief the U.S. on the killing of the two Iranian figures when “morning breaks in Washington.” Reports and counts of casualties and damage are evolving as the situation develops.