Israel says it has plans for at least 3 more weeks of war as air strikes pound Iran

TEL AVIV/ DUBAI - Israel said on March 16 it has detailed plans for at least three more weeks of war as its military pounded sites across Iran overnight, while Iranian drone attacks temporarily shut Dubai airport and hit a key oil facility in the United Arab Emirates.

The US-Israeli war on Iran is now entering its third week, with no clear end in sight, shutting down the key Strait of Hormuz through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flow, pushing up oil prices and raising fears of a renewed spike in global inflation.

US President Donald Trump, on March 15, called for a coalition of nations to help reopen the vital shipping route and warned that the NATO alliance faces a “very bad” future if its members fail to come to Washington’s aid.

In a briefing on March 16, Israeli military spokesperson Nadav Shoshani told reporters that there are detailed operational plans for the war with Iran in place for the next three weeks, along with additional plans extending further ahead.

The military has framed its objectives as limited to weakening Iran’s capacity to threaten Israel by striking ballistic missile infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and the security apparatus.

“We want to make sure that they are as weak as possible, this regime, and that we degrade all their capabilities, all parts and all wings of their security establishment,” Lieutenant-Colonel Shoshani said.

The military, which has mobilised over 110,000 reservists, has said it still has thousands of targets to hit inside Iran.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on March 16 that Tehran has not asked for a ceasefire or exchanged messages with the US, according to Iran’s semi-official Student News Network.

Heavy strikes reported across Iran

Iran’s Mehr news agency reported five people were killed and seven wounded in overnight strikes hitting Markazi province in central Iran.

The news agency said a residential area on the outskirts of Arak city was attacked, as well as a residential building in the Mahallat county. In Khomeyn city, also in Markazi province, a boys’ school was targeted, causing some damage to the surrounding area. No casualties were reported.

The Israeli military said on March 16 it was carrying out air strikes on Tehran, Shiraz and Tabriz against what it described as the infrastructure of the “Iranian terror regime”.

A resident in Tehran who only wanted to be known as Ms Shahnaz, told Reuters via WhatsApp from Tehran that there had been no internet overnight.

“I’m connected now through Starlink at a friend’s house. We feel cut off from the world. People are being killed,” said the 62-year-old.

“It’s just days before Nowruz (the Iranian new year is on March 20), but people are not in the mood to celebrate. When will this end?”

When asked if she supported the Islamic republic, Ms Shahnaz said: “No, I don’t. How can I? They killed my granddaughter in (the January) protests. We want this regime to go. We want this misery to end.”

In Israel, air raid sirens warned of Iranian missiles fired at the country. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement that Tehran had launched attacks on areas in Tel Aviv, including air refuelling support centres.

The US Al-Dhafra airbase in Abu Dhabi, the US naval base in Bahrain, and Bahrain’s Sheikh Issa airbase were also attacked, it said.

Energy markets faced further disruption with oil loading operations suspended following an Iranian drone strike at the UAE port of Fujairah. Located on the Gulf of Oman, the port is typically a critical exit point for about one million barrels per day of the UAE’s Murban crude – a volume equivalent to roughly 1 per cent of global demand.

Flights at Dubai International Airport, normally one of the world’s busiest, were suspended for several hours after a drone strike on a nearby fuel storage facility that sent plumes of black smoke into the sky.

The Dubai authorities said they had contained a fire.

Saudi Arabia intercepted 34 drones in its eastern region in one hour, state media said.

No injuries were reported in either incident.

Oil prices rose on March 16, with Brent crude up more than 1 per cent above US$104.50, highlighting a key pain point for Mr Trump with prices at US petrol pumps rising as his Republican party faces midterm elections later in 2026.

On board Air Force One on the way from Florida to Washington on March 15, Mr Trump said he was demanding countries that rely heavily on oil from the Gulf to help protect Hormuz.

Trump may delay Beijing visit without China support

In a weekend social media post, he said he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and others would participate.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on March 16 that Britain would not be drawn into a wider war with Iran, but would work with allies to reopen the key waterway, acknowledging it would not be easy.

Japan said it had no plans to dispatch naval vessels to the strait, and Australia, which has said it would send a military surveillance aircraft and missiles to help defend the UAE from Iranian attacks, said it would not send its navy.

Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius ruled out his country’s participation in any military activity in the Iran war, including efforts to reopen the strait.

“This is not our war; we have not started it.”

Mr Trump told the Financial Times on March 15 that he may postpone a meeting with President Xi Jinping scheduled for later in March if China does not help to unblock the strait.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

European Union foreign ministers will discuss on March 16 bolstering a small naval mission in the Middle East, but are not expected to decide on extending its role to the choked-off Strait of Hormuz, diplomats and officials say.

Meanwhile, Israel continued to strike Lebanon and Gaza, attacking militants from the Iran-backed Hezbollah and Hamas.

The Israeli military said on March 16 its troops had begun limited ground operations against positions in southern Lebanon held by Hezbollah. REUTERS