Trump says US considering 'winding down' Iran war as Tehran fires long-range missiles
Two 4,000 km-range ballistic missiles were launched at the US-UK military base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
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DUBAI: Israel said on Saturday (Mar 21) that Iranian forces had for the first time fired long‑range missiles, expanding the risk of attacks beyond the Middle East, even as US President Donald Trump said Washington was considering “winding down” its military operation against Iran.
Iran launched two 4,000 km-range ballistic missiles at the US-UK military base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir said.
"These missiles are not intended to strike Israel. Their range reaches European capitals - Berlin, Paris, and Rome are all within direct threat range," Zamir said in a statement.
The Israeli military said it was the "first time" Iran had used long‑range missiles in the conflict, marking its first expansion beyond the Middle East since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran on Feb 28.
A source at Britain's defence ministry said the attack had occurred before the government gave specific authorisation on Friday for the US to use British military bases to carry out strikes on Iranian missile sites.
In a social media post, Trump said the US was close to meeting its goals but insisted that other countries should take the lead in policing the Strait of Hormuz, the shipping lane whose near-closure threatens a global energy shock.
"We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran," Trump said on Truth Social.
"The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it - The United States does not!" he added. "If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn’t be necessary once Iran’s threat is eradicated."
Trump and his administration have sent mixed messages about US goals throughout the war, now entering its fourth week, leaving traditional US allies struggling to respond.
Trump has suggested the war could wind down as the Iranian threat was being eliminated, while at the same time US Marines and heavy landing craft head to the region.
More than 2,000 people have been killed in Iran since the US and Israel attacked on Feb 28, while American voters appear increasingly concerned at signs the war could expand.
Energy price shocks are fuelling inflation, hitting consumers and businesses hard - a major political liability for Trump as he seeks to justify the war to the US public before November elections in which he could lose control of Congress.
Trump had also accused NATO allies of cowardice over their reluctance to help open the strait. Some allies have said they will consider it, but most say they are reluctant to join a war that Trump started without consulting them.
IRAN STRIKES NEAR ISRAELI NUCLEAR REACTOR
Separately, two Iranian missiles struck the southern Israeli desert town of Dimona, injuring more than 100 people in the most destructive attack of the three-week war.
The strikes tore open the facades of residential buildings and carved craters into the ground.
First responders said 75 people were injured in the town of Arad, 10 of them seriously. Hours earlier, 33 were wounded in nearby Dimona, where AFPTV footage showed a large hole gouged into the ground next to piles of rubble and twisted metal.
Dimona hosts a facility widely believed to be the site of the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal, although Israel has never admitted to possessing nuclear weapons.
The Israeli army told AFP there had been a "direct missile hit on a building" in Dimona, with casualties reported at multiple sites, including a 10-year-old boy in serious condition with shrapnel wounds.
Iranian media said US-Israeli forces had attacked the Shahid Ahmadi-Roshan Natanz enrichment complex on Saturday morning. Technical experts found no radioactive leaks had occurred and nearby residents were not at risk. Israel said it was unaware of such a strike, while the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was investigating.
Iranian media later reported strikes on a passenger terminal in the southern port of Bushehr and an empty passenger ship at nearby Kharg Island. The island, where Iran loads nearly all its oil exports, is seen as a potential target if Washington decides to hit Iranian energy or to use ground troops to seize it.
Iran said it fired drones at US bases in the UAE and Kuwait used to stage attacks on Iranian islands in the Gulf.
Israel also attacked Beirut, saying it was targeting the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah militia, part of the deadliest spillover from the war on Iran. Hezbollah fired on Israel in support of Tehran on Mar 2.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel was planning to step up attacks in the coming days and was "determined to continue leading the attack against the Iranian terrorist regime, to behead its commanders and to thwart its strategic capabilities until any security threats to Israel and U.S. interests in the region are removed."
Israel said its aircraft attacked ballistic missile production sites around Tehran. Three members of a family were killed in a strike on a residential building in the city of Ramsar, Iranian media reported.
Air raid sirens in Israel warned of incoming missiles from early morning, sending millions to shelters as the blasts of interceptions rang out from above.
EUROPEAN GAS PRICES SURGE
Natural gas prices in Europe surged as much as 35 per cent this week after Israel hit Iran's biggest gas field and Iran responded by attacking neighbours' energy infrastructure. The European Union urged members to lower gas-storage targets and start refilling reserves gradually to curb demand, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.
The Strait of Hormuz, conduit for around a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, has been effectively closed to most shipping.
India, suffering a severe shortage of cooking gas, has been one of the few countries so far to persuade Iran to let any of its ships through the strait, with two tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas leaving last week and two more in position on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Kyodo news agency that Tehran was ready to let Japan-related vessels pass through the strait, which carries around 90 per cent of Japan's oil imports.
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