By Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent
Key highlights:
- Military Escalation: Trump’s “obliteration” of targets and the deployment of 2,500 Marines.
- Economic Impact: A surge in global oil prices and the “yuan-for-oil” proposal from Tehran.
- African Context: How the Strait of Hormuz closure is driving inflation and food security risks in Ghana and Kenya.
- Humanitarian Toll: Updates on casualties in Lebanon and the environmental damage in Tehran.
The United States conducted large-scale military strikes against Iran’s Kharg Island on Friday night, March 13, 2026. This operation targeted a location central to the Iranian economy as the conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran entered its 15th day. U.S. officials stated the mission focused on military infrastructure while avoiding vital oil facilities.
President Donald Trump announced the military had “totally obliterated every military target” on the island. He further warned of future strikes against oil infrastructure if Tehran continues to obstruct traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Kharg Island serves as the exit point for approximately 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports.
Military objectives and tactical shifts
The Pentagon confirmed the strikes hit naval mine storage facilities and missile bunkers. A U.S. military official described the operation as “large-scale” in scope. In a separate move to bolster regional presence, the Department of Defense is deploying a Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Middle East. This rapid response force consists of approximately 2,500 Marines and sailors. Video geolocated also showed strikes hitting airport facilities on the island.
President Trump indicated that U.S. Navy escorts for commercial tankers may begin “soon” to ensure passage through contested waters. When questioned about a timeline for the conclusion of hostilities, the President remarked the war will be over “when I feel it in my bones.”
Global energy markets and economic pressure
International oil prices reached their highest levels since July 2022 following the escalation. Tom Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, warned that “when ships stop moving through that Strait, the consequences travel fast,” noting that food and medicine become “more expensive to deliver.” Analysts warn that continued instability at Kharg Island—known as the “Forbidden Island” due to tight military controls—could send global energy costs “out of control.” The site was historically described by the CIA as the “most vital in Iran’s oil system.” Iranian officials have signaled a potential easing of the maritime blockade provided the cargo is “traded in Chinese yuan.”
Impact on African markets and food security
The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz presents a dual crisis for African nations. As global oil prices surge, economies from Ghana to Kenya face immediate inflationary pressure on transport and manufacturing. Furthermore, the disruption of fertilizer and grain shipments through these critical waterways threatens to worsen food insecurity across the continent. Regional analysts note that if the “yuan-for-oil” proposal gains traction, it could accelerate a shift in how African central banks manage their foreign reserves amid the ongoing instability.
Iranian response and regional warnings
Tehran has vowed to retaliate if its energy sector is directly targeted. State media reported that while 15 explosions occurred on Kharg Island, no oil infrastructure sustained damage. The Khatam al-Anbiya military command warned that any hit on Iranian energy assets would trigger strikes against regional facilities owned by companies that “have American shares or cooperate with the United States.”
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf previously stated the country would “abandon all restraint” in the face of U.S. aggression against its islands. On the diplomatic front, the U.S. is offering a $10 million reward for information on Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Vice President JD Vance noted that Khamenei is “hurt” but added, “we don’t know exactly how bad.”
Multi-front casualties and humanitarian impact
The conflict continues to take a heavy toll across Lebanon, Iraq, and the Gulf states. An Israeli strike in southern Lebanon killed 12 medical workers on Saturday in Borj Qalaouiye, following a separate attack on paramedics in Al-Sawana. In another incident, nine members of a single family, including four children, died in an Israeli strike. “Everyone here knows what my girls meant to me,” the children’s father told reporters. The Iranian ambassador to the UN reports that combined U.S. and Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,300 people.
The U.S. military reported the deaths of six service members in a refueling aircraft crash in Iraq. Officials noted the plane lacked “ejection systems or parachutes” for mid-air evacuation. Although a proxy group claimed responsibility, the U.S. maintained the crash was “not due to hostile fire.”
Regional interceptions and environmental damage
The conflict has expanded into neighboring airspace. Saudi Arabia intercepted 16 drones in its eastern region and a ballistic missile launched toward Al-Kharj. Dubai authorities reported debris from a “successful interception” struck a building in the city center. Qatar and Bahrain also reported missile interceptions, with Bahrain urging residents to “head to the nearest safe place.”
The environmental cost is also mounting. Satellite analysis shows Israeli strikes on fuel facilities in Tehran have “spiked pollution levels, ignited fires and caused oil spills.” In Iraq, fire and smoke were observed near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, while the State Department has ordered non-emergency personnel to evacuate Oman and Iraq due to increasing safety risks.
Escalation and the Global Economic Brink
Now that the war has entered its third week of sustained hostilities, the conflict has reached a critical juncture. The international community remains divided between the necessity of maintaining maritime law and the urgent need for de-escalation. While the U.S. and Israel maintain that precision strikes are essential to neutralize immediate threats, the widening regional spillover suggests a conflict that is increasingly difficult to contain. The coming days will likely determine if diplomatic overtures, such as the proposed shift in trade currency, can provide a reprieve, or if the targeting of economic lifelines like Kharg Island marks the beginning of a much larger global crisis.
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