WASHINGTON/TEHRAN, 15 March. - (ANA) - US President Donald Trump has urged nations including China, Britain and France to help secure the key Strait of Hormuz amid a threat from Iranian attacks. The UK responded by saying that it was discussing a number of options to assist in the passage of tankers and vessels through the waterway.

 

In an interview with NBC News, Trump said that while Tehran appeared ready to make a deal to end the war, "the terms aren’t good enough yet".

 

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi called on regional countries to "expel" US forces from the region, warning that Tehran would begin targeting American companies in the Middle East if its energy facilities were bombed.

 

Meanwhile, US and Israeli attacks on Iran continue, with missiles hitting several sites across the country's central Isfahan province, killing at least 15 people. Explosions were also heard overnight in Shiraz, in the west of the country.

 

In the Gulf, Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced that it had targeted US forces with missiles at a base in Saudi Arabia's al-Kharj province. The Saudi defence ministry said it had intercepted six ballistic missiles in the province, without specifying whether the base was hit.

 

A drone attack was also reported overnight on Baghdad Airport, which houses a military base and an American diplomatic mission.

 

The UAE has denied Iran's accusations that the US attacks on Kharg Island were launched from the Emirates, a day after Trump announced large-scale strikes against military targets on the oil-rich hub.

 

Israel, meanwhile, has continued to attack Lebanon, killing more than a dozen people in strikes across the country's south. In Gaza, four people were killed when Israel targeted a vehicle in Nuseirat.  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/15 March 2026  - - -