Iran urged people Saturday to evacuate the Middle East's busiest port and two others in the United Arab Emirates, openly threatening a neighboring country's non-U.S. assets for the first time as its war with the U.S. and Israel entered a third week.
Tehran said the U.S. had used 'ports, docks and hideouts' in the UAE to launch strikes on Kharg Island, home to the main terminal handling Iran's oil exports, without providing evidence. It urged people to leave areas where it said U.S. forces were sheltering.
What the Right Is Saying
Conservative voices have defended the U.S. military campaign as necessary to counter Iranian aggression and protect vital shipping lanes. House Foreign Affairs Committee Republicans have praised Trump's assertion that the U.S. 'obliterated' military sites on Kharg Island, calling it a proportional response to Iranian threats against global oil supplies.
Former Trump administration officials and conservative commentators argue that projecting strength is the only language Tehran understands. They point to Iran's hundreds of missiles and drones fired at Arab Gulf neighbors as evidence that Iran, not the U.S., initiated the current escalation.
Senate Republican leaders have supported Trump's call for allied nations to send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz, with Britain announcing it is discussing 'a range of options' with allies. Conservative analysts argue that internationalcoalition-building to protect shipping demonstrates U.S. leadership and deters further Iranian provocations.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive analysts and Democratic foreign policy voices have expressed concern that the escalating conflict risks dragging regional partners into a wider war. Senate Progressive Caucus members have called for diplomatic de-escalation, arguing that U.S. military expansion in the Gulf could provoke Iran into further retaliatory strikes against civilian infrastructure.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi framed the conflict as one forced upon Tehran, telling MS NOW that the strait was closed only to 'those who are attacking us and their allies.' Progressives note this positions Iran as responding to U.S. aggression rather than initiating conflict, though they acknowledge Iran's missile barrages have endangered civilian airports and oil facilities across Gulf states.
Humanitarian groups have also highlighted the growing crisis in Lebanon, where over 800 people have been killed and 850,000 displaced by Israeli strikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. Progressive lawmakers have called for increased humanitarian aid and diplomatic pressure on all parties to protect civilians.
What the Numbers Show
The Strait of Hormuz normally transits one-fifth of global oil supplies, making its status a critical factor inglobal energy markets. U.S. Central Command said it destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers and other military sites on Kharg Island.
Israel announced another wave of strikes in Iran targeting infrastructure, hitting more than 200 targets in the last 24 hours, including missile launchers, defense systems and weapons production sites. The U.S. is deploying 2,500 more Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli to the Middle East.
Earlier in the week, the Navy had 12 ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and eight destroyers, in the Arabian Sea. The State Department has warned U.S. citizens in Iraq to leave 'now' by land since commercial flights were unavailable. In Lebanon, the humanitarian toll includes over 800 killed and 850,000 displaced.
The Bottom Line
The escalation marks a significant turning point as Iran directly threatens UAE non-U.S. assets for the first time, raising concerns about spillover effects into neutral Gulf states. The U.S. military buildup continues with the deployment of additional Marines and naval assets, while allied nations consider Trump's request to contribute warships to secure Strait of Hormuz shipping.
Iran has reiterated its threat to attack U.S.-linked oil, economic and energy infrastructures in the region if Tehran's own oil infrastructure is hit. The destruction of Kharg Island military sites, combined with Iran's parliamentary speaker warning that strikes on oil facilities would provoke a 'new level of retaliation,' suggests the risk of further escalation remains high. International observers will watch closely for any attack on the Jebel Ali port or other civilian infrastructure in the coming days.