New Delhi, Updated At : 09:00 AM Apr 01, 2026 IST
The US launched a 900-kg bunker-buster at an ammunition storage facility in Isfahan, a city that hosts one of Iran’s main nuclear sites. Tehran responded with a strike on an Israeli oil refinery.
Diplomatically, US President Donald Trump told aides he was willing to end the war without reopening the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. Iran, however, refused to reopen the waterway on Washington’s terms, saying “ships would be allowed passage only in compliance with measures it had laid down.”
Iran declined to unblock the Strait of Hormuz despite repeated US warnings. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump and his aides judged any operation to reopen the chokepoint would probably extend the conflict beyond his preferred four-to-six-week timeline. The Iranian Embassy in India issued what it called a “fact sheet on legal and proportionate measures” for passage through the Strait, asserting Iran’s right to determine if a vessel’s transit posed a threat and to prevent such passage if necessary. It cited UN laws and said the legal regime of “innocent passage” was suspended, with transit subject to conditions set by Iran’s authorities.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Iran to abandon all weapons programmes and nuclear ambitions, saying, “And if they do that, then Iran’s future can be bright.” Both Israel and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth signalled readiness for a prolonged campaign. “The upcoming days will be decisive. Iran knows that and there’s almost nothing they can do militarily about it,” Hegseth said at a news conference. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the assault on Iran was “definitely beyond the halfway point,” later clarifying he meant in terms of missions, not necessarily time.
Trump criticised European allies for withholding support. He lashed out at France for denying passage for US planes carrying ammunition to Israel and warned it would be remembered. Italy also barred US arms flights through a Sicilian base, and Spain had done the same. Trump urged the UK to “gather courage and itself go to the Strait of Hormuz to take fuel,” saying on Truth Social that countries should “start learning how to fight for yourself” and that the US “won’t be there to help you anymore,” adding, “Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!”
Regional incidents included an Iranian drone strike on the Kuwait-flagged crude oil tanker Al-Salmi off Dubai’s coast, which sustained damage. The average US gasoline price rose above USD 4 a gallon, a first since 2022.
Italy joined France in barring US planes carrying weapons from staging through its facilities; Spain had already done so. The situation around the Strait of Hormuz and broader hostilities remained tense as diplomatic and military manoeuvres continued.
