New Delhi, Updated at 09:00 AM Apr 01, 2026 IST
The United States deployed a 900-kg bunker-buster bomb against an ammunition storage facility in Isfahan, a city that also hosts one of Iran’s principal nuclear sites. Iran responded by striking an Israeli oil refinery, escalating the conflict and widening its economic and strategic consequences.
On the diplomatic front, President Donald Trump told aides he was prepared to end the war without reopening the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. Iran rejected Washington’s terms for resuming free passage, saying ships would be allowed through only in compliance with conditions it has established. The Iranian Embassy in India issued a “fact sheet on legal and proportionate measures,” asserting Iran’s right to assess whether a transit posed a threat and to impose conditions accordingly. The statement said the regime of “innocent passage” was suspended and that passage would be governed by Iranian-determined conditions, citing UN law.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump and his advisers judged any operation to forcibly reopen the chokepoint would likely extend the conflict beyond the four-to-six-week timeline they preferred. Amid the standoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Iran to abandon all weapons programmes and nuclear ambitions, saying, “And if they do that, then Iran’s future can be bright.”
Israeli leaders and US defense officials signalled readiness for a prolonged campaign. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said at a news conference, “The upcoming days will be decisive. Iran knows that and there’s almost nothing they can do militarily about it.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the assault on Iran was “definitely beyond the halfway point,” later clarifying he referred to the number of missions rather than elapsed time.
Tensions with US allies also surfaced. President Trump criticized European countries for restricting support, publicly rebuking France after it denied overflight or staging rights for US planes carrying ammunition to Israel and warning the decision would be remembered. Italy joined France in barring US weapons flights through a Sicilian base, while Spain had already imposed similar limits. On social media, Trump urged the UK to “gather courage and itself go to the Strait of Hormuz to take fuel,” adding that countries should “start learning how to fight for yourself” and that the US “won’t be there to help you anymore,” saying, “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 the coast of Dubai, which sustained damage. Energy markets reacted: the average US gasoline price rose above USD 4 a gallon, the highest level since 2022.
With air strikes, diplomatic standoffs and restrictions on military logistics, the situation around the Strait of Hormuz and the broader region remained tense as governments weighed further actions and consequences.
