Updated March 16, 2026 at 3:37 PM CDT
With the Iran war entering a third week, Israel said it plans for at least three more weeks of war, while President Trump demanded other countries help the U.S. secure the vital Strait of Hormuz.
And a second front in the war is heating up, with new Israeli ground operations in neighboring Lebanon.
Here are more updates on the situation in the Middle East.
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Responses to Trump strait demand | 3 more weeks in Iran | Lebanon war widens | Iran warns U.S. industries
Countries are not reacting positively to Trump's demand
President Trump on Monday continued to press other countries to join U.S. efforts to secure a critical shipping route off the coast of Iran.
Iran's ability to threaten slow-moving oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz has become a headache for the Trump administration as it creates a stranglehold on a passageway through which roughly 20% of the world's oil trade typically passes.
On Saturday, President Trump called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and others to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Trump warned that "it will be very bad for the future of NATO" if countries fail to police the strait.
"I'm demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their own territory," Trump said aboard Air Force One on Sunday.
"Whether we get support or not, I can say this, and I said it to them: We will remember," he said.
But foreign nations have reacted cautiously, with several outright rejecting Trump's request.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer rebuffed Trump's demands, telling reporters on Monday he is working with allies on a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but it won't be a NATO mission.
"While taking the necessary action to defend ourselves and our allies, we will not be drawn into the wider war," he said.
Most Britons oppose the war. The British government says it has given the U.S. access to its military bases only for what it calls "limited defensive action."
Germany also sees no role for NATO in policing the strait.
"As long as this war continues, there will be no involvement, not even in an option to keep the Strait of Hormuz open by military means," Stefan Kornelius, a spokesperson for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, said in Berlin on Monday.
"I would also like to remind you that the U.S. and Israel did not consult us before the war, and that Washington explicitly stated at the start of the war that European assistance was neither necessary nor desired," he added, according to Politico.
"It's not our war, we didn't start it. We want diplomatic solutions and a swift end," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said.
Spain and Italy also said they would not send ships to the strait.
"Italy is not at war with anyone and sending military ships in a war zone would mean entering the war," said Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini.
China called for an end to hostilities but would not say it would help secure the strait.
"The recent tense situation in the Strait of Hormuz and waters nearby has impacted the route for international goods and energy trade, disrupting peace and stability in the region and beyond," China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Monday. He said China is in talks with the different parties in the war "to work for the deescalation of the situation."
President Trump told the Financial Times he might delay his planned meeting later this month with Chinese President Xi Jinping. But Lin said the two sides are still communicating about the visit. Chinese and U.S. officials are currently meeting in Paris to iron out the details.
South Korea's government said "adequate time for deliberation" is needed to consider Trump's request.
Japan is bound by laws that strictly limit overseas military deployments. Tokyo has suggested that operations in the Strait of Hormuz might not pass legal muster.
"We have not made any decisions whatsoever about dispatching escort ships. We are continuing to examine what Japan can do independently and what can be done within the legal framework," Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told parliament.
But Trump's request will likely top the agenda when Takaichi visits the White House on Thursday.
Australia said it has not been asked to join a naval coalition to secure the Strait of Hormuz and ruled out sending ships to do so.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday she had spoken to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres about how to unblock the strait.
"It is in our interest to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and that's why we are also discussing what we can do in this regard from the European side," she said.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, President Trump said some countries have come forward to help secure the strait, but declined to say which ones.
Israel expects at least 3 more weeks of Iran war
Israel's military says there are still thousands of targets in Iran and that the war will last at least three more weeks.
This comes as the timeline from Israel and the U.S. has kept changing since they began launching strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.
The Israeli-U.S. assault killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with more than 1,300 other Iranians, according to a death toll that Iran's ambassador to the United Nations cited early last week. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran's new supreme leader, the late ayatollah's son Mojtaba Khamenei, was injured.
As many as 3.2 million people in Iran have been displaced by the fighting, according to the U.N. refugee agency.
The Israeli military says its strikes have taken more than 70% Iran's ballistic missile launchers out of operation, but Iran is still firing missiles daily toward Israel and other countries in the region.
Israel is also still working to degrade Iran's nuclear program, but questions remain about whether Iran will still possess highly enriched uranium. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CBS News on Sunday Iran's nuclear material was buried under the rubble of the last Israeli-U.S. war against Iran in June 2025.
Iran has retaliated by firing missiles and drones toward Israel and countries around the Middle East, and putting a virtual chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.
Twelve people have been killed in Israel, according to Israeli authorities, and a number of Gulf countries have reported several deaths.
In his CBS interview, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi said, "We are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes."
He denied Iran was attacking civilian sites in neighboring Gulf states. He insisted his country was targeting assets, installations and military bases used by the U.S.
Countries including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have reported Iranian attacks. Turkey, a NATO member that borders Iran, has said NATO defenses have intercepted three Iranian missiles headed its way so far.
On Monday, the UAE's Dubai International Airport said a drone had hit a fuel tank, causing a fire. While no injuries were reported, the airport briefly suspended operations and Emirates airlines suspended flights.
Saudi Arabia also said it came under attack by dozens of drones, which it intercepted.
Lebanon says over 1 million displaced from Israeli assault
A second major front in the war is heating up — in Lebanon.
The Israeli military said Monday its troops "have begun limited and targeted ground operations" in southern Lebanon against strongholds of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Hezbollah started firing rockets at northern Israel on March 2, and Israel says the militant group has been trying to expand its attacks.
Israel has also carried out strikes in southern Lebanon and around its capital of Beirut and issued sweeping evacuation notices to the population.
Israel's assault in Lebanon has killed 886 people and displaced more than 1 million others, according to the Lebanese government's disaster management office.
Lebanon's government is seeking diplomatic talks with Israel to end the fighting and international help to disarm Hezbollah.
Iran warns of more attacks on U.S.-linked industries
Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard warned it will strike industries across the region that are associated with the United States.
The group urged workers to evacuate and civilians to avoid areas near production facilities.
The message was first reported by Iran's Tasnim News Agency, which is associated with the Revolutionary Guard.
Last week, the news agency published a list of major U.S. companies in a social media post that included Amazon, Microsoft and Palantir.
The Revolutionary Guard's threat came soon after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on neighboring countries that host U.S. forces to clarify their positions on the war, accusing certain countries of "actively encouraging this slaughter."
Daniel Estrin contributed to this report from Tel Aviv, Israel, Emily Feng from Istanbul, Lauren Frayer from London, Jennifer Pak from Shanghai, Arezou Rezvani from Irbil, Kurdistan region of Iraq, Kate Bartlett from Johannesburg and Jawad Rizkallah from Beirut.
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