Missile Strike Hits US Embassy in Baghdad as Iran Conflict Escalates
By Tahir Shah :
The United States Embassy in Baghdad was struck in a missile attack on Saturday, Iraqi security sources told Reuters, as tensions linked to the regional conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States continue to intensify.
Security officials said smoke was seen rising from the embassy compound in Baghdad, although details about casualties or the extent of the damage were not immediately clear. A separate Iraqi security source told Al Jazeera that the strike had destroyed the embassy’s air defence system.
Trump warns Iran over shipping attacks
The attack came as US President Donald Trump warned that Washington could target Iran’s key oil export hub on Kharg Island if Tehran continued attacks on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
In a social media post, Trump said US forces had already “totally obliterated” military targets on the island, although he added that oil infrastructure had not been deliberately targeted.
Kharg Island handles around 90% of Iran’s crude exports and lies roughly 300 miles northwest of the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which about one-fifth of the world’s fossil fuel supplies pass.
Trump said the US could reconsider its decision not to strike oil facilities if shipping through the strait was disrupted.
Iran threatens retaliation
Iranian armed forces responded by warning that any strike on the country’s energy infrastructure would trigger attacks on oil facilities operated by companies cooperating with the United States in the region.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also said it had launched further strikes against Israel in coordination with the Lebanese group Hezbollah, according to Iranian media reports.
The semi-official Fars News Agency reported that more than 15 explosions were heard on Kharg Island during the US strikes. Sources said air defences, a naval base and airport facilities were targeted but oil infrastructure remained intact.
Air strikes and casualties
The Israel Defense Forces said its air force struck more than 200 targets across western and central Iran within a 24-hour period, including missile launchers, air defence systems and weapons facilities.
Meanwhile, the United States Air Force confirmed that all six crew members aboard a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker that crashed in western Iraq had died.
According to reports cited by The Wall Street Journal, five US Air Force tanker aircraft stationed at a base in Saudi Arabia were also damaged in an Iranian missile strike.
Global oil markets on edge
Oil markets have reacted sharply to the escalating conflict. Analysts say even limited disruptions to facilities at Kharg Island could tighten global supply and push prices higher.
Energy experts note that Iran has continued exporting crude despite the war, with shipments estimated between 1.1 million and 1.5 million barrels per day since late February.
The conflict, which began on 28 February following large-scale US and Israeli strikes on Iran, has expanded across the region. Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has intensified around Beirut, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.
After nearly two weeks of fighting, around 2,000 people have been reported killed across the region, with most casualties in Iran but also significant losses in Lebanon and Gulf states now caught up in the conflict.
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