Here’s the latest.

 

Updated

March 17, 2026, 5:21 a.m. ET21 minutes ago

Francesca Regalado Ephrat Livni and John Yoon

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03/17/world/iran-war-trump-oil-lebanon

 

Here’s the latest.

A tanker anchored near a port in the United Arab Emirates was hit by a projectile early Tuesday, the first strike on a ship in and around the Strait of Hormuz in five days, as countries in Europe and beyond rebuffed President Trump’s call for help unblocking the vital oil route.

 

The tanker sustained minor damage after it was hit near the port of Fujairah, at the southern end of the strait, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said. The Emirati authorities later said that a drone had caused a fire at an oil industry hub on the city’s coast. They also reported a separate wave of attacks from Iran and said a person had been killed by falling debris from a missile interception.

 

Iran has said that it would not allow oil shipments that benefit the United States and its allies to pass through the strait, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil output normally flows. At least 17 vessels in the region have been attacked since the war started in late February.

 

On Monday, Mr. Trump disparaged U.S. allies who have declined to send warships to escort merchant ships and oil tankers through the strait. Germany, Japan, Italy, Australia and the European Union have said they would not participate in the U.S. effort to reopen the strait, while France, South Korea and Britain were noncommittal.

 

“I’ve been a big critic of all of the protecting of countries, because I know that we’ll protect them, and if ever needed, if we ever needed help, they won’t be there for us,” Mr. Trump said.

 

Mr. Trump also said he had asked to postpone a planned meeting in Beijing next month with China’s leader, Xi Jinping. On Sunday, Mr. Trump threatened to delay the meeting if China did not send its navy to help protect oil tankers. But China has little incentive to heed Mr. Trump’s call for warships because Iran sells oil to China and has allowed Chinese ships to transit the Gulf safely.

 

The price of Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, remained above $100 a barrel on Tuesday. It has risen nearly 40 percent since the war began.

 

Tehran, the Iranian capital, was under intense airstrikes overnight, according to residents who said they were hearing loud sounds of explosions. U.S. and Israeli strikes have also hit other Iranian cities and along the southern stretch of the Persian Gulf.

 

In Lebanon, Israeli forces have launched a “ground maneuver,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said, defying the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Britain, who said in a statement that any Israeli ground offensive “would have devastating humanitarian consequences.” More than a million people have fled their homes in Lebanon and 886 people have been killed there, according to the country’s health ministry.

 

Here’s what else we are covering:

 

U.S.-China relations: China’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that Beijing was “maintaining communication” with Washington about Mr. Trump’s visit to China, after he requested a postponement. The war in the Middle East has threatened the fragile trade truce between the United States and China, which counts Iran as its closest ally in the region.

 

Attacks in Iran: U.S.-Israeli airstrikes targeted an electricity distribution center that supplies a large section of Tehran’s eastern neighborhoods, according to Iranian media reports and Iran’s Red Crescent Society. The attack knocked out power for several hours, before electricity was restored.

 

Death toll: At least 1,348 civilians in Iran have been killed since the start of the war, Iran’s U.N. representative told the Security Council last Wednesday, the latest figure the country has provided. In Lebanon, officials said that 886 people had been killed. In Israel, at least 12 people have been killed, according to the authorities. The Pentagon has said that 13 American service members have died since the start of the war.