Iranian missile fragments struck near the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv on April 4, 2026, causing damage to a building as the United States expanded its military role in the conflict and the Pentagon said its campaign against Iran would intensify with new levels of daily strikes.
Who Pays
The UAE Defence Ministry reported on Thursday, April 2, 2026, that 23 ballistic missiles and 56 drones launched from Iran were intercepted by UAE forces. The same conflict also produced damage in Israel, where Iranian missile fragments struck near the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv and caused damage to a building. Israeli authorities said a chemical plant near Beersheba in southern Israel was hit by a missile or debris, prompting official warnings about “hazardous materials.”
A U.S. F-15 fighter jet was shot down over Iran, and one pilot was rescued while search-and-rescue operations continued for a second pilot. The United States has been actively involved in regional operations since the conflict began on February 28, 2026.
The State's Role
The Pentagon announced that its campaign against Iran would intensify with new levels of daily strikes. U.S. President Donald Trump issued a warning to Iran on Truth Social, saying, “Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out - 48 hours before all Hell will reign (sic) down on them.” Trump delivered a televised address to the nation regarding the Iran war from the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 1, 2026.
The U.S. Department of Defense has deployed thousands of troops to the Middle East, including several hundred special operations personnel and thousands of U.S. Marines aboard an amphibious assault ship, giving Trump the option of a ground offensive. Reuters reported that the Pentagon is considering military options that include ground forces, although Trump has not approved such plans.
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, accused the U.S. of simultaneously planning a ground invasion and engaging in negotiations, saying Tehran would not yield to humiliation and was prepared to respond to any deployment of U.S. soldiers.
Capital, Prices, and Pressure
The war has already pushed up fuel costs. Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for 20 percent of global oil and gas shipments, has caused a significant increase in oil prices. Brent crude futures jumped $3.09, or 2.74 percent, to $115.66 a barrel by 2353 GMT on Friday, March 27, 2026, after a 4.2 percent rise. On Monday, March 30, 2026, stocks in Asia slumped, with Japan’s Nikkei index falling by 4.7 percent.
The conflict has also become a political liability inside the United States. Trump is reportedly considering a broader cabinet shake-up because of frustration over the political repercussions of the war, which have led to increased gas prices and a decline in his approval ratings to 36% in a Reuters/Ipsos survey. The survey also found that 60% of respondents disapprove of the U.S.-Israeli decision to initiate the conflict.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle said Trump had “total confidence” in Tulsi Gabbard and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, citing Gabbard’s role in ending the Maduro narcoterror regime and Lutnick’s contributions to securing major trade and investment deals. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem were recently removed from their positions. Gabbard and Lutnick are reportedly under consideration for removal. Lutnick has faced scrutiny over a lunch he had with Jeffrey Epstein on Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean in 2012.
The New York Times reported that several hundred special operations personnel have arrived in the region, in addition to thousands of U.S. Marines who arrived on Friday, March 27, 2026, aboard an amphibious assault ship. The Pentagon is considering military options that include ground forces, though Trump has not approved such plans.
The Israeli military reported conducting over 140 air strikes on central and western Iran, including Tehran, in the 24 hours leading up to Sunday evening, March 29, 2026, targeting ballistic missile launch sites and storage facilities. Iranian state media reported strikes on Mehrabad airport and a petrochemical plant in Tabriz.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis joined the conflict on Saturday, March 28, 2026, launching their first attacks on Israel. Israeli authorities intercepted two drones launched from Yemen on Sunday, March 29, 2026.
The conflict has also spread to other targets. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for attacks on a Dubai Oracle data center and U.S. fighter jets stationed at Jordan’s Al Azraq base. Additional attacks on Thursday, April 2, 2026, targeted a U.S. diplomatic facility near Baghdad Airport and an Amazon cloud computing center in Bahrain.
A vessel displaying French ownership passed through the Strait of Hormuz on April 2, 2026, one day after French President Emmanuel Macron said a military operation to reopen the strait would be impractical. Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani had warned at the 80th United Nations General Assembly on September 26, 2025, that the threat to the Strait of Hormuz endangers the global economy.
The UN accused Israel of destroying peacekeepers’ security cameras in Lebanon. The IRGC announced that Iraqi ships are exempt from Hormuz restrictions. The U.S. arrested relatives of assassinated IRGC commander Suleimani and revoked their residency. A UN Security Council vote on Hormuz shipping protection was indefinitely postponed. Iran reported that U.S.-Israeli strikes damaged key petrochemical facilities. One person was killed after a projectile landed near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant. PMF units reportedly entered Iran in January 2026 and assisted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the massacre of civilians.