Trump Warns Iran: ‘Fire And Fury’ If Hormuz Strait Is Blocked

Tensions in the Middle East are escalating rapidly as Donald Trump warned Iran it would face overwhelming retaliation if it attempts to shut down the vital Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes.

Writing on Truth Social, the US president said Iran would be hit “twenty times harder” if it disrupts global energy supplies through the narrow Gulf chokepoint.

“Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them,” Trump warned, adding that the United States would target infrastructure that could make it “virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back as a nation.”

Pentagon Moves Missile Defences

As the conflict intensifies, the Pentagon is reportedly shifting advanced missile defence systems toward the region.

According to reports in the The Washington Post, parts of the THAAD battery are being redeployed from South Korea to the Middle East.

The United States is also drawing on Patriot missile system stockpiles across the Indo-Pacific region to strengthen air defence networks.

Officials say the moves are precautionary, anticipating further escalation by Iran rather than reflecting any shortage of weapons.

Fighting Spreads Across Region

The widening conflict has already drawn in multiple armed groups and neighbouring states.

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said its fighters ambushed Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, claiming to have destroyed three Merkava tank battle tanks near the border town of Khiam.

Meanwhile, the pro-Iran militia Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it carried out 37 drone and missile attacks on what it described as enemy bases across the region within 24 hours.

Explosions Rock Tehran

Inside Tehran, repeated explosions were reported as Israeli airstrikes continued targeting military infrastructure.

Iran said it had launched a new wave of missile attacks under Operation True Promise 4, claiming that heavier missiles with warheads exceeding 1,000 kilograms were used in the latest barrage.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also insisted that Iran — not Washington — would decide when the war ends, dismissing Trump’s claims that the conflict could be concluded quickly.

Oil Route At Centre Of Crisis

Iranian officials have threatened to halt oil shipments entirely through the Strait of Hormuz, warning that “not a single litre” of oil would pass to countries they consider hostile.

Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply normally flows through the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, making it one of the most strategically sensitive maritime chokepoints on Earth.

War Entering Second Week

The conflict began on 28 February when Israel and the United States launched large-scale strikes against Iranian military infrastructure.

The opening assault killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, dramatically escalating tensions across the region.

Now entering its second week, the war is rapidly widening, raising fears that the confrontation could spread far beyond Iran and Israel and drag multiple countries into a broader regional conflict.

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Trump is such a moron. Nothing like the five time draft dodging, diaper wearing toddler man claiming "death, fire and furry." You know it's the "fury" part that they really need to fear. This idiots little tantrums combined with the traditional Republicans hard- on about Iran will draw the whole world into a recession.

Trump's claim that it will be ..."virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back as a nation" is also ridiculous. Iran (Persian) has been around far longer than the US and my guess is will continue to be around for some time to come. If the Europeans and the US had stayed out of meddling in the Middle East in the first place, maybe Iran wouldn't have had thier current terrible regime. The claim that Iran is the biggest supporters of "state sponsored terrorism " needs to be re-examined. Yes, the current Iranian regime is responsible for supporting some questionable causes that have led to innocent human death (I am in no way supporting thier actions); however, the largest supporter of state sponsored terrorism today is by far the US and its military industrial complex.

Reports this morning in the UK are saying Rent a GOB aka Trump bragging that the War with Iran will soon be over after a phone call to Putin.Where have we hear'd this before ?? Strange Putin was slagging off America last week and supplying intel on American locations to Iran now Trumps ringing his Buddy Putin.

According to my Newssources, the strait of hormuz is already blocked, as I write.

With all the US firepower in the region, why can the US not "unblock" the blockade? This is actually the only thing that is of interest for the rest of the world at this point.

1 hour ago, swissie said:

According to my Newssources, the strait of hormuz is already blocked, as I write.

With all the US firepower in the region, why can the US not "unblock" the blockade? This is actually the only thing that is of interest for the rest of the world at this point.

How to guarantee the safety of the oil tankers when the Iranians could drop a drone or missile on them ?

Bring in a few destroyers, put a few tankers in between, and off goes the convoy, all the time their eyes peeled along the long coastline waiting to shoot down incoming.

Would it work? Sounds cumbersome in that narrow strait.

Cost a lot of US money to do that continuously, and who's going to cough up the insurance?

Every Oil Tanker is insured and areas like the the Straits of Hormuz has a high risk of danger and pollution in the event of being struck and damaged so insurers freeze there insurence in the event of a war.

Maritime insurers cancel war risk cover in Gulf as Iran conflict disrupts shipping

Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed and vessels rerouted, sending some freight costs surging

• US-Israel war on Iran – live updates

Julia Kollewe

Mon 2 Mar 2026 18.31 GMT

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Leading maritime insurers have cancelled war risk cover for vessels operating in the Gulf as the escalating Iran conflict disrupted shipping and sent some freight costs surging.

At least 150 vessels including oil and liquefied natural gas tankers have dropped anchor in the strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters, and at least three tankers were damaged and one seafarer killed over the weekend.

The vital shipping route, through which about 20% of the world’s oil supplies and 20% of seaborne gas tankers pass, is effectively closed after the US and Israel began intense airstrikes on Iran on Saturday.

Several leading mutual marine insurers, including Norway’s Gard and Skuld, the UK’s NorthStandard and the London P&I Club, and the New York-based American Club, said they were cancelling war risk cover for ships operating in the region.

This is likely to further dissuade shipowners from traversing the Gulf. The insurers said war risk cover – which typically covers shipowners for costs and damages resulting from war, terrorism and piracy – would be cancelled in Iranian waters, as well as the Gulf and adjacent waters, with effect from 5 March.

Peter Hulyer, the head of UK protection and indemnity (P&I) at the leading insurance broker Marsh, said this related to non-poolable war cover for these mutual insurers, provided for specific, often higher-risk, exposures such as chartered vessels. “In most cases the clubs will be offering to reinstate war coverage at terms to be agreed. Mutual P&I cover offered by the clubs is unaffected by the above.”

Marcus Baker, the global head of marine at Marsh, said several other insurance markets, including Lloyd’s of London, had issued notices of cancellation, to give insurers time to look at the heightened risks in the Middle East and assess their rates.

He said insurance rates could go up by 50% to 100%, or even more, from 0.25% to 0.5% or 1% of the value of the insured asset. This compares with a rating of 5% after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 for ships going into Odesa.

The cost of transporting goods jumped, as shipping was rerouted and oil prices rose sharply on Monday.

The Containerized Freight Index tracked by the website Trading Economics rose by 6.5%.

Freightos terminal container rates for Shanghai to Jebel Ali in Dubai, the largest port in the Middle East, rose from $1,800 for a 40ft container on Saturday to about $3,700 on Monday, according to the online shipping marketplace.

Dubai-based DP World suspended operations at Jebel Ali over the weekend after an aerial interception caused a fire on Saturday night, though operations have since resumed.

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/58afd8b3769049511557d8d894288716a041bf36/298_0_4036_3230/master/4036.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=noneView image in fullscreen

Smoke billows from Jebel Ali port in Dubai on Sunday after an Iranian attack. Photograph: Amr Alfiky/Reuters

Freightos said as only about 2% to 3% of global container volumes passed through the strait of Hormuz, its effective closure may not have much of on impact on the broader container market.

However, given the wider disruption in the region, including the Red Sea, it added: “For importers or exporters trying to move goods in or out of the Middle East, services will be significantly disrupted, and costs will rise for goods that are able to move at all.”

John Wyn-Evans, the head of market analysis at the UK wealth asset management group Rathbones, said: “Any rate increases would be linked to a combination of rerouting and higher oil prices; rerouting involves being at sea for longer which reduces capacity and if the cargoes have to get there by a certain time, they have to sail faster, which uses up more fuel (and it’s exponential, like driving faster in a car and watching MPG [miles per gallon] go down).”

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who had paused attacks on Red Sea vessels since October, have also threatened to resume strikes.

In response, several big shipping companies – Denmark’s Maersk, Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd and France’s CMA CGM – have diverted all their sailings away from the Red Sea until further notice, rerouting them around Africa. Denmark’s Norden has suspended all new business requiring transit through the strait of Hormuz.

CMA CGM has imposed an emergency conflict surcharge of between $2,000 (£1,491) and $4,000 a container on cargo moving through the region.

Shares in Beazley, a leading marine insurer that operates in the Lloyd’s market, initially dropped 2.8% as investors fretted about a potential large insurance loss arising from the Middle East and risks to its takeover by its bigger rival Zurich. Its share price rebounded by 1.8%, when the two companies announced on Monday afternoon that the £8.2bn deal had been agreed, but closed 1.3% lower.

“The announcement might also be read as a signal that Beazley’s loss exposures, and likely those of the broader specialty insurance market, remain contained,” said analysts at Jefferies.

Beazley wrote just over $500m of premiums for marine insurance in 2024, about 8% of its total book.

Matthew Wheatley, the main data analyst at the energy analysts Wood Mackenzie, said: “Freight rates are volatile amid the fresh instability in the Middle East, with most tankers now avoiding the strait of Hormuz as attacks and insurance cancellations make the area increasingly unsafe.

“A substantial number of tankers are currently stranded or rerouting in the region, effectively removing a significant amount of capacity from the market. If the conflict continues and tanker availability remains tight, global freight rates could rise further.”

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How Trump could cripple Iran’s economy by attacking one small island

Kharg Island, a small but strategically vital location, handles 94 per cent of Iran's crude oil exports, primarily destined for China. US administration officials have reportedly discussed the possibility of seizing Kharg Island, which houses Iran's main oil export terminal.

Such a move could severely cripple Iran's economy by cutting off its primary source of revenue, potentially for years, and provide significant leverage in future negotiations.

The discussions come as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has largely ceased, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps asserting control, leading to global supply chain disruptions and surging oil prices.

How Trump could cripple Iran’s economy by attacking one small island

10 minutes ago, bannork said:

How Trump could cripple Iran’s economy by attacking one small island

Do you want to bring him on ideas?

3 minutes ago, CallumWK said:

Do you want to bring him on ideas?

Indeed, I recommend he straps himself to the front of the next ballistic missile they launch at Iran.

Apparently Trump mentioned the idea of seizing the island way back in 1988 in an interview.

Could it be he doesn't want to upset China?

Operation Epic Fury should be renamed to Operation Cluster Foxtrot.

According to Connecticut US Senator Chris Murphy, the Trump Administration are all over the map with this fiasco of an unprovoked war of aggression.

From Senator Murphy' X account: https://x.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/2031531835453309125

"I was in a 2 hour briefing today on the Iran War. All the briefings are closed, because Trump can't defend this war in public.

I obviously can't disclose classified info, but you deserve to know how incoherent and incomplete these war plans are.

1/ Here's what I can share:

2/ Maybe the lead is that the war goals DO NOT involve destroying Iran's nuclear weapons program. This is, uh...surprising...since Trump says over and over this is a key goal.

But then of course we already know air strikes can't wipe out their nuclear material.

3/ Second, they confirmed "regime change" is also NOT on the list. So, they are going to spend hundreds of billions of your taxpayer dollars, get a whole bunch of Americans killed, and a hardline regime - probably a MORE anti-American hardline regime - will still be in charge.

4/ Ok, so what ARE the goals? It seems, primarily, destroying lots of missiles and boats and drone factories.

But the question that stumped them: what happens when you stop bombing and they restart production?

They hinted at more bombing. Which is, of course, endless war.

5/ And on the Strait of Hormuz, they had NO PLAN. I can't go into more detail about how Iran gums up the Strait, but suffice it say, right now, they don't know how to get it safely back open.

Which is unforgiveable, because this part of the disaster was 100% foreseeable."

What a bloody mess!

Mr Boombastic speech isnt going to get anywhere when he already said he wants to topple the regime

Why is it that Trump just cant keep his mouth shut. By warning them not to mine or block the Strait of Hormuz he's effectively just telling them what's hurting him the most.

As if they're going to take any notice of his threats of overwhelming retaliation what does he think is happening now and they're laughing at him.

I fully expect Iran to concentrate even more on the strait because of his big mouth. The US may have destroyed some minelaying ships but mines can be deployed from any just about any boat ship or who knows maybe even drones.

The strait may be 20 miles wide but its fairly shallow the usable, deep-water lanes for large tankers are only about two miles wide. Sink one or two and its going to be blocked for a long time

None of this was necessary Trump has upset just about every country in the world with the exception of Israel and all the death and destruction raining down on the Iranian people are not going to make them more friendly towards America if anything they are going to support their own government more.