Donald Trump angrily points at a reporter aboard Air Force One, March 15, 2026 (Sky)

EA-Times Radio VideoCast: War on Iran — Trump’s Lies, Betrayal, and Choice of Putin Over US Troops

EA on International Media: US-Israel War on Iran — Trump and Co. Ramble On with No Plan B

UPDATES: US-Israel War, Day 16 — Iran Steps Up Attacks on Gulf’s Shipping, Oil, and Port Infrastructure

UPDATE 0731 GMT:

A Palestinian civilian has been killed in Abu Dhabi by a missile strike on their car.

“Authorities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi responded to an incident in the Al Bahia area involving a missile strike on a civilian vehicle, which resulted in the death of one Palestinian national,” said the Abu Dhabi Media Office.

UPDATE 0647 GMT:

Flights were temporarily suspended at Dubai’s international airport early Monday after a “drone incident” caused a fire in the area.

The drone struck a fuel tank near the airport. Authorities said the blaze has been contained.

The UAE’s air defenses responded later in the morning to more Iranian missile and drone attacks.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: The Trump Administration, still seeking the Iranian regime’s surrender in the US-Israel War, is struggling over Iran’s closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz.

Around 25% of the world’s maritime oil and around of maritime gas pass through the narrow Strait between Iran and the Gulf States of Oman and the UAE. Tehran’s threats to shipping effectively shut the passage last week. Since then, only a few Greek-owned tankers have dared run the gauntlet, and Iran granted permission to a few Turkish- and Indian-flagged vessels.

Last week Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth proclaimed that the US had destroyed the Iranian Navy and controlled the Strait. That narrative collapsed over the weekend as Trump and officials like US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz begged and demanded that former allies and other countries contribute to an international force to escort shipping.

Trump had expressed hope that China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK would participate. On Sunday, he said the Administration had contacted seven countries for support, but declined to identify them. Then he lashed out, telling reporters:

Waltz echoed:

Japan, Australia, and France Rebuff Trump

No country has yet committed to involvement. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told Parliament that, while the US has not made a formal request, “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.”

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi added, “What we can technically do and whether we should do it under the current circumstances is a different story.”

Japan imports 90% of its oil from the Middle East, 70% of which is shipped via the Strait of Hormuz. Takaichi meets Trump in Washington later this week.

Australia’s Transport minister Catherine King told the national broadcaster:

We won’t be sending a ship to the Strait of Hormuz. We know how incredibly important that is but that’s not something we’ve been asked or we’re contributing to.

France rejected despatch of a warship or deployment of any additional military forces. Foreign Ministry officials said the military posture aims at ensuring regional stability rather than escalating the conflict.

The UK said it is considering the deployment of aerial minesweepers. But officials said the despatch of warships could worsen the situation.

Trump Snaps

Trump’s problems were compounded on Sunday by his angry declarations and confused statements from his officials as the price for Brent crude oil reached $104, a rise of around 40% since the start of the war.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright lamely said, when pressed about why the Trump camp had not prepared for the Strait’s closure:

Trump — who threatened earlier this year to seize Greenland from fellow NATO member Denmark and who has completely cut US aid to Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion — compained:

We’re always there for NATO. We’re helping them with Ukraine. It’s got an ocean in between us. It doesn’t affect us, but we’ve helped them. It would be interesting to see what country wouldn’t help us with a very small endeavor, which is just keeping the Strait open.

He snapped at reporters who asked about his comment that he deploy US ground troops:

Then he refused to pay tribute to the six US crew who perished in the crash of a KC-135 military tanker on Thursday:

Rattled by the Iranian regime’s display of defiance with mass rallies in Tehran and across the country on Friday — exposing Defense Secretary Hegseth’s propaganda that leaders were “hiding like rats” — Trump insisted that videos of the gatherings were fake: