{"id":59798,"date":"2026-03-15T14:38:34","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T18:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/middle-east-crisis-us-israel-plan-major-steps-in-iran-as-india-mediates-hormuz-blockade\/59798\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T14:38:34","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T18:38:34","slug":"middle-east-crisis-us-israel-plan-major-steps-in-iran-as-india-mediates-hormuz-blockade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/middle-east-crisis-us-israel-plan-major-steps-in-iran-as-india-mediates-hormuz-blockade\/59798\/","title":{"rendered":"Middle East Crisis: US-Israel Plan &#8220;Major Steps&#8221; in Iran as India Mediates Hormuz Blockade"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Washington and Israel<\/strong> are reportedly planning &quot;major steps&quot; inside <strong>Iran<\/strong> to alter the course of the war, signaling a significant escalation following the start of &quot;Operation Epic Fury&quot; last month.<\/li>\n<li><strong>India<\/strong> is engaged in high-stakes diplomacy with <strong>Tehran<\/strong> to reopen the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar reporting that talks are already &quot;yielding some results&quot; for energy security.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Flynas<\/strong> has extended its suspension of flights to eight major Middle Eastern destinations until <strong>March 31<\/strong>, as regional airspace remains highly volatile.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Japan and the United States<\/strong> have established a new framework to mitigate <strong>critical mineral supply disruptions<\/strong>, aiming to insulate global technology sectors from geopolitical shocks and export controls.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hezbollah<\/strong> has intensified rocket fire into northern <strong>Israel<\/strong>, while a separate rocket attack on <strong>Baghdad International Airport<\/strong> wounded four people, underscoring the widening regional instability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>US-Israel Escalation and the &quot;Major Steps&quot; Inside Iran<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Washington and Israel<\/strong> are preparing additional &quot;major steps&quot; inside <strong>Iran<\/strong> that could fundamentally alter the trajectory of the current conflict. According to reports from the <strong>Broadcasting Corporation<\/strong> citing Israeli sources, these operations follow the high-profile assassination of the former Supreme Leader and the subsequent appointment of <strong>Mojtaba Khamenei<\/strong>. The strategic shift suggests a move toward dismantling more of Iran&#39;s internal military and command infrastructure as the war enters its third week.<\/p>\n<p>In a parallel diplomatic effort, <strong>Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian<\/strong> held a phone call with <strong>French President Emmanuel Macron<\/strong> to discuss regional developments. While Tehran continues to blame the <strong>United States<\/strong> and <strong>Israel<\/strong> for the current insecurity, the call highlights a remaining, albeit narrow, channel for European mediation.<\/p>\n<h2>India Mediates to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz<\/h2>\n<p>India\u2019s External Affairs Minister <strong>S. Jaishankar<\/strong> told the <em>Financial Times<\/em> that <strong>India<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/INDA\">INDA<\/a>) is holding intensive talks with <strong>Iran<\/strong> aimed at helping reopen the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>. Jaishankar emphasized that from New Delhi\u2019s perspective, it is &quot;better to reason and coordinate with Iran&quot; than to rely solely on military confrontation. The talks are reportedly yielding results, with some Indian-flagged tankers, such as the <em>Shenlong<\/em>, successfully transiting the strait under informal safe-passage agreements.<\/p>\n<p>The virtual blockade of the chokepoint has sent global energy prices surging, forcing major consumers to seek alternative routes. <strong>India<\/strong>, which relies on the strait for approximately 40% of its crude imports, has shifted 70% of its current intake to sources in <strong>Russia<\/strong>, the <strong>US<\/strong>, and <strong>West Africa<\/strong> to mitigate the impact of the blockade.<\/p>\n<h2>Aviation Gridlock and Regional Strikes<\/h2>\n<p>The Saudi budget airline <strong>Flynas<\/strong> has extended the suspension of all flights to and from <strong>Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Doha, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, and Syria<\/strong> until <strong>March 31<\/strong>. The airline cited the &quot;ongoing regional situation&quot; and continued airspace closures as the primary drivers for the extension. This move follows similar cancellations by international carriers, leaving <strong>Saudi Arabia<\/strong> and <strong>Oman<\/strong> as the primary remaining transit hubs for the region.<\/p>\n<p>On the ground, the conflict continues to expand geographically. <strong>Hezbollah<\/strong> claimed responsibility for rocket attacks on Israeli soldiers at the <strong>Tayyiba project<\/strong> and the <strong>Avivim settlement<\/strong>. Meanwhile, in <strong>Iraq<\/strong>, authorities reported that at least four people were wounded in a rocket attack targeting <strong>Baghdad International Airport<\/strong>, a facility that houses both civilian operations and US diplomatic assets.<\/p>\n<h2>Japan-US Critical Minerals Agreement<\/h2>\n<p>Amid the regional chaos, <strong>Japan<\/strong> and the <strong>United States<\/strong> have agreed to launch a bilateral framework to handle supply disruptions of <strong>critical minerals<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/LIT\">LIT<\/a>, <a href=\"\/stock\/REMX\">REMX<\/a>). The agreement, reached between Japanese Minister <strong>Ryosei Akazawa<\/strong> and US Secretary of the Interior <strong>Doug Burgum<\/strong>, aims to counter export restrictions from resource-producing nations, most notably <strong>China<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The framework will include information-sharing and mutual supply mechanisms to ensure that the manufacturing of semiconductors, electric vehicles, and defense technologies remains resilient. This strategic pivot comes as <strong>Tokyo<\/strong> also prepares to begin test mining for rare-earth-rich mud near <strong>Minamitorishima Island<\/strong> later this year to further reduce foreign dependency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Washington and Israel are reportedly planning &quot;major steps&quot; inside Iran to alter the course of the war, signaling 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