Energy strikes widen the Iran-Israel-US confrontation

ISW-CTP’s March 18 update describes a sharp escalation: the IDF struck Iran’s critical gas facilities linked to the South Pars field and Asaluyeh hub, risking domestic energy and power generation, while Iran retaliated with missiles and drones at Israel and Gulf targets. The regime’s internal security apparatus faced blows, including the killing of Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, and Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah and Iraqi militias intensified attacks on Israeli, US, and Gulf interests. The fighting spans air, naval, and cyber dimensions and raises the risk of broader regional spillover around the Strait of Hormuz, with widespread strikes on energy facilities and shipping across the Gulf and Lebanon, signaling a potentially prolonged and destabilizing confrontation.