God rejects the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them
One month into the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran, a conflict that began with targeted strikes has spread across the Middle East like fire finding new fuel — drawing in Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iraqi militias, and Gulf states into a theater of simultaneous violence. The human cost is accumulating in the particular and the anonymous: a family of four killed in a tent, journalists shot in a car, soldiers fallen in foreign soil. As diplomats gather in Islamabad and oil climbs past $118 a barrel, the world watches a war that has outgrown its original boundaries and not yet found its limits.
- Iranian missiles and drones struck targets across multiple countries simultaneously on March 28, while Houthi forces launched their first attack on Israeli territory since the war began — signaling a dangerous widening of the front.
- Over 300 American troops have been wounded, Gulf states are intercepting drones and ballistic missiles daily, and the Pentagon is quietly advancing contingency plans for ground operations inside Iran, including potential raids on critical oil infrastructure.
- The Strait of Hormuz blockade has pushed oil above $118 per barrel, forcing Australia to offer free public transit, Egypt to freeze major state projects, and India to revise its growth outlook — the economic shockwave is no longer a forecast but a lived reality.
- Pakistan is hosting emergency diplomatic talks with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt, and has relayed a US fifteen-point peace framework to Tehran, but Iran's parliament speaker is threatening to 'set American troops on fire' if they set foot on Iranian soil.
- The war enters its second month with no clear endpoint — diplomacy and war planning advancing in parallel, rhetoric hardening on all sides, and the Pope on Palm Sunday calling the conflict 'atrocious' before tens of thousands in St. Peter's Square.
A month after the United States, Israel, and Iran entered open war, the conflict has spread far beyond its original boundaries. On the morning of March 28, Iranian missiles and drones were simultaneously in the air over multiple countries. The Houthis launched their first strike on Israeli territory since the war began. And more than 2,500 American Marines were arriving in the Persian Gulf aboard an amphibious assault ship.
The human cost was accumulating in ways both counted and obscured. In Iran's Bushehr province, a family of four was killed when a projectile struck their tent. Three journalists — Ali Shaib, Fatima Ftouni, and her brother Mohammed — died when an Israeli strike hit their car in southern Lebanon. An Israeli soldier fell in battle there as well. Strikes continued through the night across Tehran, Tabriz, Shiraz, and other Iranian cities; two universities were hit, a water facility destroyed, schoolgirls reported killed in Minab. More than 300 American troops had been wounded in total, with fifteen injured in a single Iranian attack on a Saudi air base.
The geographic reach of the fighting was staggering. Hezbollah launched coordinated rocket, drone, and missile attacks on northern Israel. Iranian-backed Iraqi militias struck air bases and an airport in Jordan. Saudi Arabia intercepted ten drones; Kuwait shot down four; the UAE activated missile defenses against ballistic and cruise missiles; Bahrain sounded sirens. Even Oman — a pre-war mediator — was struck, a drone damaging the port of Salalah.
The Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed to most traffic, sending oil past $118 per barrel. Australia offered free public transport as fuel shortages spread. Egypt slowed major state projects to conserve diesel. India warned of downside risks to its growth forecast. The disruption had moved from theoretical to structural.
Diplomacy was attempting to run alongside the violence. Pakistan hosted talks in Islamabad between foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt, aimed at opening direct US-Iran dialogue. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke with Iran's President Pezeshkian for over an hour. The United States had delivered a fifteen-point peace framework to Tehran through Pakistani intermediaries. Yet the Pentagon was simultaneously advancing contingency plans for ground operations — potentially including raids on Kharg Island, which processes nearly 90 percent of Iran's crude oil exports. President Trump had not approved any deployment, but the planning was described as advanced.
The rhetoric was hardening. Iran's parliament speaker warned that American troops on the ground would be 'set on fire.' The Tehran Times ran a front-page message: 'Welcome to Hell.' Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatened to target Israeli and American universities in retaliation for strikes on Iranian ones, setting a Tuesday noon deadline for US condemnation. On Palm Sunday, Pope Leo addressed tens of thousands in St. Peter's Square, calling the conflict 'atrocious' and saying God rejects the prayers of leaders who wage war with 'hands full of blood.'
The war had entered its second month with no clear endpoint in sight — diplomacy and escalation advancing in parallel, economies bending under the weight of disrupted energy, and the machinery of a longer war grinding quietly forward.
A month into the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran, the conflict has metastasized across the Middle East in ways that seemed unthinkable just weeks ago. On Saturday, March 28, as dawn broke over the region, the scale of the fighting became unmistakable: Iranian missiles and drones were in the air over multiple countries simultaneously. Israel was defending against incoming fire. The Houthis—a Yemen-based militant group aligned with Tehran—had just launched their first attack on Israeli territory since the war began. And somewhere in the Persian Gulf, more than 2,500 American Marines were arriving on an amphibious assault ship, part of a broader deployment that now numbers in the thousands.
The human toll was mounting in ways both visible and obscured. In Iran's Bushehr province, a family of four—two parents and two children—was killed when a projectile struck their tent. In southern Lebanon, three journalists died when an Israeli strike hit their car: Ali Shaib of Al Manar, Fatima Ftouni of Al Mayadeen, and her brother Mohammed, a cameraman. An Israeli soldier, Moshe Yitzhak HaCohen Katz, was killed in battle in southern Lebanon. Across Iran's cities—Tehran, Tabriz, Shiraz, Hormozgan—strikes continued through the night and into the morning. Two universities were hit. A water facility with a capacity of 10,000 cubic meters was destroyed in Haftgel, affecting civilian water supplies. Schoolgirls were reported killed in Minab. In residential neighborhoods of Tehran, twelve people were wounded in separate strikes. The numbers accumulated: more than 300 American troops had now been wounded in the war, with at least fifteen injured in a single Iranian attack on Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan air base on Friday, including five with serious injuries.
The geographic spread of the fighting was staggering. Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed group backed by Iran, claimed a series of coordinated attacks on Israeli positions in the north—rocket salvos at the town of Metula, drone strikes on military bases near Safed, missiles at Israeli troops and vehicles in southern Lebanon. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella organization of Iranian-backed militias, reportedly attacked multiple air bases and an airport in Jordan. Air defenses across the Gulf were working continuously: Saudi Arabia intercepted ten drones. Kuwait shot down four. The United Arab Emirates activated its missile defense systems as ballistic missiles and cruise missiles came at the country. Bahrain sounded sirens and urged residents to seek shelter. Even Oman, which had served as a mediator between the United States and Iran before the war, was struck—a drone attack on the port of Salalah injured a worker and damaged a crane.
The war's grip on global energy supplies was tightening in real time. The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil passes, was effectively closed to most traffic. Two Indian liquefied petroleum gas tankers carrying 94,000 metric tons of cooking gas had managed to transit the strait and were heading toward Indian ports, but they were exceptions—Iran had said only "non-hostile vessels" coordinating with Iranian authorities could pass. Oil prices had surged past $118 per barrel. In Australia, Victoria and Tasmania were offering free public transport to millions of residents as petrol prices soared and fuel shortages appeared at hundreds of service stations. Egypt announced it would slow down large state projects for two months to conserve fuel and diesel. India's government warned that the conflict posed downside risks to the country's growth forecast of 7.0 to 7.4 percent for the next fiscal year. Italy's economy minister said the state could absorb the shock, but acknowledged the negative impact. The disruption was no longer theoretical—it was reshaping economies in real time.
Diplomacy was attempting to move in parallel with the violence. In Islamabad, Pakistan was hosting talks between foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt, with discussions scheduled for Sunday and Monday. The effort was aimed at opening direct dialogue between the United States and Iran, which had largely communicated through intermediaries during the war. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had spoken with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian for over an hour, discussing mediation efforts. The United States had delivered a fifteen-point "action list" to Iran through Pakistan as a framework for possible peace talks. Yet even as these conversations were happening, the Pentagon was preparing contingency plans for weeks of ground operations inside Iran—potentially including raids on Kharg Island, the facility that processes nearly 90 percent of Iran's crude oil exports, and coastal sites near the Strait of Hormuz. Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted the United States could achieve its objectives without ground troops, but unnamed Pentagon officials told the Washington Post that planning was advanced and not last-minute. President Trump had not yet approved any deployment, but the machinery of war planning was grinding forward.
The rhetoric was hardening on multiple fronts. Iran's parliament speaker said Tehran's forces were "waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire." The Tehran Times published a front-page warning: "Welcome to Hell! US troops who step foot on Iranian soil will leave only in a coffin." Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to target Israeli and American universities in the Middle East in retaliation for attacks on Iranian universities, giving the United States until Tuesday at noon to condemn the bombing of Iranian institutions or face retaliation. An exiled Iranian crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, spoke at a conservative political conference in Texas, saying he was ready to lead a new Iranian government and asking the audience to imagine Iran going from "death to America" to "God bless America." Pope Leo, addressing tens of thousands in St. Peter's Square on Palm Sunday, called the conflict "atrocious" and said God rejects the prayers of leaders who wage war with "hands full of blood."
The war had now entered its second month with no clear endpoint. Regional powers were scrambling to contain it. The United States was preparing for a longer fight even as it pursued negotiations. Iran was absorbing strikes on its nuclear facilities, universities, and civilian infrastructure while threatening retaliation. The Houthis had entered the fight. And across the Middle East and beyond, the economic and human consequences were accelerating—oil prices climbing, families killed in their homes, journalists shot in their cars, soldiers dying in unfamiliar terrain, and the world's energy supplies hanging in the balance.
Citas Notables
We are willing to move toward a sustainable peace, but compensation for significant losses and control over the Strait of Hormuz are key demands.— Fatemeh Mohajerani, Iranian government spokesperson
God does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: 'Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.'— Pope Leo, addressing crowds in St. Peter's Square
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does the Houthi entry into this war matter so much? They're in Yemen, thousands of miles away.
Because they control the Red Sea. During the Israel-Hamas war, they attacked commercial shipping and drove up insurance costs. Now they're doing it again, but this time the Strait of Hormuz is already closed. You're looking at two critical chokepoints for global trade both under threat.
So this is about oil and gas reaching the world.
It's about that, yes. But it's also about what happens when you have this many actors—Iran, Israel, the US, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iraqi militias—all striking at once. The coordination is loose. Mistakes happen. Civilians die in their homes.
The diplomatic talks in Pakistan—do those have any real chance?
Pakistan is trying. They have relationships with both sides. But the Pentagon is simultaneously planning ground operations. You can't negotiate seriously while you're preparing for invasion. Trump says he wants a deal, but the machinery of war doesn't stop just because diplomats are talking.
What about the nuclear plants? I saw strikes near Bushehr.
Three strikes in ten days near that facility. Russia's nuclear agency says the situation is deteriorating and poses a direct threat to nuclear safety. If something goes wrong there—if there's a release of radiation—this war becomes something entirely different. It becomes a regional catastrophe.
And the Americans keep arriving.
Twenty-five hundred Marines just landed. The 82nd Airborne is expected next. Over 300 troops already wounded. The US says it can finish this in weeks, but wars don't work that way. Once you have this many people on the ground, the logic changes.
What are you watching for?
Whether Trump actually approves ground operations. Whether the Strait of Hormuz stays closed. Whether any of these diplomatic talks produce something real. And whether Iran's nuclear facilities stay intact. Any of those things could shift everything.