Number of US troops wounded in war against Iran rises to about 200
The number of U.S. troops wounded in the war against Iran has ‌risen to about 200, the U.S. military said on Monday, as the conflict entered its third week, Reuters reported.
The U.S. military's Central Command said the vast majority of those wounded had suffered minor injuries and 180 troops had already returned to duty. Ten of the injuries are serious, it said.
Troops had been injured in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, and Israel, Central Command added, according to Reuters.
Trump upset as US partners reject call for Hormuz warship escorts
Several U.S. allies rebuffed Donald Trump's call on Monday to send warships to escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, drawing criticism from the U.S. president, who accused Western partners of ingratitude after decades of support, Reuters reported.
The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is in its third week with no end in ‌sight. The critical Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flow, remains largely closed off, raising energy prices and fears of inflation.
The conflict has already imposed economic costs on U.S. allies, who were not consulted before the airstrikes on Iran and who have endured months of harsh criticism and bellicose threats from Trump since he returned to office, according to Reuters.
Trump seeks to delay meeting Xi in China due to Iran war
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he is planning to delay a high stakes visit to China later in March by about a month because of the Iran war, BBC reported.
"We've requested that we delay it a month or so," he told reporters at the White House, adding that it was important that he remained available to oversee the war.
The meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is currently set to take place between 31 March to 2 April, following their last face to face talks in October last year, according to BBC.
Afghanistan blames Pakistan for strike on drug rehabilitation hospital, with dozens feared dead or injured
Dozens of people are feared dead or injured at a drug treatment centre in Kabul, Afghanistan after an air strike that the Taliban government blamed on Pakistan, BBC reported.
The hospital was hit on Monday evening, killing some people and injuring others, the government's spokesman said on X.
Pakistan's information ministry denied targeting the centre, saying it had struck military installations and what it called "terrorist support infrastructure" in Kabul and the eastern Afghan province of Nangahar, according to BBC.
