Axios: World at War

Posted on March 10, 2026 by michelleclarke2015
World at war
 
Illustrated collage of the Earth on a red background with the globe showing as a hot orange color and lines going all around it like missile trail lines. 
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
 
This isn’t World War III. But it may be the closest we’ve come in decades — drawing in more countries, more great powers and more overlapping conflicts than any crisis since the Cold War, Axios’ Zachary Basu writes.

Why it matters: Ten days into President Trump’s Iran campaign, the war has gone global. At least 20 countries are now militarily involved — shooting, shielding or quietly supplying — while a widening energy shock punishes nations far from the front lines.🔎 

Zoom in: Iran has struck at least 10 countries since the war began, hitting U.S. and Israeli bases, Persian Gulf capitals, oil infrastructure and civilian areas to impose maximum pain on Washington and its allies.

Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow chokepoint through which 20% of the world’s oil flows — sending prices for oil, gas, plastics and fertilizers soaring.

Israel is fighting on two fronts — pounding Iran while battling Hezbollah on the ground in Lebanon, where more than 500,000 people have been displaced in a week.

The war has spread far beyond the Middle East, pulling European militaries into the conflict and forcing NATO to shoot down Iranian missiles over allied territory for the first time.

France has dispatched its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to the Eastern Mediterranean, joining British warships after an Iranian-made drone struck a U.K. air base on Cyprus, a member of the European Union.French President Emmanuel Macron visits the Charles de Gaulle — an aircraft carrier — in the Mediterranean Sea yesterday. Photo: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters

Between the lines: As the shooting war rages, a shadow conflict is playing out among the great powers.

Russia has been sharing satellite imagery of U.S. warships and aircraft with Iran, helping Tehran target American forces, The Washington Post first reported.

Ukraine — which has spent four years defending against the same Iranian-made drones now battering the Gulf — has deployed specialists and low-cost interceptors to help protect the U.S. and its allies. 

China, which is set to welcome Trump for a state visit in a matter of weeks, is navigating the war from both sides.

Facing billions of dollars in economic exposure, China has been calling for a ceasefire and pressuring Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Beijing relies on for roughly 40% of its oil imports.

At the same time, U.S. intelligence shows China may be preparing to supply Iran with financial assistance, spare parts and missile components, according to CNN.Share this story.
  

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About michelleclarke2015

Life event that changes all: Horse riding accident in Zimbabwe in 1993, a fractured skull et al including bipolar anxiety, chronic fatigue …. co-morbidities (Nietzche 'He who has the reason why can deal with any how' details my health history from 1993 to date). 17th 2017 August operation for breast cancer (no indications just an appointment came from BreastCheck through the Post). Trinity College Dublin Business Economics and Social Studies (but no degree) 1997-2003; UCD 1997/1998 night classes) essays, projects, writings. Trinity Horizon Programme 1997/98 (Centre for Women Studies Trinity College Dublin/St. Patrick's Foundation (Professor McKeon) EU Horizon funded: research study of 15 women (I was one of this group and it became the cornerstone of my journey to now 2017) over 9 mth period diagnosed with depression and their reintegration into society, with special emphasis on work, arts, further education; Notes from time at Trinity Horizon Project 1997/98; Articles written for Irishhealth.com 2003/2004; St Patricks Foundation monthly lecture notes for a specific period in time; Selection of Poetry including poems written by people I know; Quotations 1998-2017; other writings mainly with theme of social justice under the heading Citizen Journalism Ireland. Letters written to friends about life in Zimbabwe; Family history including Michael Comyn KC, my grandfather, my grandmother's family, the O'Donnellan ffrench Blake-Forsters; Moral wrong: An acrimonious divorce but the real injustice was the Catholic Church granting an annulment – you can read it and make your own judgment, I have mine. Topics I have written about include annual Brain Awareness week, Mashonaland Irish Associataion in Zimbabwe, Suicide (a life sentence to those left behind); Nostalgia: Tara Hill, Co. Meath.
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