The US and Israel continue to carry out large-scale attacks on Iran, widening the conflict across the Gulf, Lebanon and Iraq. Strikes have now hit Iranian oil storage and refining facilities for the first time. Iran has vowed retaliation and continued strikes on US and Israeli assets in Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, even after President Masoud Pezeshkian said he would halt attacks on Gulf states if their territories were not used against Iran.
In Iran
– Military attacks and casualties: US and Israeli strikes have targeted fuel storage and related sites. Local media filmed a massive fire at the Shehran oil depot near Tehran. Israel claimed the sites were affiliated with Iran’s armed forces. At least 1,332 people have been reported killed since the attacks began on 28 February.
– US demands: President Donald Trump demanded an “unconditional surrender” from Iran and said the war would continue “a little while,” adding Washington was not seeking a settlement with Tehran.
– Maritime threats: Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains open but warned it would target any US or Israeli ships trying to pass. Trump said ship movements were the choice of their operators and claimed US forces had “wiped out” Iran’s navy.
– Regional relations: Pezeshkian said Tehran wants good relations with neighbouring countries and accused enemies of trying to sow division. His comments followed reports of Iranian drone strikes across Gulf states.
– Leadership succession: Ayatollah Mohammad-Mahdi Mirbagheri, of the Assembly of Experts, suggested a decision on a successor to the slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was near, saying a “decisive and unanimous opinion” had been reached.
– War crimes allegation: Human Rights Watch called for an investigation into an attack on a primary school in southern Iran that killed at least 160 people, many children; Al Jazeera’s probe described the strike as likely deliberate, and The New York Times reported the US may have carried out the strike.
– Intelligence assessment: A US National Intelligence Council report, cited by The Washington Post, judged a large-scale US-led assault unlikely to topple Iran’s government and saw an opposition takeover as unlikely.
– Oil markets: The conflict has disrupted markets and sent oil to multiyear highs. Brent crude rose about 27% in one week, the largest weekly gain since 2020, amid effectively disrupted Hormuz traffic.
In Gulf nations
– Bahrain: An Iranian drone attack damaged a desalination plant, according to Bahrain’s interior ministry. Iran had earlier accused the US of attacking a desalination plant on Qeshm Island.
– Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE: All reported incoming missiles and drones. Kuwait said two border security personnel were killed and attacks caused fires at its international airport and a social security office.
– Saudi Arabia: Authorities said an attack on Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter was foiled and several drones were shot down.
– Gulf Cooperation Council: The GCC called Iran’s attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait “dangerous acts of aggression” threatening regional stability.
– Aviation and evacuations: After airspace closures and cancellations, Doha’s Hamad International Airport partially reopened via emergency routes. Qatar Airways flew special missions from London, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Frankfurt and Bangkok; those flights landed safely.
In Israel
– Iranian strikes: Israel reported several missiles launched toward its territory and air raid sirens sounded in southern Israel, including the Negev. Iran’s IRGC called the action the “27th wave of Operation True Promise.”
In the US
– War timeline: President Trump said the campaign might last “a little” and the White House has suggested a timeframe of four to six weeks.
– US casualties: Six US service members killed in Iranian retaliatory strikes were returned to the US; Trump presided over the arrival ceremony.
– Pentagon threats: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on X that the US would “hunt down” and kill anyone who killed or threatened Americans anywhere.
– Nuclear stockpile discussions: Axios reported US and Israeli talks about possibly deploying special forces later to seize Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
In Lebanon and Iraq
– Lebanon: Israeli strikes hit a downtown Beirut hotel, killing at least four and wounding ten; Israel said it struck Quds Force Lebanon Corps commanders operating in Beirut. Israel also raided southern Beirut suburbs and warned residents of several villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately.
– Hezbollah and displacement: Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli forces in Marba, southern Lebanon. Many residents have fled areas including Tyre and Beirut’s southern Dahiyeh; schools are being used as shelters.
– Iraq and Kurdish areas: Kurdish Peshmerga shot down a drone over Sulaimaniyah in northern Iraq amid multiple aerial attacks. Reports said Trump did not want to complicate the war by involving Kurdish forces; earlier reporting suggested US talks with Kurdish groups had been pursued to incite opposition inside Iran.
– Iraqi stance: Iraqi Brigadier General Haider al-Kharki said neither Iraqi forces nor Kurdish Peshmerga have crossed into Iran since the conflict began.
Overall, the conflict has expanded beyond direct US-Iran exchanges to involve regional states and infrastructure, with rising civilian casualties, strained regional relations, heightened maritime risks in the Strait of Hormuz, and significant impacts on global oil markets.