The US and Israel have continued large-scale strikes on Iran on day nine of the campaign, broadening the fighting across the Gulf and into Lebanon and Iraq. For the first time, attacks have hit Iranian oil storage and refining sites, and Tehran has vowed continued retaliation while also striking US and Israeli targets in Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Iranian officials said they would stop attacks on Gulf states if those states’ territories were not used against Iran.
In Iran
US and Israeli strikes have targeted fuel depots and related infrastructure. Local media showed a major blaze at the Shehran oil depot near Tehran; Israeli officials said the facilities were linked to Iran’s armed forces. Since the campaign began on 28 February, at least 1,332 deaths have been reported.
President Donald Trump demanded an ‘unconditional surrender’ from Iran and said the campaign may continue ‘a little while,’ adding Washington was not seeking a negotiated settlement with Tehran. Iran has warned that, while the Strait of Hormuz remains open, it would target any US or Israeli warship attempting to transit if attacked. Trump said vessel movements are decisions for operators and claimed US forces had ‘wiped out’ Iran’s navy.
Tehran’s leadership has signaled a desire to maintain good relations with neighbors, while accusing opponents of trying to foment division. A senior cleric on the Assembly of Experts said a decision on a successor to the slain Supreme Leader had been reached. Human Rights Watch has called for an investigation into an attack on a primary school in southern Iran that killed at least 160 people, many of them children; independent reporting described the strike as possibly deliberate, and some reports suggested US involvement.
A US National Intelligence Council assessment, cited by media, judged that a large-scale US-led assault was unlikely to topple Iran’s government or produce an immediate opposition takeover. The fighting has also disrupted energy markets: Brent crude surged roughly 27% in one week, its largest weekly gain since 2020, amid effectively disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Gulf states and the wider region
Several Gulf states reported incoming missiles and drones. Bahrain said an Iranian drone damaged a desalination plant; Iran earlier accused the US of attacking a desalination facility on Qeshm Island. Kuwait reported two border security personnel killed and fires at its international airport and a social security office. Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE all reported missile or drone incidents. Saudi authorities said an attack on Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter was foiled and multiple drones were shot down.
The Gulf Cooperation Council condemned strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait as dangerous acts that threaten regional stability. Airspace closures and cancellations have disrupted travel; Doha’s Hamad International Airport partially reopened with emergency routes and special Qatar Airways missions flew in from London, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Frankfurt and Bangkok to evacuate passengers.
Israel
Israel reported several missiles launched toward its territory and sounding of air raid sirens in southern areas including the Negev. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps described the action as the 27th wave of its campaign ‘Operation True Promise.’
United States
The White House has suggested the campaign could last weeks, with public comments pointing to a four- to six-week horizon. Six US service members killed in Iranian retaliatory strikes have been returned to the United States; President Trump attended the arrival ceremony. The US defense leadership warned of targeted reprisals against anyone who kills or threatens Americans abroad. Separately, media reporting said US and Israeli officials have discussed the possibility of special forces operations to seize Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Lebanon and Iraq
Israeli strikes hit a downtown Beirut hotel, killing at least four people and wounding others; Israel said it targeted Quds Force commanders operating in Beirut and conducted raids in southern suburbs. Hezbollah reported striking Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. Large numbers of civilians have fled towns including Tyre and Beirut’s southern Dahiyeh, with schools pressed into use as shelters.
In northern Iraq, Kurdish Peshmerga forces shot down a drone over Sulaimaniyah amid multiple aerial incidents. Iraqi officials said neither Iraqi regular forces nor Kurdish units have crossed into Iran since the conflict began.
Outlook
The fighting has expanded beyond direct US–Iran exchanges to involve regional states, infrastructure and maritime transit, producing rising civilian casualties, population displacement and major effects on global oil markets. Diplomatic and intelligence assessments suggest regime change in Tehran is unlikely as the campaign continues to test regional alliances and raise the risk of broader escalation.