Heated exchanges between Iran and the U.S. persisted unabated over the weekend, whereas Iranian missiles rained down on Gulf states and Israel attacked extreme infrastructure in Tehran.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned, “Today Iran will be hit very hard!” and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that “many surprises” lay forward for the next section of the week-worn conflict. A top Iranian respectable spoke back: “We do not welcome the war, but aggressors should be punished.”
Airstrikes on Iran persisted on Saturday, one week after the U.S. and Israel launched their joint campaign to rid Tehran of its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities and push for regime commerce.
U.S. forces struck more than 3,000 targets in its first week of Trump’s “Operation Epic Fury,” the U.S. Central Inform acknowledged in an X publish. The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged in a Saturday publish on X that it has completed “another wave of attacks in Tehran,” with its Air Force fighter jets having launched roughly 230 munitions in direction of a complete lot of defense power sites of the regime.
Flames upward thrust from an oil storage facility south of the capital Tehran as strikes hit town one day of the U.S.–Israel defense power campaign, Iran, on Saturday, March 7, 2026.
Vahid Salemi | AP Photo
One in all the attacks struck a southern Tehran oil facility, Iranian relate media confirmed. It regarded to be the principle time a civil industrial facility has been focused within the battle, basically based totally on the Associated Press. Allege media blamed “an attack from the U.S. and the Zionist regime” at the ability that affords the capital and neighboring provinces within the north.
Meanwhile, Tehran’s vitality-rich neighbors within the Gulf acknowledged they intercepted more Iranian missiles and drones headed for his or her airspace.
Earlier Saturday, Iran acknowledged it struck a U.S. air unsuitable within the United Arab Emirates, shortly after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian acknowledged his nation would end attacking Gulf countries. Iran’s Tasnim News agency acknowledged the Islamic Modern Guard Corps’ navy drone unit attacked the Al Dhafra air unsuitable south of Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates.
The UAE’s Ministry of Defence acknowledged in a publish on X that it detected 121 unmanned aerial autos on Saturday and intercepted 119 of them, whereas two fell all the arrangement by the UAE’s territory. The UAE’s Ministry of International Affairs did now not correct now reply to a CNBC quiz for commentary.
Ali Larijani, a top Iranian security chief, acknowledged that “we do not welcome the war, but aggressors should be punished.” He also known as for solidarity among Iranian officers.
Larijani’s observation follows an apologetic one by Pezeshkian on Saturday, whereby he acknowledged his nation would now not intend to attack others.
“I apologize to the neighboring countries,” Pezeshkian acknowledged. “We do not intend to invade other countries. Let us set aside all the disagreements, concerns, and resentments we have toward each other. Today, let us defend our own soil to bring Iran out of this crisis with dignity.”
Addressing requires for resign, Pezeshkian, by ability of Iran’s national news agency’s Telegram social media channel on Saturday, acknowledged the U.S. can “take their dreams to the grave; we will not surrender unconditionally.” His feedback got right here after Trump on Friday demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”
Trump adopted up his requires early Saturday by taunting Iran with a publish on his Truth Social fable: “Iran, which is being beat to HELL, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore. Today Iran will be hit very hard!”
Pezeshkian’s apology also prompted pushback from hardliners in Iran’s Modern Guards and clerical elite. In a single in every of basically the most open criticisms of Pezeshkian, hardline cleric and lawmaker Hamid Rasai addressed the president on social media, asserting: “Your stance was unprofessional, weak and unacceptable.”
Gulf living beneath risk
States within the Gulf are launching air defenses to fend off Iranian attacks, a great deal of which are within the create of 1-come drones equivalent to its low-price Shaheds.
Iran has focused a complete lot of radar and air defenses within the Center East — in Qatar, the U.A.E., Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia — in retaliation in opposition to U.S. and Israeli attacks, The Wall Side highway Journal reported, citing U.S. officers, defense power analysts and commercially accessible satellite images.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense has acknowledged it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched in direction of Prince Sultan Air Dejected, an piquant United States Air Force Air Expeditionary Dejected in Saudi Arabia. The nation intercepted nine of 10 Iranian drones launched at it on Friday.
Saudi Arabia has advised Iranian officers that whereas it favors a diplomatic settlement to Iran’s conflict with the U.S., persisted attacks on the dominion and its vitality sector would possibly maybe well maybe furthermore push Riyadh to answer in kind, sources advised Reuters. The message used to be conveyed forward of Pezeshkian made his apology, Reuters reported.
In other locations, the UAE’s biggest city, Dubai, issued an alert urging residents to glimpse rapid refuge in trusty constructions and preserve faraway from windows, doorways and open areas.
In Dubai, a complete lot of blasts had been heard Saturday morning and the authorities acknowledged it had activated air defenses. Passengers looking ahead to flights at Dubai World Airport had been ushered into practice tunnels.
The combating has killed now now not lower than 1,230 of us in Iran, more than 290 in Lebanon and 11 in Israel, basically based totally on officers in these countries. Six U.S. troops were killed.
Strait of Hormuz transit slows to trickle
Visitors is virtually nonexistent within the Straight of Hormuz, meanwhile, as oil tankers dwell unnerved that their vessels will seemingly be caught within the battle’s crossfire.
Files from the Maritime Files Center printed that the collection of vessels transiting by the Strait everyday has fallen to the single digits. Ideal four commercial transits had been confirmed within the past 24 hours, the details showed.
Iran’s Larijani acknowledged that whereas Iran has now now not closed down the Strait of Hormuz, the Strait is successfully closed thanks to the battle.
Kuwait, the fifth-largest oil producer in OPEC, acknowledged it is cutting oil production on account of “Iranian threats against safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.”
Escalating battle disruptions to global fuel affords personal despatched the price of U.S. crude oil skyrocketing, recording its biggest weekly accomplish in futures procuring and selling history. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude soared 35.63% for the biggest weekly accomplish within the history of the futures contract courting support to 1983. Global benchmark Brent crude jumped about 28% for its biggest weekly accomplish since April 2020.
The ticket of U.S. crude has risen virtually 60% for the explanation that open of this year.
Call to title original supreme leader
Two influential Iranian clerics known as for the swift collection of a brand original supreme leader, Iranian relate media reported.
One in all the clerics, Naser Makarem Shirazi, a ample ayatollah who commands a tall following for his religious rulings, acknowledged an appointment used to be mandatory swiftly to “help better organize the country’s affairs,” relate media reported.
The calls suggest that now now not lower than some within the clerical establishment are dejected with leaving a three-man council responsible — even briefly beneath constitutional rules — after the killing of Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Trump has argued the U.S. would possibly maybe well maybe personal to personal a characteristic in deciding on the original leader, a demand Iran has rejected.
— CNBC’s Emma Graham, Spencer Kimball, Terri Cullen, Reuters and the Associated Press contributed reporting
