Smoke and fireplace rise from the location of airstrikes at Mehrabad Worldwide Airport in Tehran on March 7, 2026. (Picture by ATTA KENARE / AFP by way of Getty Photographs)
Atta Kenare | Afp | Getty Photographs
Iran mentioned it struck a U.S. air base within the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, shortly after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian mentioned his nation would cease attacking neighboring nations.
Iran’s Tasnim Information company mentioned the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ navy drone unit attacked the Al Dhafra air base south of the capital Abu Dhabi.
The UAE’s Ministry of Overseas Affairs didn’t instantly reply to a CNBC request for remark. Its Ministry of Defence mentioned in a submit on X that it detected 121 unmanned aerial automobiles on Saturday, intercepted 119 of them, “whereas two fell inside the territory of the UAE.”
Pezeshkian mentioned earlier on Saturday that his nation doesn’t intend to assault others and apologized to neighbors within the Gulf after every week of retaliatory strikes because the U.S. and Israel maintained their army strain on Tehran.
However Pezeshkian mentioned the U.S. can “take their goals to the grave; we is not going to give up unconditionally.” Pezeshkian made the assertion by way of Iran’s nationwide information company’s Telegram social media channel.
“I apologize to the neighboring nations,” Pezeshkian mentioned. “We don’t intend to invade different nations. Allow us to put aside all of the disagreements, issues, and resentments we’ve got towards one another. In the present day, allow us to defend our personal soil to carry Iran out of this disaster with dignity.”
Pezeshkian’s apology shortly prompted pushback from hardliners in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and clerical elite. In probably the most open criticisms of Pezeshkian, hardline cleric and lawmaker Hamid Rasai addressed the president on social media, saying: “Your stance was unprofessional, weak and unacceptable.”
U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned Pezeshkian’s apology got here after the “relentless U.S. and Israeli assault.”
“Iran, which is being beat to HELL, has apologized and surrendered to its Center East neighbors, and promised that it’ll not shoot at them anymore,” Trump mentioned in a submit on his Reality Social account. “In the present day Iran will probably be hit very onerous!” Trump wrote.
U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran continued on Saturday, one week after they launched their joint marketing campaign to rid Tehran of its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities whereas additionally pushing for regime change.
Kuwait, the fifth-largest oil producer in OPEC, mentioned on Saturday that it’s chopping oil manufacturing attributable to “Iranian threats in opposition to secure passage of ships by means of the Strait of Hormuz.”
Knowledge from the Maritime Data Middle revealed that the variety of vessels transiting by means of the Strait every day stays within the single digits. Solely 4 business transits have been confirmed prior to now 24 hours, the info confirmed.
Tehran’s energy-rich neighbors within the Gulf mentioned they intercepted extra missiles and drones headed for his or her airspace from Iran because the nation’s president apologized for the assaults. “U.S. forces have struck over 3,000 targets within the first week of Operation Epic Fury, and we aren’t slowing down,” U.S. Central Command mentioned in a submit on X.
Name to call new supreme chief
Two influential Iranian clerics on Saturday referred to as for the swift number of a brand new supreme chief, Iranian media reported.
One of many clerics, Naser Makarem Shirazi, a grand ayatollah who instructions a broad following for his spiritual rulings, mentioned an appointment was wanted swiftly to “assist higher set up the nation’s affairs,” state media reported.
The calls recommend that no less than some within the clerical institution are uncomfortable with leaving a three-man council in cost — even briefly beneath constitutional guidelines — after the killing of Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Trump has argued the U.S. ought to have a task in selecting the brand new chief, a requirement Iran has rejected.
‘Unconditional give up’
Israel’s army mentioned “one other wave of assaults in Tehran has been accomplished”.
“Throughout the framework of those assaults, Air Pressure fighter jets launched roughly 230 munitions towards a number of army websites of the regime,” the Israel Protection Forces mentioned in a Farsi submit on X.
The targets included the Central Navy College of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a missile storage web site and an underground web site for storing and producing ballistic missiles, the IDF mentioned.
The strikes concerned greater than 80 Israeli fighter jets, the IDF mentioned in a separate submit.
“These strikes degrade the Iranian regime’s potential to fireside at Israeli civilians,” the IDF mentioned.
Gulf area beneath menace
Nations within the area mentioned they launched air defenses to fend off Iranian assaults.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Protection reported the “interception and destruction of a drone east of Riyadh metropolis”.
The UAE’s largest metropolis, Dubai, issued an alert urging residents to hunt speedy shelter in safe buildings and avoid home windows, doorways and open areas.
U.S. crude oil on Friday posted its largest weekly acquire in futures buying and selling historical past, because the escalating warfare within the Center East has triggered a serious disruption to world gas provides. U.S. crude soared 35.63% for the most important weekly acquire within the historical past of the futures contract relationship again to 1983. Brent jumped about 28% for its largest weekly acquire since April 2020.
West Texas Intermediate futures surged 12.21%, or $9.89, to shut at $90.90 per barrel. International benchmark Brent rallied 8.52%, or $7.28, to settle at $92.69 per barrel.
— CNBC’s Emma Graham, Pia Singh and Spencer Kimball and Reuters contributed reporting
