Iran accused of attacks in UAE and Bahrain, smoke blankets Tehran from Israeli strikes

Israel on Sunday struck southern Lebanon, Beirut and oil storage facilities in Tehran as the war in the Middle East keeps escalating, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised “many surprises” for the next phase of the conflict.

Iran also hit a desalination plant in Bahrain. Earlier Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a U.S. airstrike damaged an Iranian desalination plant on Qeshm Island, warning that in doing so “the U.S. set this precedent, not Iran.” Such infrastructure is critical for drinking water supplies in the parched deserts of the Gulf.

An Israeli attack on oil storage sites in Tehran sent up pillars of fire that could be seen in Associated Press video as a glow against the Saturday night sky. It appeared to be the first time a civil industrial facility has been targeted in the war.

The war, which erupted on Feb. 28 after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes hit Iran, has so far killed at least 1,230 people in the Islamic Republic, more than 300 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials.

Here is the latest:

Iran’s ‘brave soldiers’ are ready if outside forces enter the country, foreign minister says Araghchi says Iranian forces are ready if ground troops were to enter his country.

“For the time being, we are capable enough,” Araghchi told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He said Iran has “very brave soldiers who are waiting for any enemy” and would “destroy” those who come on to Iranian soil.

“We have a great civilization. We have defended our land for thousands of years and we continue to,” he said.

Iranian official challenges Trump over school explosion claim Araghchi is taking issue with President Donald Trump’s comment accusing Iran of a school explosion on Feb. 28 that killed more than 165 people — most of them children — when evidence suggests it was likely a U.S. airstrike.

Iran’s foreign minister told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “’it is funny. It is our school, these are our students and our girls and they are attacked by an American fighter, a jet fighter and they have been killed. Why (is) Iran responsible?”

Asked for evidence that it was an American warplane, Araghchi said “if it was not U.S., then who was that? Maybe Israelis. But who else is attacking us?”

Satellite images, expert analysis, a U.S. official and public information released by the U.S. and Israeli militaries have suggested that the explosion was likely caused by U.S. airstrikes that also hit an adjacent compound associated with the government’s Revolutionary Guard.

Araghchi says ‘military cooperation between Iran and Russia is not something new’ U.S. intelligence officials believe Russia has provided Iran with information to target U.S. troops and assets in the Middle East.

Iran’s foreign minister isn’t going into detail about how Moscow may be helping Tehran, but says that “military cooperation between Iran and Russia is not something new.”

Araghchi told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “it’s been there and will continue in the future.”

Asked whether Russia was helping Iran locate American forces, he said he did not have “exact military information. As far as I know we have a very good partnership with Russia.”

In response to a question about Russia providing intelligence, he said “they are helping us in many different directions. I don’t have any detailed information.”

Iran foreign minister says his country is attacking American bases, not countries in the region Araghchi says his country isn’t attacking other countries in the region, but rather American bases, installations and assets “which are unfortunately located in the soils of our neighbors.”

“We are retaliating,” Araghchi told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Asked about the apology Saturday by Iran’s president for attacks on “neighboring countries,” Araghchi says an apology “in our culture is a sign of dignity and strength.”

He says the apology from President Masoud Pezeshkian was for “the inconveniences they have faced because of this aggression by the United States and retaliation by us.”

Araghchi says it’s the president of the United States “who should apologize to the people of region and Iranian people for the killings and destruction.”

Iran foreign minister says his country is looking for a permanent end to the war, not a ceasefire But before Tehran might even consider a ceasefire, Abbas Araghch said “they have to explain why they started this aggression.” Araghch did not specify about whom he was speaking.

Araghchi also told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “there should be a permanent end of the war and unless we get to that, I think we need to continue fighting for the sake of our people and our security.”

He says the war “was imposed on us” by the United States and Israel, and that “what we are doing is legal acts of self-defense and we have every right to do that.”

State Dept says more than 32,000 Americans have left the Mideast since start of Iran war; most on commercial flights The State Department says more than 32,000 Americans have left the Middle East since the start of the Iran war last week.

Although most of them departed on commercial flights without government assistance, the department said Sunday that it had organized nearly two dozen charter flights that had carried several thousand U.S. citizens from the Mideast to destinations in Europe and the United States.

The department said in a statement that more than half of Americans who requested assistance in leaving have declined offers of seats on government-paid charter flights, some of whom have decided to remain in the Middle East and some who prefer to make their own travel plans.

It did not give a number of those who have turned down charter flights but said more than 19,000 Americans had sought information from the State Department about security or transportation options.

Israeli military says 2 soldiers have been killed in Lebanon, first military fatalities since Iran war began The Israeli military announced that two soldiers were killed in fighting in southern Lebanon on Sunday.

They are the first military fatalities since the start of the war with Iran last week.

One of the soldiers was identified as 38-year-old Maher Khatar, from the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. The military has not published the name of the second soldier as his family is still being notified.

Israeli military says 2 soldiers have been killed in Lebanon, first military fatalities since Iran war began

Strikes on Iran oil facilities push the war into ‘dangerous phase,’ official says An Iranian official deplored the U.S.-Israeli strikes on oil facilities in Iran, saying they pushed the war into a “dangerous phase.”

“These attacks on fuel storage facilities amount to nothing less than intentional chemical warfare against the Iranian citizens,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a social media post.

He said such attacks will have “devastating the environment, and endangering lives on a massive scale” because of hazardous materials and toxic substances they release into the air.

“The consequences of this environmental and humanitarian catastrophe will not be confined within Iran’s borders,” he said.

Lebanese foreign minister condemns drone attack on Cyprus Lebanon’s top diplomat has condemned a drone attack apparently launched from Lebanese territory that hit a British airbase on the southern coast of Cyprus.

Youssef Rajji’s remarks Sunday come after his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos said an exploding drone that hit the British Royal Air Force’s Akrotiri on Monday originated from Lebanese territory, where the Hezbollah militant group is at war with Israel. Hezbollah’s arsenal notably includes exploding drones, similar to the ones used by Iran.

“I called on our Cypriot friends not to confuse the Lebanese state with those acting outside its authority and legal framework,” Rajji, a staunch opponent of Hezbollah said, referring to a Lebanese government decision that ordered security agencies to crack down on non-state groups carrying out attacks.

As Beirut scrambles to make amends, French President Emmanuel Macron will visit the European Union island nation Monday. The attack puts Lebanon in a predicament, as Macron is leading the only diplomatic endeavor to try to halt the conflict, which has killed almost 400 people in Lebanon and displaced hundreds of thousands.

3 injured in central Israel from Iranian missile strike Israel’s rescue services said three Israelis were injured in a missile barrage from Iran on Sunday afternoon.

Rescue services said they responded to impact sites in central Israel and treated a 40-year-old man in serious condition, a 25-year-old man in moderate condition, and a 56-year-old man who was slightly injured.

The impact made a meters-deep hole in the ground and thrust a car over a small wall.

Egypt’s leader concerns about ‘grave repercussions’ of the war in Middle East President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt on Sunday expressed concerns about the war in the Middle East and its “grave repercussions, including rising energy prices and disruptions to supply chains and air and maritime traffic.”

He warned of the dangers of the conflict expansion which he said could plunge the entire region into chaos, the Egyptian president said.

He called for intensified international efforts to stop the war which was triggered by U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran on Feb. 28.

El-Sissi’s comments came in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Israel says Iran has fired new missile barrage The Israeli military says Iran has launched a new barrage of missiles toward Israel.

It says air defenses have been activated to intercept the incoming fire.

Palestinians in West Bank lack sirens and bomb shelters Israelis rely on to stay safe from missiles fired from Iran and Lebanon But as missiles arc overhead, residents have remained unfazed, instead focused on the realities of Israel’s occupation, some of which are compounded during wartime.

In Ramallah’s few cafes open during the daylight hours of Ramadan, warnings ping from the one table where patrons prop their phones to catch rare pockets of Israeli cell service from nearby settlements. But before the distant boom of interceptions, nobody rushes for shelter, except on television, where Al Jazeera shows people in Israel roughly 10 miles away.

Palestinian families have gone outside at night to film missiles streaking through the sky and have reported falling debris but no injuries. Meanwhile, the more than 1,000 checkpoints and gates across the occupied West Bank have been mostly closed, drawing complaints, including from first responders who say the restrictions are slowing access to emergencies and settler

Firefighters control fires at Kuwait airport and government agency, hours after attacks Firefighters have controlled fires at the Kuwait International Airport and a government agency in Kuwait City, hours after both facilities were hit in missile and drone attacks early Sunday.

The General Fire Force said in a statement that it managed to control fires at fuel tanks in the airport as well as the headquarters of the state-run Public Institution for Social Insurance.

Spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammed Badr said the fire damaged both the tanks and the insurance agency building. No causalities were reported, he said.

Lebanon says 83 children among almost 400 killed in a week of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel Lebanon’s health minister said Sunday that 83 children are among the 394 killed so far in the conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group over the past week.

Israel’s renewed offensive began last week after Hezbollah launched rockets toward northern Israel during the opening days of the war.

Arab League chief calls out Iran’s ‘reckless’ attacks on its Arab neighbors Arab League chief on Sunday lashed out at Iran for attacking Arab countries during its war against the U.S. and Israel.

Secretary-General Ahmed Abouel Gheit told a virtual meeting of Arab foreign ministers that Iran’s strikes against its Arab neighbors “can’t be justified,” and reflects a “reckless policy.”

He said Arab countries haven’t part of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, and declared that their territories wouldn’t be used as launching pads for U.S. attacks.

“This unjustified Iranian aggression reflects a confused understanding and further isolates Iran during this difficult and delicate period,” he said.

UK will not outsource foreign policy, foreign secretary says Britain’s top diplomat said the U.K. government will not outsource its foreign policy following further criticism over the country’s position on the Iran war from President Donald Trump.

Yvette Cooper told BBC News that it was important to “learn the lessons” from the Iraq war in 2003 and its aftermath, when British forces fought alongside their U.S. counterparts.

She said “it is our job as the U.K. government to decide what’s in the U.K. national interest, and that doesn’t mean simply agreeing with other countries or outsourcing our foreign policy to other countries.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer opted against granting the U.S. military permission to use British bases for the first wave of military action, but then said the U.K. would engage in defensive operations after Iran attacked countries throughout the Middle East.

On hearing that the U.K. was reducing the time it would take one of its two aircraft carriers, the HMS Prince of Wales, to set sail for any deployment, Trump said “we don’t need them any longer.”

Iran soccer team exits Women’s Asian Cup and faces the prospect of a return home Iran’s soccer team lost its last group match at the Women’s Asian Cup on Sunday and had to contemplate returning home to a country embroiled in war.

The Iranian women’s squad arrived in Australia for the continental championship last month, before the war that began with the U.S. and Israel Feb. 28 strikes on Iran. Teams ousted during the group stage usually depart within days.

Their silence during the anthem before an opening loss to South Korea last Monday was viewed by some as an act of resistance and others as a show of mourning. The team hasn’t clarified. But the players sang the anthem and saluted during the national anthem ahead of their 4-0 loss to Australia last Thursday and a 2-0 loss to Philippines on Sunday.

Amid concerns for player welfare following reported criticism in the Iranian media, the Australian Iranian Council wrote to Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke urging the government to protect the squad members while they’re in Australia.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard vows to step up missile and drone attacks Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on Sunday vowed to step up attacks against Israel and the U.S. assets in the Middle East as Israel continue to bound Iran with devastating strikes, the Iranian state-run news agency reported.

The guard said “the scale and depth” of its missile and drone attacks will increase following what it called “the brutality” of U.S. and Israeli strikes, according to IRNA news agency.

Bangladesh faces fuel crisis amid tensions in Middle East Car owners and drivers in Bangladesh waited for hours in long queues on Sunday to collect fuel for their vehicles amid fear that the ongoing war in the Middle East involving Iran would create a serious fuel crisis.

Many even waited overnight in many fuel stations in Dhaka, the capital, to get fuel under a government rationing system allowing cars and bikes to collect a limited amount of fuel. Others have even resorted to panic-buying as fuel pump owners say they were under severe pressure for higher demand.

Bangladesh imports roughly 95% of its fuel oil and 70% of its gas, predominantly from the Middle East. Authorities say five of the country’s six fertilizer factories have been closed until March 18 because of the gas crisis.

The government said Sunday six vessels carrying liquefied natural gas, furnace oil, liquefied petroleum gas and condensate have already arrived at the country’s main Chattogram seaport from the Middle East and East Asian countries to ease the crisis. Separately, another five vessels, carrying LNG, LPG and diesel, are en route to Bangladesh.

Pope appeals for peace as Vatican rejects ‘preventive war’ Pope Leo XIV called Sunday for an end to the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and the opening of dialogue, warning that the conflict was spreading throughout the Middle East and sowing “a climate of hatred and fear.”

For the second Sunday in a row, Leo expressed his “profound consternation” about the war and how it was destabilizing Lebanon, a bulwark for Christians in the predominantly Muslim region.

During his traditional noontime prayer, the American pope prayed for an end to the bombs and the opening of dialogue “to hear the voice of the people.”

The Holy See has a tradition of diplomatic neutrality but has nevertheless rejected the Trump administration’s justification of attacking Iran preventively.

“If states were to be recognized as having a right to ‘preventive war,’ according to their own criteria and without a supranational legal framework, the whole world would risk being set ablaze,” the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, told Vatican Media this week.

Parolin demanded instead for a respect of international law and multilateral diplomacy.

UAE intercepts most of the missiles and drones fired by Iran The UAE’s Defense Ministry says it intercepted all 16 missiles, while a 17th fell into the sea. It says it intercepted most of the drones, but four fell in UAE territory.

The ministry says it is ready to “firmly confront” the threats.

Iran’s president earlier Sunday threatened to increase attacks on U.S. targets across the region in the face of ongoing Israeli and U.S. strikes. The Emirati statement did not specify the locations of Sunday’s attacks.

Macron will visit Cyprus in a show of solidarity after attacks on air base French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Cyprus on Monday to show France’s solidarity with the European Union nation targeted by drones last week.

Macron will meet there with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides and Greece Prime Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Macron’s office said Sunday. “Together with our European partners, the aim will be to strengthen security around Cyprus and in the Eastern Mediterranean,” the statement said.

The visit will also help coordinating efforts to ensure the safety of European nationals in the region and support repatriation operations, it said.

Cypriot and British officials haven’t said where the Shahed drone that hit the Royal Air Force base in Akrotiri came from, but speculation is that it was the work of Iran’s proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah. Warplanes intercepted a pair of drones in a second attempted strike on the U.K. base last Monday.

Iran says attacks have damaged about 10,000 civilian buildings U.S. and Israel strikes in Iran have damaged about 10,000 civilian structures across the county, the Iranian Red Crescent Society said.

In a social media post, the Red Crescent said the structures include 7,943 residential units and 1,617 commercial units along with several medical and educational facilities.

Iranian Red Crescent warns public about smoke dangers from oil facility fires The Iranian Red Crescent warned people in Tehran to take extra precautions to avoid toxic amounts of pollutants in the air stemming from a fire that broke out after Israeli struck multiple oil storage depots late Saturday. Heavy, black smoke from the fires blocked out the sun on Sunday morning.

The Red Crescent advised the public to avoid turning on air conditioners or going outside immediately after rainfall due to concerns about toxic acid rain.

The Red Crescent also encouraged people to protect exposed food and to gargle salt water to clean the throat from oily soot particles they may have inhaled. Tehran’s governor recommended everyone wear masks outside.

A second Pakistani national was killed by missile debris in Dubai A Pakistani driver was killed overnight when debris from an aerial interception fell on a vehicle in Dubai, authorities said Sunday. It’s the second death of a Pakistani national there in recent days.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the deaths of the two Pakistanis in Dubai.

Two other civilians, from Nepal and Bangladesh, have been killed by missile debris in Dubai since the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering Iranian missile and drone attacks on its Gulf neighbors.

Iran’s parliament speaker says oil prices will surge more as the war continues Iran’s parliament speaker said Sunday oil prices will continue to soar, inflicting pain on the global economy as long as the war in the Middle East goes on.

Oil prices have soared since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, reaching its highest levels since 2023.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude jumped 8.5% to $92.69 on Friday — up from nearly $70 a barrel just late last week. Meanwhile, benchmark U.S. crude climbed 12.2%, to $90.90 a barrel on Friday.

“If the war continues like this, there will be neither a way to sell oil nor the ability to produce it,” Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said in a social media post. He said the war is not only impacting the U.S., but also the Middle East and the whole world “due to Netanyahu’s delusions,” referring to the Israeli prime minister.

Iran says 200 children and 200 women among the war dead U.S. and Israeli strikes in Iran have killed 200 children and around 200 women, the Iranian Health Ministry said Sunday.

They are among more than 1,200 people killed in the war, spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said in a social media post.

He said more than 1,000 others, including about 400 women, have been injured since Feb. 28.- AP