• The US and Israel continue attacks across Iran, striking oil storage depots and refining facilities in Tehran for the first time. Large fires have been reported across the Iranian capital.
• Top Iranian official Ali Larijani says the US will pay for waging war and claims Washington is failing to meet its goals.
• US President Donald Trump has threatened to escalate the attacks against Iran while paying tributes to American soldiers killed in the conflict.
• Gulf states, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, report more Iranian strikes despite an apology and an assurance by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that the strikes will stop. Tehran says Trump killed the gesture when the US launched attacks on Iran from Gulf bases.
• Kuwait Petroleum Corporation has declared a reduction in oil production, the latest in a series of output reductions by some of the world’s largest energy producers in response to escalating regional violence.

Saudi Arabia intercepts more drones

The Saudi Defense Ministry says its forces have intercepted seven drones east of the capital, Riyadh, in the past hour.

The announcement came an hour after it said it had downed eight other drones that had entered the kingdom’s airspace.

As we’ve been reporting, Iranian President Masoud Pezesjkian said earlier that neighbouring countries will no longer be targeted unless an attack originates from their territory. But Iran was hit with attacks shortly afterwards, triggering retaliatory assaults.

Drone targets fuel tanks at Kuwait airport

Kuwait’s government says there’s been a drone attack on fuel tanks at the Kuwait international airport.

“Competent authorities and firefighting teams are dealing with a fire at the site,” it added in a statement on X.

This report came minutes after the Israelis bombed Tehran's oil deports.

Kuwait’s social security office attacked

Kuwait says there has been an attack on its Public Institution for Social Security.

The attack caused material damage to the office’s main building, it said.

The statement came as Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense said it was dealing with a wave of air attacks and urged residents to adhere to safety instructions.

Saudi Arabia foils attack on Riyadh’s diplomatic area

Saudi forces have foiled a drone attack on the capital’s diplomatic quarter, according to the kingdom’s Defense Ministry.

In a statement posted on X, the ministry said there were “no material damage or civilian injuries” from the attack.

The ministry earlier reported that its air defences had intercepted and shot down at least 15 drones that entered its airspace.

Trump boasts of wiping out Iran’s leaders, navy, air force and missile capacity

The US president has said the war on Iran will continue for “a little” while, and that it is going “unbelievably good” for the American military.

“We’ve accomplished more in one week than anyone thought possible. We’ve wiped out their navy – 44 ships. We’ve wiped out their air force, every plane,” Trump told reporters on board Air Force One.

“We’ve wiped out most of their missiles. You see, the missiles aren’t coming much any more. We’ve also hit the manufacturing areas where they make the missiles very hard. Their drone capacity is way down,” he said.

“And we’ve hurt ’em where it hurts, including about every form of leadership you can have, we’ve wiped out,” he added.

When asked how long he expected the war to continue, Trump said: “Whatever it takes.”

Trump demands Iran’s ‘unconditional surrender’

More from the US president’s comments to reporters on board Air Force One.

• When asked what he wants from Iran, he said he wants “unconditional surrender”. “It’s where they cry uncle or when they can’t fight any longer,” he said. “So, it’s if they surrender, or if there is nobody around to surrender but they’re rendered useless in terms of military.”
• Trump said he has had no indication whatsoever that Russia was supporting Iran.
• When asked about the lack of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said that was the choice of the ships. “We have cleared it out. We’ve wiped out their navy,” he said.
• Trump said he expects oil prices to come down very fast and that the US has a “tremendous amount” of oil.
• When asked about the prospect of the US sending in ground troops, he said he did not want to talk about it and that the question was inappropriate.

Trump says US won’t settle with Iran, doesn’t want ‘Kurds going in’

• When asked about his comments on selecting the next leader of Iran, Trump said: “We don’t want to come back every five or 10 years and do this… We want to pick a president that’s not going to be leading their country into a war.”
• Trump said the US has “maximum” negotiating leverage, but “we’re not looking to settle”.
• When asked about Iranian allegations that the US hit a desalination plant, he said he knows nothing about it.
• Trump said Iran is launching 9 percent of the missiles and drones it sent out in the first two days of the war. “We think it’s because they don’t have that much. We’ve knocked out 70 percent of the rocket launchers.”
• He added, “They’re being decimated now. At some point, I don’t think there’ll be anybody left, maybe, to say ‘we surrender’.”
• Trump also said the US was “not looking to the Kurds going in”, and that “we don’t want to make the war more complex than it already is”.

IRGC launches new wave of retaliatory strikes against Israel, US assets in Middle East

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps has launched a new wave of retaliatory strikes against Israel and US assets in the Middle East, according to Iranian state media.

The IRGC described the latest attack as the “27th wave of Operation True Promise” and said it was targeting the headquarters of the US base in Kuwait’s Arifjan with precision-strike missiles.

GCC denounces Iranian strikes against Bahrain and Kuwait

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) says Iran’s continued attacks against Bahrain and Kuwait are “dangerous acts of aggression” that threaten regional security and stability.

GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said the attacks reveal Iran’s “escalatory approach” and strongly condemned what he called Tehran’s “nefarious” attacks on the region.

He expressed in the “strongest” terms the body’s “condemnation and denunciation of the nefarious Iranian attack”, particularly targeting the region.

Albudaiwi said the targeting of vital facilities and civilian infrastructure “constitutes a flagrant and unacceptable violation of all international norms and charters” and said that all GCC countries stand with Bahrain and Kuwait in protecting their security, safeguarding their sovereignty, and maintaining the safety of their vital facilities.

The powerful GCC bloc is composed of all six Gulf states: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.

Iran warns of consequences as US, Israel hit oil depots, desalination plant

The Israelis are trying to achieve two goals with these attacks on Iranian oil facilities.

One is shock and awe: These fireballs in the skies of Tehran are very frightening to the population. At the same time, these are vital facilities for the livelihood of people. Two: Israel is probably trying to undermine the mobility of the Iranian military.

These attacks have drawn concern and condemnation in Iran. Particularly, the strike against the water desalination plant. The foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said: “The US committed a blatant and desperate crime by attacking a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island. Water supplies for 30 villages has been impacted. Attacking Iran’s infrastructure is a dangerous move with great consequences. The US set this precedent, not Iran.”

It seems hat when Iran talks about precedent, it is thinking of a response of a similar kind. One of the most vulnerable points in the Gulf is water desalination plants. Iran says it considers Gulf countries as aiding and abetting this war of aggression on them. This may be a hint by the Iranians that, after this alleged precedent by the US, they will strike at water desalination facilities in the Gulf.

This could be a dangerous situation because the Gulf region relies on water desalination for 90 percent of its drinking water supplies.

More than 1,300 killed in one week of war in Iran

More than a week into the conflict, the humanitarian toll in Iran continues to rise.

More than 1,300 people have been killed, while about 100,000 have been displaced. The war has forced many to flee their homes as the UN refugee agency reports a surge in urgent calls for assistance.

Kuwait downs three missiles as firefighters combat two blazes

Kuwait says its air defences have intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles a short while ago.

It also said firefighters are trying to control and put out two blazes after drone attacks on the fuel tanks at the Kuwait international airport and the main building of its Public Institution for Social Security.

China’s Wang Yi says US-Israel war on Iran ‘should never have happened’

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said that the ongoing US-Israeli military offensive against Iran should “never have happened” and called for an “immediate” end to hostilities as well as a return to the negotiating table.

Wang Yi made the comment during a news conference in Beijing during which he also said that force “will never resolve” the ongoing crisis.

“A strong fist does not mean strong reason. The world cannot return to the law of the jungle,” he said.

Wang also said that he believes there is no popular support for regime change in Iran.

Saudi forces intercept three more drones near Riyadh

The Saudi Ministry of Defense says it has foiled another attack by downing three more drones near Riyadh.

This comes hours after the ministry announced thwarting a drone attack on Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter and reported shooting down at least 15 other drones.

‘If you kill Americans, we will kill you’, says Pentagon chief

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has issued a new threat on X.

“If you kill Americans, if you threaten Americans anywhere on earth, we will hunt you down without apology and without hesitation, and we will kill you,” he was quoted as saying in a post by CENTCOM on X.

A 21-second video clip accompanying the threat showed a series of “unclassified” images of vehicles and structures being bombed and destroyed by US forces.

Two Kuwaiti border security personnel killed

Two border security personnel have been killed while on duty in Kuwait, the country’s Interior Ministry says, as Iran continues to launch drone and missile strikes against the country.

Kuwait News Agency quoted the ministry as saying the two were killed “at dawn” today, though the exact circumstances and location of their deaths remain unclear.

The ministry named the two men as Warrant Officer Abdullah Imad Al-Sharrah and Major Fahd Abdulaziz Al-Majmaid, and said it expressed “profound grief and sorrow” over their deaths.

Kuwait says two Interior Ministry officers killed ‘while performing duties’

Correction, 09:15 GMT: An earlier version of this post said two officers with Kuwait’s fire department were killed. This has been changed to reflect that they were Interior Ministry ⁠officers, not fire officers.

⁠Kuwait’s ⁠Interior Ministry has said ⁠two of its ⁠officers were killed “while performing duties”.

The statement published on X did not provide details on the circumstances of ⁠their deaths.

Kuwait says fire at main airport controlled

Kuwaiti authorities say firefighters have now controlled the fire that broke out at the fuel tanks of the Kuwait airport earlier this morning.

Other teams are still trying to put out the blaze at the main building of the social security office, the government media office said.

The statement came minutes after Kuwait’s Interior Ministry announced the death of two border security personnel this morning.

What are Iranian officials saying about attacks on Gulf states and course of the war?

From the outset of the war, Iran has been firm in its pledge to strike back against any location from which attacks on its territory are launched, and it has followed through on that promise, hitting US facilities and bases across the Gulf region.

But following widespread international condemnation and anger from Gulf states, the Iranian president appeared to offer something of an apology, along with an assurance that Iran would stop targeting civilian infrastructure, such as oil and gas facilities. His remarks were not explicit, but that was the general understanding.

Then the foreign minister stepped in to clarify, pushing back against what he described as a misreading of the president’s words, particularly by Trump, who interpreted them as a sign of weakness or imminent capitulation. But that’s not the case. He said Iran is not going to stop and will strike back at any location from which attacks against it are launched. So there is some conflicting interpretations of what the Iranian president said.

We also had the security chief, Ali Larijani, doubling down on this and saying that Iran is now being targeted as a country. He said the goals announced by the Americans and Israelis are not the real ones. The real objective, he said, is the disintegration of Iran as a nation, and said that’s why Iran is not going to compromise on its right to self-defense.

Large-scale US war on Iran ‘unlikely’ to oust Iran’s government: Report

An intelligence report conducted by the US National Intelligence Council found that even a “large-scale” American-led assault on Iran was unlikely to topple the country’s government, according to The Washington Post.

The findings raise doubts about the Trump administration’s claim that the war can be concluded within four to six weeks, the Post said, citing three unnamed sources familiar with the contents of the intelligence assessment.

According to the Post, the report was completed just a week after the US and Israel launched a joint strike on Iran on February 28, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the operation.

It also said the report described the prospect of Iran’s fragmented opposition taking control of the country as “unlikely”.

Rights group says attack on Iran girls’ school should be investigated as war crime

Human Rights Watch says the attack on a primary school in southern Iran that killed at least 160 people, many of them schoolchildren, should be investigated as a war crime.

“Those responsible for an unlawful attack should be held to account, including prosecutions of anyone responsible for war crimes,” Sophia Jones, open source researcher of HRW’s Digital Investigations Lab, said.

“A prompt and thorough investigation is needed into this attack, including if those responsible should have known that a school was there and that it would be full of children and their teachers before midday,” Jones added.

The attack was among hundreds of strikes across Iran carried out by US and Israeli forces on the first day of the operation on February 28.

A investigation by a broadcast found that the targeting of the school was likely “deliberate”, while The New York Times reported that the strike may have been carried out by the US.

Our research reveals that the used weapon was a Tomahawk missile with a alleged trajectory coming from the Gulf of Oman or Arabian Sea.

UAE air defences ‘responding to incoming missile and drone threats’

The UAE’s Ministry of Defense says its air defences are responding to incoming missiles and drones from Iran.

It said the sounds heard in the country are the result of air defences intercepting the projectiles.

Iran stands strong against those who attack it, will respond with strength: Pezeshkian

Iranian state media are carrying comments from President Masoud Pezeshkian after visiting victims at a hospital:

Below we have summarized some of his key translated points:

• Pezeshkian said his remarks were misinterpreted by the ⁠enemy that seeks to sow division ⁠with neighbours, after they were viewed as ‌a decision to suspend attacks on Gulf countries while strikes did not stop.
• He reiterated that Iran wants good relations with the brotherly neighbouring countries.
• Iran is forced to respond to attacks coming from the territories of other countries, but this response does not mean there is a dispute with those countries.
• Iran stands strong against those who attack it and will respond with strength.
• Despite all the problems, we will stand united against the enemy with all our strength, regardless of any political party or faction,
• We will not allow them to seize even an inch of our territory.

Most Iranian sailors treated in Sri Lanka discharged from hospital

Some 22 Iranian sailors rescued off the coast of Sri Lanka after the US torpedoed and sank their vessel have been discharged from hospital, according to the AFP news agency.

The sailors were treated at Karapitiya Hospital in the southern port city of Galle, it reported. “Another 10 are still undergoing treatment,” a medical officer at the hospital told AFP.

The officer said the bodies of 84 Iranians retrieved from the Indian Ocean were also at the hospital. Several others remain missing.

Iranian officials said there were at least 130 sailors on board when the US attacked the vessel.

Bahrain says sirens activated, people urged to ‘head to nearest safe place’

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry says sirens have been activated in the country.

“Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,” it said in a brief statement.

Kuwait says air defense systems intercepting missile, drone attacks

Kuwait’s army has said the country’s air defense systems responded to missile and drone attacks.

In an earlier statement, it said the sound of explosions was the result of the systems intercepting incoming fire.

US, Israel mull sending special forces to seize Iran’s nuclear stockpile: Report

The Axios news outlet is reporting that the US and Israel have discussed the possibility of deploying special forces to seize Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

The US outlet cited four sources with knowledge of the matter.

It noted that Trump’s war objectives include preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and said seizing the country’s 450kg (992 pounds) of 60 percent enriched uranium would be key to the US president’s goal.

Axios said the mission would likely take place “at a later stage” of the war after the US and Israel determine that Iran’s military can no longer mount a serious defence.

The fate of Iran’s stockpile is unclear after the US and Israel launched attacks on the country’s nuclear sites and infrastructure last June.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran has not allowed it access to the bombed sites and said its inspectors have not found any evidence of a coordinated Iranian programme to build nuclear weapons.

Falling missile fragments injure 3 people in Bahrain

The country’s Ministry of Interior says at least three people have been injured and a university building in the city of Muharraq has been damaged following an Iranian attack.

The casualties were caused by falling missile debris, it said in a post on X.

Muharraq is Bahrain’s third most populous city.

IRGC says Iran can fight ‘intense war’ with Israel, US for 6 months

Ali Mohammad Naini, spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, says the country’s forces could fight an “intense war” at the current pace for six months against the US and Israel, according to the Fars news agency.

Naini said Iran had so far used “first and second generation” missiles, but will use “advanced and less-used long-range missiles” in the coming days.

Bahrain says drone attack damaged water desalination plant

An Iranian drone attack caused material damage to a water desalination plant in Bahrain, the country’s Interior Ministry has said.

This comes a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US attacked a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island in southern Iran, setting a “precedent”.

There was no immediate comment from Iran following Bahrain’s statement.

The majority of Gulf countries largely depend on desalinated water for their inhabitants’ consumption.

Questions over whether war is politically sustainable for Trump ahead of midterms

Paul Musgrave, an associate professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar, about the impact of the rising financial cost of the war:

“The US is a very wealthy country and can afford a lot of expensive mistakes,” he said.

“The question is actually whether this is politically sustainable,” Musgrave told Al Jazeera, pointing to whether the US public and groups in the country believe that “this war is worth the candle”.

“And I think that’s going to be a much trickier calculus for the president to navigate, especially with midterm elections coming up [where] control for both houses of Congress is up for grabs.”

Iran’s IRGC claims to have hit Kuwait’s al-Adiri airbase

Kuwait’s army said the country’s air defense systems responded to missile and drone attacks.

Iran’s IRGC says its forces targeted al-Adiri airbase in Kuwait with drones and missiles, according to the Fars news agency.

The report, citing the IRGC, said a US helicopter repair centre, fuel tanks and command centre were destroyed at the base.

“After this wave of attack, a terrible fire broke out in this base, and thick, black smoke is still rising from this base and can be seen from far away,” the report said.

Oman Air cancels flights to 9 destinations amid regional airspace closures

Oman Air has announced the cancellation of flights to and from Amman, Dubai, Bahrain, Doha, Dammam, Kuwait, Copenhagen, Baghdad and Khasab from March 9 to March 15 “due to the continued closure of the airspace in the region”.

Indonesia says 3 crew members missing after UAE tugboat sank in Strait of Hormuz

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement saying three Indonesian crew members are missing after the UAE-flagged tugboat Musaffah 2 sank in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.

“One Indonesian survivor is currently receiving burn treatment at a hospital in the city of Khasab, Oman. The other three Indonesians are still being searched for by the local authorities,” it said.

Before it sank, the Musaffah 2 experienced an explosion that caused it to catch fire, the statement said. An investigation is ongoing by local authorities, it added.

Rising concerns as more civilian and energy infrastructure targets struck

Concerns have been rising over the past few days as more and more civilian targets and energy infrastructure targets have been hit by Iranian drones and missiles, or by falling debris, in countries across the Gulf.

Something that’s raising a lot of concern is the fact that, in Bahrain, the Interior Ministry has announced that there was an Iranian drone attack that caused material damage to a water desalination plant.

That, of course, is going to cause more concern as we’re talking about worries over civilian infrastructure being targeted by Iran.

This comes a day after Iran announced that the US had bombed a freshwater desalination plant in southern Iran, so there is going to be worry about that particular incident.

The first attack on an desalination plant was on Qeshm Island, Iran, by the United States.

Evacuation measures in Akrotiri, Cyprus, extended

About 1,000 residents have been evacuated from their homes in the Akrotiri area of Cyprus after a Iranian-made drone hit a UK military base there on Monday.

Now the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) is reporting that the evacuation has been extended until next week by the authorities of the British base in cooperation with the Republic of Cyprus.

“The situation will be reassessed next Saturday morning,” the report said.

Pezeshkian likely changed positions after Trump’s ‘surrendering’ statements

Commenting on the repositioning of the Iranian president’s statements, Izadi, the professor from the University of Tehran, said the main reason was Trump’s response to Pezeshkian’s statement on Saturday when he said that the decision had been made to no longer attack neighbouring countries unless an attack against Iran originated from their territories.

Pezeshkian said today that his remarks were “misinterpreted by the ⁠enemy that seeks to sow division ⁠with neighbours”, according to state TV.

“After that video [Pezeshkian’s video statement] came out, Trump had a Truth Social statement saying that Iran has apologized, saying that this shows that they are surrendering,” Izadi said.

Trump added that he is going to hit places that he was not thinking about hitting. “He probably was talking about the oil facilities a few hours ago,” Izadi said.

“So when Trump’s statement came out, then you had this backlash inside the country.

“Mr Pezeshkian is a reformist candidate, so the opposition basically criticised him for saying things that was used by Trump.”

Nearly 10,000 civilian building units destroyed in US-Israeli attacks on Iran: Red Crescent

The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) says at least 9,669 civilian units have been destroyed in US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

The statistics provided by the relief NGO included:

• 7,943 residential units
• 1,617 commercial units

Top British diplomat slams Tony Blair for criticism of UK’s stance on Iran war

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper says it is important to learn the lessons from the Iraq war after ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair said the UK should have backed the US over Iran from day one.

“I just disagree. There are some people in politics who think that we should always agree with the US whatever,” she told the Sky News broadcaster of Blair, who joined the US in going to war against Iraq in 2003.

“There are other people in politics who think we should never take action with the US again whatever the circumstances. I don’t think either of those positions is in the UK national interest, and it is the responsibility for Keir Starmer to act in the UK’s national interest for British citizens.”

Asked if she was calling Blair “a poodle”, she said: “I think the point is to make sure that, actually, we learn the lessons from some of the things that went wrong in Iraq, and I think that is exactly what Keir Starmer has done.”

Starmer allowed Trump to station US B-1 bombers at an airbase in Gloucester, England and allowed only "defensive" attacks on Iran.

The war on Iraq by George W. Bush was a war across borders, so is Starmer's contribution to the US in the war on Iran, as the US war on Iraq was, and Trump's war on Iran is a violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter.

Pakistan working to repatriate bodies of 2 nationals killed in Dubai

Pakistan is in coordination with Emirati authorities to repatriate two Pakistani nationals who were killed by missile debris in Dubai, the country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said.

“Our diplomatic missions in the UAE are closely coordinating with Dubai authorities to provide necessary assistance and facilitate the repatriation of the bodies,” Sharif said on X.

Since the start of Iran’s retaliatory attacks, four people have been killed in the UAE. The other two were from Bangladesh and Nepal, according to the UAE’s Defense Ministry.

US and Israel plan to ‘Balkanise’ Iran: Academic

Foad Izadi, a professor at the University of Tehran, has said that the United States and Israel are “planning to disintegrate Iran”, pointing out Trump’s statement that suggested that Iran’s map may not look the same once the war ends.

It shows, the professor said, the US and Israel plan to “Balkanise” the country.

“I think Trump is interested in separating the oil-rich sections of Iran, which is … [located on] the northern side of the Persian Gulf. He would probably put someone in charge of the oil-rich sections, and he wouldn’t have much use for the rest of Iran,” he said, referring to the Gulf, also known as the Arabian Gulf.

“So other parts of Iran could be taken over by neighbouring countries, or just left alone if they don’t have oil,” Izadi said.

“Trump likes oil – he likes Venezuelan oil, he likes Iranian oil.

“And you need to have a government that is not functioning, without a leader. They [Israel and the US] would probably want to kill Iran’s president as well. So we would have the collapse of the Iranian government, and change Iran’s map,” he said.

Cypriot foreign minister confirms drone that hit UK base launched from Lebanon: Report

Constantinos Kombos, the foreign minister of Cyprus, has told a British news outlet the Iranian-made drone that hit the UK’S Akrotiri base on the island a week ago had been launched from Lebanon.

“Right now, it’s a fact that we have to be looking towards the Lebanese front,” the minister told The Guardian newspaper, which said the comments confirmed the drone’s origin for the first time.

“We cannot exclude anything from the broader direction of the northeast. We have to be very careful. … We have to make sure that the systems in place are covering all possibilities of threat.”

Britain has sovereignty over two military bases in its former colony, Akrotiri and Dhekelia, as part of a treaty that established Cyprus’s independence in 1960.

Kombos was quoted as saying in the report that Cyprus has “consistently communicated” that the British bases could be targeted “if things move in a specific direction regionally”.

“This is a concern we shared consistently, … but the outcome of those conversations is clear in terms of what transpired on Sunday night,” he told The Guardian.

It was evident, he said, “not everything that could be done was done to the level of expectations that we have, that people living and working in the bases, Cypriots, also have, and I’m sure the British government has as well, … but, right now, I want to focus on how the cooperation improves.”

Death toll in Iranian attacks on UAE rises to 4: Ministry

Four people – citizens of Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh – have been killed in the UAE since the US-Israeli attacks on Iran prompted Iranian attacks on its neighbouring countries, according to the UAE Defence Ministry.

Since “the start of the brazen Iranian aggression”, the UAE has been targeted with 238 ballistic missiles, 1,422 drones and eight cruise missiles, the ministry said on X.

Today, the UAE detected 17 ballistic missiles and 117 drones, it said, adding that 16 of those missiles and 113 drones were intercepted while one missile and four drones fell in the sea.

Iran’s nuclear weapon pursuit makes diplomatic efforts ‘futile’: Ex-US diplomat

John Bolton, former US ambassador to the UN, has told Al Jazeera that a diplomatic solution with Iran would be “a mistake”, claiming that the country has been pursuing nuclear weapons over the past 25 years, “while promising all kinds of steps to do exactly the opposite”.

“So, when you have this extent of experience, and could see even in recent days that the government was doing everything it could to simply buy time to avoid what has now happened, there’s no question here of negotiating in good faith”, he said, claiming that the government of Iran is “the problem”.

“I think the course that’s been launched upon is a legitimate exercise of the inherent right of individual and collective self-defense. We’ll see how long it takes, but that is the course we are on, and I think that’s the course it we’ll stay on,” he said.

IRGC claims to have targeted airbase in Jordan

UAE says it’s acting in self-defense after 1,400 attacks by Iran

The UAE says it’s acting in self-defense after what it describes as a large-scale Iranian attack involving ballistic missiles and drones.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said more than 1,400 missiles and drones were launched towards infrastructure and civilian sites, resulting in an unspecified number of casualties.

The ministry described the attack as “brutal and unjustified”, saying it constituted a serious violation of international law and the UN Charter as well as an infringement on the UAE’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The UAE said it doesn’t seek escalation or to be drawn into a wider conflict but retains the right to take “all necessary measures” to protect its sovereignty.

Arab League ministerial meeting discusses Iranian attacks on sovereignty of several Arab countries

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has said Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi attended virtually an Arab League Council extraordinary session at the ministerial level.

“The meeting discussed the Iranian attacks on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of several Arab countries, which constitute a flagrant violation of international laws and charters as well as the principles of good neighborliness,” the ministry said in a statement.

“It also addressed the serious risks these actions pose to the security and stability of Arab states and the region.”

“The meeting discussed the Iranian attacks on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of several Arab countries, which constitute a flagrant violation of international laws and charters as well as the principles of good neighborliness,”

The US has bases in the GCC states and Jordan where the attacking belligerent has bases. As host countries, the GCC states and Jordan are accomplice, so co-belligerent, as they allow the US to attack Iran from their soil.

Qatar fails to refer to international law properly, as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait are contributing to aggression and violence in the act of war by the US, which is a violation of Article 2(5) of the UN Charter.

‘Offensive’ strikes on Iranian missile launchers saving interceptors

David Des Roches, a professor at the Thayer Marshall Institute, says a week into the US-Israel attack on Iran, the war highlights the crucial strategy of targeting a nation’s ballistic missile launchers.

“You can’t just be on defense, you have to have an offensive capability,” he told Al Jazeera, noting that on the first day of the war, Iran fired about 350 ballistic missiles, but now, it’s launching just 15-20 per day.

“So the numbers have dropped off drastically. That is possible because of the offensive targeting of the ballistic missile launchers,” Des Roches said.

The strategy has dramatically protected the stockpiles of expensive interceptors of the countries in the Gulf and Israel, he noted.

The view suggest that the US may be in shortage of interceptors.

Strikes on US bases a ‘legal act of self-defense’: Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran’s attacks on US targets in the Middle East are a response to the war “imposed” by the US and Israel.

In an interview with NBC, the minister said Iran did not choose the conflict and is acting in self-defense.

“This is not the war of our choice. This is imposed on us by the United States and by Israel,” he said, describing the conflict as “unprovoked, unwarranted and illegal”.

Iran’s retaliatory military actions are directed at US bases, installations, and assets in the region, even if they are located on the territory of neighbouring countries, said Araghchi.

‘Strategic partnership’: Iran says military cooperation with Russia to continue

Iran’s foreign minister says military cooperation between Tehran and Moscow is ongoing and not new, describing it as part of a longstanding strategic partnership.

Asked if Iran is receiving help from Russia, Abbas Araghchi said in an interview that the two countries have maintained military ties for years.

“We have a strategic partnership with Russia,” he said. “Military cooperation between Iran and Russia is not something new. It’s not a secret. It has been in the past, and it is still there, and will continue in the future.”

Asked whether Russia is helping Iran locate US targets, the minister said he did not have detailed military information but reiterated that relations between the two countries are strong.

“As far as I know, we have a very good partnership with Russia. They are helping us in many different directions, but I don’t have any detailed information.”

France’s Macron calls Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim, condemns Iranian attacks

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has received a phone call from French President Emmanuel Macron

According to a statement from the emir’s office, Macron reiterated France’s condemnation of the Iranian attacks against Qatar and other countries in the region.

Macron also affirmed France’s full solidarity with Qatar in the face of the attacks and praised the effectiveness of the Qatari armed forces in protecting people on its territory, including French residents.

The two leaders also stressed the importance of ensuring stable energy supplies and freedom of navigation in key sea lanes, according to the statement. They called for de-escalation and prioritizing dialogue and diplomatic solutions.

US military tells Iran civilians to stay indoors

US Central Command has urged civilians in Iran to stay inside their homes, alleging that Iranian forces are using heavily populated areas to launch drones and missiles.

“This dangerous decision risks the lives of all civilians in Iran since locations used for military purposes lose protected status and could become legitimate military targets under international law,” it said in a statement.

Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, added, “Iran’s terrorist regime is blatantly disregarding civilian lives by attacking Gulf partners while compromising the safety of their own people.”

The statement is similar to those issued previously by Israel, which accused Hamas fighters of using civilian areas in Gaza to launch rockets.

How is CENTCOM telling Iranian civilians to stay indoors?

The country has been under total internet blackout since the beginning of the war on Iran.

Attacks on Iran may diminish sympathy towards foreign intervention

Zeidon Alkinani, a politics lecturer at Georgetown University in Qatar, has told Al Jazeera that the attacks on Iran could strengthen the anti-US and anti-Israel sentiment in the country.

“A lot of people are discussing now, through different media agencies in Iran, how much will the Iranian people be able to keep sympathy, or be willing for a regime change to come from outside forces?” he said.

“And this has happened in the past. We’ve had people who, in Iraq, were against Saddam’s regime, but did not find sympathy with the humanitarian action or the humanitarian intervention which was led by the US military air strikes against their own country,” added Alkinani, referring to the former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

“There is also a very strong fan base for the regime. This is a four-decade-old regime with various institutional, cultural and political influences across the spectrum,” he said.

Operations normal at Oman’s port of Duqm after drone strikes

Oman’s ⁠commercial port of Duqm says the port and ⁠maritime operations are proceeding normally, days after a fuel tank ‌at the port was hit during an attack by several unmanned aircraft.

“All ⁠operational and logistical ⁠services continue to function efficiently ensuring the ⁠smooth movement of ⁠vessels and cargo ⁠to and from the port,” it ‌said in a post on X.

The US-Israeli war on Iran could leave consumers and businesses worldwide facing weeks or months of higher fuel prices, even if the conflict, which is now in its eighth day, ends quickly, as suppliers grapple with damaged facilities, disrupted logistics, and elevated risks to shipping.

IRGC says it destroys 4 antimissile defence systems in 24 hours

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it has destroyed four radar systems linked to US THAAD antimissile defense systems in the region over the past 24 hours.

According to Iran’s state news agency IRNA, the radar systems were hit by precision-guided missiles during operations targeting US missile defense infrastructure.

THAAD, known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, are a key US missile defense platform designed to detect and intercept ballistic missiles.

Attacks on Gulf countries continue amid fluid, unpredictable situation

The situation is not only volatile, but it is incredibly fluid at the moment and seemingly quite unpredictable.

This rhetoric comes from Iran, that they may stop attacking Gulf nations, yet a steady stream of projectiles being fired directly into the Gulf nations.

One of the worst that is believed to have been affected is the United Arab Emirates. Every day, they’ve been seeing about 100 drones sent in, but also ballistic missiles. Today, there were 17 ballistic missiles and 117 drones.

They are intercepting the majority of those, but there have also been deaths. Four people have been killed there since the beginning of this war. They are foreign nationals, people who have come from around the world mainly to work in the country.

"One of the worst that is believed to have been affected is the United Arab Emirates."

The UAE was the first to sign the Israeli-American Abraham Accords in December 2020. It was mastermind by Netanyahu with Trump's orthodox Jewish son-in-law Jared Kushner. The Kushners have close private ties with the Netanyahus.

The UAE is also the only country in the region where the Israelis have a presence related to their "security."

The country also host military presence from Italy, France, Britain, and the US.

US military to ‘eliminate this threat once and for all’: US envoy to UN

Mike Waltz, US ambassador to the United Nations, says the war on Iran will “eliminate” the threat Iran has posed to the Middle East “for 47 years”.

“The military objectives and achievements a week in are truly extraordinary,” Waltz told Meet the Press, a program on the NBC TV network.

“Iran’s air force destroyed. Iran’s air defences destroyed and almost completely degraded. Navy sunk – over 40 ships sitting at the bottom of the ocean.”

The president and other US officials, Waltz added, are “laying out the case in terms of how we’re going to protect the American people and eliminate this threat once and for all”.

Iraqi oil output plunges after Strait of Hormuz disruption

Iraq’s oil production from its main southern fields has fallen by about 70 percent to roughly 1.3 million barrels per day because it cannot export crude through the Strait of Hormuz.

Before the conflict, production from the oilfields stood at about 4.3 million barrels per day.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints, through which about 20 percent of global oil supplies pass.

Iran has previously threatened to set ships on fire if they try to pass through the narrow waterway as the US and Israel attack the country.

US ‘complicating’ matters for Gulf allies

Dania Thafer, executive director of the Gulf International Forum, says it appears the US is complicating matters for the Gulf states.

Thafer stressed that calculations in the West and the Middle East emphasize different things.

“For example, the US focuses a lot on material gains and wins. In the region, a lot is about dignity as well,” she said.

“When Trump went ahead and said that they [Iran] surrendered to the Gulf states, then that made them harden their stance in Iran and said, ‘No, we have not surrendered, and we are going to continue,’ and this is one of the main problems,” Thafer added.

“The other problem is there is grave concern within the Gulf states that the US and Israel want to drag them into this war.”

Security chief Ari Larijani says lran’s leadership united in conflict with US and Israel

Speaking to Iranian television, Ari Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Iran’s leaders remain united in the conflict with the US and Israel and also rejected Trump’s suggestion he would be involved in choosing Iran’s next leader.

Some of his translated comments:

• Our leaders are united on this issue and have no disagreements with one another. We have no divisions among ourselves in fighting Israel and the United States.
• It’s true that Iranians may have differences among themselves, but they are still Iranian, and they stand with Iran. The idea of breaking Iran apart will not gain their cooperation. And besides that, they have seen your history of interventions in the region.
• Now what is Mr. Trump saying? He is saying he contributed to what happened to the leader of Iran and that he made him a martyr. He says he thinks he should contribute to the selection of the next leader of Iran. In my opinion, that shows he’s a very backwards person.

Ukraine to ‘send experts’ to Middle East countries: Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Kyiv plans to provide expertise to help civilians and US soldiers in countries in the Middle East.

“We have received some messages regarding how to help civilians in the Middle East and how to help American soldiers deployed in certain countries,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, without elaborating on the nature of the messages. “We responded: we will send experts and provide everything needed to protect them.”

Throughout the week, the Ukrainian president has said that US partners have contacted Ukraine for advice on dealing with Iranian weaponry.

In another post, Zelenskyy wrote that he hoped “the war will not be long”, adding that a prolonged conflict would “definitely have influence on the situation in Ukraine”.

Ukraine appears to make its war with Russia a business.

US-Israel actions ‘immoral and illegal’: Omani foreign minister

Oman’s top diplomat has condemned the US and Israel’s attacks on Iran, and Iran’s counterattacks across the Gulf over the past week.

In a post on X, Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi said he was “pleased” to join a virtual meeting with his Arab League counterparts.

“The action taken by Israel and the US against Iran is both immoral and illegal,” he wrote.

“But the retaliation by Iran against its neighbours is also deeply regrettable and unacceptable. I call for restraint on all sides, a ceasefire, and an urgent return to diplomacy.”

UK’s Starmer and Trump discuss military cooperation

UK Prime ⁠Minister ⁠Keir Starmer has spoken with US President Donald Trump about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The duo discussed “military cooperation between the UK and US through the use of RAF (Royal Air Force) bases in support of ⁠the collective self-defiance of partners ⁠in the region”, according to a readout of the call from the prime minister’s office.

Trump wrote on Truth Social yesterday that he did not need the UK to deploy aircraft carriers to the Middle East, after the UK’s Ministry of Defense said that one its two flagship aircraft carriers had been placed on “high readiness”.

All so-called "partners in the region" are hosting bases of the United States as the attacking belligerent, that carries out attacks on Iran from their soil. Countries that allow this to happen are at least responsible under states responsibility laws.

Two killed, 12 wounded after projectile hits building in Saudi Arabia

An attack on a residential building in Saudi Arabia has killed at least two people and wounded a dozen others, the civil defense agency says.

The strike hit a compound in the central al-Kharj governorate, the agency said on X.

Iraq’s foreign minister warns of ‘widespread armed chaos’

The current situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the widening scope of the conflict could trigger multiple simultaneous crises, Iraq’s foreign minister warns.

Fuad Hussein told his Arab League counterparts the critical waterway’s closure has a “direct impact on the interests of Iraq, the region and the world”.

Other repercussions could include “crises in energy supplies and prices, widespread armed chaos in the region, and mass displacement or migration”, he added.

Iraq’s oil production from its main fields has plummeted by about 70 percent in recent days as it remains unable to export crude through the strait.

'US to expand Iran operation from air war to ground push'?

Sources have told us sending troops into Iran is something that is being considered by the US.

Leave has been cancelled, some training exercises have been postponed and people are now being retrained in other ways – and that would suggest that, as you’d expect in this sort of situation, that there are plans under way if the commander-in-chief were to order any sort of land incursion.

Now that could come in one of two ways: One could be an invasion in a way that we know – but that would take somewhere in the region of half a million troops, according to any analyst that we speak to, and it’s not clear whether the US is in a position to move that amount of force into the region in a relatively short timescale.

The other alternative would be some sort of special forces operation on the ground in Iran. That has been talked about in the past, and it has been talked about even in the last 24 to 48 hours where special forces would be used to secure Iran’s enriched uranium stocks.

Obviously, it wouldn’t happen at the moment. There are many reasons for that, including the continued bombardment of Iran.

It just makes it too difficult on the ground, but it’s obviously something that could be used in the future if the White House were to decide to expand this operation from just an air war to something on the ground.

IRGC warns of retaliation during US-Israel attacks on energy infrastructure

A spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it will retaliate if US-Israeli attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure don’t let up.

In a statement carried by Iranian state media, the unnamed spokesperson accused the US and Israel of targeting civilians and fuel and energy facilities and claimed the IRGC has “refrained from any similar action”.

Gulf countries should tell the US and Israel to stop, the spokesperson added, or else “similar actions will be taken in the region.”

“If you can tolerate oil at more than $200 per barrel, continue this game.”

Drone intercepted in Jordanian city of Irbid

A drone has been intercepted after breaching the airspace of the Jordanian city of Irbid.

Iran says 104 killed in US submarine attack on warship

At least 104 Iranian personnel were killed, and 32 were wounded in the US attack on an Iranian warship last week, according to Iran’s army, cited by Fars news agency.

The IRIS Dena was torpedoed and sunk by a US submarine in the Indian Ocean.

The US is reportedly exerting diplomatic pressure on Sri Lanka over the handing over of the Iranian sailors it rescued.

Gulf countries united in rhetoric, bolstering defenses

Gulf countries are all on the same page. This has been continually reiterated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Qatar and across the Gulf.

Today was the meeting of the Arab League, the 22-member bloc. They essentially wanted to show solidarity, and say these missiles being fired at Iran’s neighbours are illegal and a violation of their sovereignty.

This has also been reiterated within the Gulf Cooperation Council, which had a meeting with the European Union just a few days ago, and came out with a joint statement saying this is a constant violation of sovereignty – and they have every right to defend themselves.

It seems at the moment it’s about bolstering defences, but not offensives.

Attack on Iran has ‘achieved nothing’ except civilian bloodshed: IRGC

A spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned that if air strikes continue against its energy facilities, similar attacks will be carried out in the Middle East.

“The criminal United States and the beleaguered Zionist regime … have achieved nothing since the onset of their aggression against Islamic Iran except for killing innocent children, defenseless men and women, and civilians,” the spokesman said in a statement.

“In addition to killing non-combatants and shedding their blood, they have gone further by targeting parts of the fuel and energy infrastructure and service centres belonging to the people in their new, boundless, and brutal assaults.”

He noted that so far, Iran has “refrained from any similar actions”.

“It is expected that the governments of Islamic countries will urgently warn the criminal United States and the savage Zionist regime against such cowardly inhumane actions to prevent the flames of war from spreading further,” the statement said.

More on civilian sites attacked in Iran: Red Crescent

Pirhoussein Koulivand, head of Iran’s Red Crescent Society, says 65 schools and 32 medical facilities, hospitals and pharmacies have been attacked since the US and Israel launched the war.

They are among the almost 10,000 civilian sites that the Red Crescent said earlier have been damaged in the country. The announcement came after the Israeli military said it struck more than 3,400 targets in Iran.

US Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesman, denied targeting civilians in a comment to The Associated Press and instead accused Iran of deliberately doing so.

Bahrain condemns Iranian attacks on Gulf states at UN Security Council

Bahrain has condemned Tehran’s retaliatory attacks on Gulf states after the US and Israel launched a war on Iran.

Speaking at a UN Security Council briefing, Bahrain’s UN ambassador, Jamal Fares Al Ruwaie, said the Gulf Cooperation Council strongly condemned the “unjustified and heinous” attacks and called for them to stop immediately to restore stability in the region.

He warned that the attacks threaten regional security, stressing the need to safeguard air and maritime routes and protect energy infrastructure.

Al Ruwaie also accused Iran of actions that undermine regional stability, including threats to the Strait of Hormuz and attacks targeting oil tankers and energy facilities.

France’s Macron urges Pezeshkian to ‘immediately cease strikes’

French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

“I emphasized the necessity for Iran to immediately cease its strikes against countries in the region,” Macron wrote on X. “Iran must also guarantee freedom of navigation by putting an end to the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz.”

The French leader also said the safety and repatriation of Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, a formerly imprisoned French couple currently on the grounds of the French Embassy, is an “absolute priority”.

He reiterated France’s concerns over Iran’s nuclear and ballistic programs, and “the entirety of its destabilizing activities in the region”.

Both leaders agreed to remain in contact, Macron said.

US serviceman dies from wounds sustained in Iran attack

Another US soldier has died from wounds sustained during an Iranian attack on a US base, this time in Saudi Arabia, US Central Command says.

It is the seventh death of an American serviceman since the war began on February 28, after the US and Israel attacked Iran.

Saudi Arabia says 2 drones intercepted north of Riyadh

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry says its forces shot down two drones north of the capital, Riyadh.

In a statement, the ministry’s official spokesperson said the attacks were thwarted. No further details were immediately provided about the origin of the drones or possible casualties or damage.

Iran ‘will not surrender’, parliament speaker says

US President Trump made a “big mistake” by assuming Iran would capitulate after a few days of war, ⁠Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, says.

“Without a doubt, our nation and our people will not surrender,” government news service IRNA quoted Qalibaf as saying. “They will fight, struggle, and will not surrender.”

The speaker cautioned that Iran would take “countermeasures” against any Gulf country that allows the US to use its bases to attack Tehran.

He also echoed comments from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson earlier, who warned that “if the war on infrastructure continues, we will retaliate without hesitation”.

Iranian leaders project ‘defiance’ as strikes pound Tehran

Iran’s government has announced a new wave of what it calls Operation True Promise IV, with missiles and drones launched against Israel and other targets in the Middle East.

So, it’s a situation of defiance in Iran, and Iranian leaders are repeating the same lines about the anger here after the targeting of civilian infrastructure.

Russian, UAE foreign ministers urge end to attacks on civilians

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has spoken with his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed.

The ministers emphasized the need for immediate de-escalation of the conflict, especially attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in both the Gulf and Iran, according to a Russian readout of the phone call.

They also agreed to push for a return to diplomatic negotiations at the UN and other forums to end the US-Israel strikes on Iran.

Iran says Azerbaijan air strike ‘not connected’ to Tehran

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has told Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, that an air strike on the country was not connected to Iran, the Azerbaijani news agency reports.

During a phone call, Pezeshkian also thanked Aliyev for visiting the Iranian embassy in Azerbaijan to offer condolences following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and civilians killed in recent attacks on Iran by the US and Israel.

Pezeshkian said the incident in Nakhchivan would be investigated, while Aliyev stressed the importance of determining what had happened.

Aliyev again expressed condolences over civilian deaths in Iran.

This is not the first time that Iran denies that it carried out the drone attack on Azerbaijan's international airport. The way Tehran denies sounds more plausible than what Baku claims.

Trump, UAE president discuss Iran’s latest attacks

Trump spoke with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The leaders discussed Iran’s latest attacks on the UAE and its neighbours, state media reported, as well as the ongoing war’s broader implications for regional and international security.

Israel and the US continue attacks on Iran, in which more than 1,300 people, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and top military officials, have been killed.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel as well as many countries that host US military assets.

Qatar PM urges de-escalation during US-Israel attacks on Iran

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed ⁠bin Abdulrahman ⁠Al Thani has urged all sides ⁠involved in the Middle East war to de-escalate.

“We will continue talking to ⁠the Iranians; we will continue trying to seek de-escalation,” the prime minister said in a Sky News interview.

Sheikh Mohammed said that recent events delivered “a huge shake-up” to the trust underpinning the relationship with Iran.

“For the US, we would like to see a de-escalation. We would like to see … a diplomatic solution that ⁠addresses our concerns as well ⁠as their concerns,” he added.

“We need to ensure first that Iran should stop all attacks against ⁠Gulf countries and other countries that they ⁠are attacking and are not ⁠party of this war,” said Sheikh Mohammed.

The US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran last week, ‌prompting Tehran to fire missiles towards Israel and several Gulf locations hosting US ‌military ‌facilities.

Sri Lanka plans to issue free visas for Iranian sailors

Sri Lanka will issue month long visas for the Iranian sailors evacuated outside its waters after a US submarine attack sank another ship in the same area, killing more than 80 sailors.

Public Security Minister Anada Wijepala told the media that the government will issue “a free visa” for the Iranian sailors, adding “it will take some time for them to leave this country”.

On Saturday, 204 sailors were transferred to a Sri Lankan naval base from their ship IRIS Bushehr, which was taken under Sri Lankan custody.

The ship sought help from Sri Lanka, reporting an engine failure. The appeal followed the sinking of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena by a US torpedo attack off Sri Lanka’s coast on Wednesday.

The Sri Lankan navy rescued 32 sailors and recovered 87 bodies. The strike marked one of the rare instances since World War II in which a submarine sank a surface warship.

US cardinal slams ‘sickening’ White House war montage video

An American cardinal close to Pope Leo XIV has described a White House video montage mixing Hollywood film clips with real footage of strikes on Iran as “horrifying” and “sickening”.

“A real war with real death and real suffering being treated like it’s a video game – it’s sickening,” Cardinal Blase Cupich said in a statement on the diocese’s website.

In the 42-second video posted on X on Friday with the caption, “Justice the American way”, Hollywood heroics are interspersed with footage released by the US military showing real strikes on various targets in Iran.

It was a “horrifying portrayal”, as “more than 1,000 Iranian men, women and children” have been killed by US and Israeli missiles, he wrote.

“Our government is treating the suffering of the Iranian people as a backdrop for our own entertainment, as if it’s just another piece of content to be swiped through while we’re waiting in line at the grocery store.

He warned: “We lose our humanity when we are thrilled by the destructive power of our military.”

“I know that the American people are better than this,” he wrote.

Cupich is the archbishop of Chicago, Pope Leo’s hometown and one of the largest dioceses in the United States.