A huge fire breaks out in an oil depot after an Israeli airstrike in Tehran. Photo: AFP
DUBAI:
The war between Israel, the United States and Iran intensified on Sunday with new attacks on Iranian fuel facilities near Tehran and retaliatory drone and missile strikes across the Gulf, widening a conflict that has shaken regional security and sent global energy markets into turmoil.
As the conflict entered its second week amid uncertainty over Iran’s leadership following the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Assembly of Experts met privately to choose a successor, with Iranian media suggesting Khamenei’s son Mojtaba was a leading candidate.
US President Donald Trump said Iran’s next leader would not last long without US approval and warned the war could only end when Iran’s military and ruling leadership were eliminated.
Iran rejected the remarks, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying the election of a new supreme leader was purely a domestic decision. Araghchi said Iran would continue to fight until there was a permanent end to the war.
He accused the United States and Israel of attacking civilian facilities, including hospitals and schools, and rejected Washington’s claims that Iran posed an imminent nuclear threat.
Israel expanded its bombardment of Iran overnight, hitting major fuel storage facilities around the Iranian capital. Residents reported thick black smoke hanging over Tehran as oil depots burned, lighting the night sky with flames and disrupting fuel distribution in the city.
Iran condemned the attacks as a war crime. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said targeted fuel depots released toxic materials into the air and put civilian lives at risk.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said their forces could sustain the conflict for up to six months and warned that more advanced long-range missiles could be used in the coming days.
The fighting has increasingly spread across the region. Iran launched drone and missile strikes against several Gulf states, targeting energy and infrastructure facilities. In Kuwait, fuel tanks at the country’s international airport were hit by drones, causing a fire that authorities said was later brought under control.
Kuwait’s interior ministry said two border guards were killed while carrying out their duties and that civilian facilities sustained damage from falling debris during the interception. Kuwait’s National Oil Company announced a preemptive reduction in crude oil production.
Bahrain said an Iranian drone strike damaged a desalination plant, marking the first reported attack on such a facility during the conflict. Officials said water supplies were not interrupted, although the attack raised concerns about the vulnerability of vital infrastructure.
Saudi Arabia said a projectile hit a residential area south of Riyadh, killing two people and wounding 12 others. The Ministry of Defense said it had intercepted dozens of drones aimed at targets including the diplomatic quarter in the capital.
The United Arab Emirates said its air defense systems intercepted 16 ballistic missiles and more than 100 drones aimed at the country, although several drones managed to hit its territory. The UAE said four migrant workers had been killed in Iranian attacks since the conflict began.
The war has also spread to Lebanon, where Israel launched airstrikes after the Iran-backed Hezbollah group fired rockets and drones into Israeli territory. Lebanese health officials said nearly 400 people had been killed in Israeli strikes over the past week.
Israel struck a hotel in central Beirut on Sunday, saying it had attacked Iranian commanders operating in the city. The attack marked the first attack on the heart of the Lebanese capital since hostilities resumed.
Elsewhere in the region, Israeli forces carried out an airstrike in Gaza City that killed at least two Palestinians traveling in a car, according to local health officials. Violence in Gaza has continued despite a ceasefire agreement reached last year.
The human toll of the wider conflict has continued to rise. Iran’s UN ambassador said at least 1,332 Iranian civilians had been killed and thousands wounded in US-Israeli strikes, while Iranian strikes have killed 10 people in Israel. At least six US servicemen have also been killed during the conflict.
The US has not ruled out further escalation. Reports suggested Washington was considering deploying special forces to secure Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium later in the war, although the plan has not been confirmed.
Analysts say the conflict has already begun to reshape the global economy. Fighting near the Strait of Hormuz – a critical route that transports about 20% of the world’s oil and liquid natural gas – has disrupted shipping and driven energy prices significantly higher.
Crude oil prices rose to over 90 dollars per barrel. barrel within days of the escalation, and fuel costs rose across North America, Europe and Asia. The spike has triggered higher petrol and diesel prices worldwide and raised fears of a wider energy crisis.
Despite growing international concern, there are few signs of a diplomatic breakthrough. World leaders including China and the Vatican have called for dialogue and restraint, but the conflict shows no immediate path to resolution as the region braces for further escalation.
