Smoke and fire rise from the site of airstrikes at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran on March 7, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)
Atta Kenare | afp | fake images
US and Israeli airstrikes against Iran continued on Saturday, a week after they launched their joint campaign to rid Tehran of its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities while pushing for regime change.
Tehran’s energy-rich Gulf neighbors said they intercepted more missiles and drones heading into their airspace from Iran, as the country’s president reportedly apologized for the attacks.
“US forces have struck more than 3,000 targets in the first week of Operation Epic Fury and we are not slowing down,” US Central Command said in a post on X.
President Donald Trump on Friday demanded Iran’s unconditional surrender, raising fears of a protracted war that could wreak havoc on the global oil and gas market. The war has already virtually paralyzed traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital transportation route for energy supplies.
The Israeli military said that “another wave of attacks in Tehran has been completed.”
“As part of these attacks, Air Force fighter jets dropped approximately 230 munitions toward several regime military sites,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a Farsi post on X.
The targets included the Central Military University of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a missile storage site and an underground site to store and produce ballistic missiles, the Israeli military said.
The strikes involved more than 80 Israeli fighter jets, the IDF said in a separate publication.
“These attacks degrade the Iranian regime’s ability to fire on Israeli civilians,” the IDF said.
The Gulf region under threat
Countries in the region said they launched air defenses to defend against Iranian attacks.
The Saudi Ministry of Defense reported the “interception and destruction of a drone east of the city of Riyadh.”
The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia’s northern neighbor, said its air defenses responded to “incoming missile and drone threats from Iran.”
“The (Ministry of Defense) claims that the sounds heard are the result of Air Defense systems intercepting missiles and drones,” the UAE said.
The country’s largest city, Dubai, issued an alert urging residents to seek immediate shelter in secure buildings and stay away from windows, doors and open areas.
Dubai-based Emirates airline said it suspended all flights to and from the city.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly said that the US demand for unconditional surrender is a “dream they should take to their graves.”
Pezeshkian made the statement in a pre-recorded speech broadcast on state television, The Associated Press reported.
He also apologized for Iran’s attacks on countries in the region, insisting that Tehran would stop them and suggesting that a lack of communication in the ranks was the cause, the AP said.
U.S. crude oil posted its biggest weekly gain in futures trading history on Friday, as the escalating war in the Middle East has caused a major disruption to global fuel supplies.
US crude oil soared 35.63%, making the biggest weekly gain in the history of the futures contract dating back to 1983. Brent jumped about 28%, making its biggest weekly gain since April 2020.
West Texas Intermediate futures rose 12.21%, or $9.89, to close at $90.90 a barrel. Global benchmark Brent rose 8.52%, or $7.28, to settle at $92.69 per barrel.
