Dubai, Mar 7: Explosions sent up clouds of dark smoke in the Iranian capital city early Saturday, and Tehran retaliated by firing missiles at Israel as the United States warned of a forthcoming bombing campaign that officials said would be the most intense yet in the weeklong conflict.
There was no foreseeable end to the fighting. US President Donald Trump’s administration approved a new USD 151 million arms sale to Israel after Trump said he would not negotiate with Iran without its “unconditional surrender.” Iran’s UN ambassador said the country would “take all necessary measures” to defend itself.
Associated Press video showed explosions flashing and smoke rising over western Tehran as Israel said it had begun a broad wave of strikes. Also early Saturday, the Israeli military said it was moving to intercept a new salvo of missiles launched from Iran.
In a sign of the widening nature of the conflict, sirens sounded early Saturday in Bahrain as an Iranian attack targeted the island kingdom. And Saudi Arabia said it destroyed drones headed toward its vast Shaybah oil field and shot down a ballistic missile launched toward Prince Sultan Air Base, which hosts US forces.
The US and Israel have battered Iran with strikes, targeting its military capabilities, leadership and nuclear program. The stated goals and timelines for the war have repeatedly shifted, as the US has at times suggested it seeks to topple Iran’s government or elevate new leadership from within.
Meanwhile, Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran strike the US military, according to two officials familiar with US intelligence on the matter. Russian President Vladimir Putin had a call Friday with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, expressing his condolences over the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Kremlin said.
In other developments, evidence emerged suggesting that an explosion that killed scores of Iranian students at a school was likely caused by US airstrikes that also hit an adjacent compound associated with the regime’s Revolutionary Guard.
Qatar’s energy minister, Saad al-Kaabi, warned in an interview with the Financial Times that the war could “bring down the economies of the world,” predicting a widespread shutdown of Gulf energy exports that could send oil to USD 150 a barrel.
The price for a barrel of benchmark US crude rose above USD 90 on Friday for the first time in more than two years. (AP)
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