Iran strikes escalate: Fresh blasts hit Dubai, Doha and Manama

US President Donald Trump said the strikes were aimed at ending a decades-long threat from Iran and ensuring it could not develop a nuclear weapon.

"This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS," Trump wrote on Truth Social after Khamenei's body was found.

 

Iran's Response

Israel’s military said it targeted Iran’s ballistic missile and air defence systems in strikes carried out on Sunday morning.

In response, Iran’s armed forces said they would soon launch their biggest offensive yet against US bases and Israel. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps made the pledge in a statement on Sunday.

Shortly after 6 a.m., air raid sirens sounded repeatedly across Israel, warning residents of incoming attacks. In Tel Aviv, a series of explosions were heard as Israel’s air defence system intercepted Iranian missiles. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Witnesses in the Gulf cities of Dubai and Doha said they heard several loud blasts.

Iran had already responded to Saturday’s initial strikes by launching hundreds of missiles and drones targeting US troops and cities in Israel, as well as locations in Arab countries allied with Washington.

The escalation led to widespread flight cancellations across the Middle East.

The Pentagon said there were no US deaths or injuries, but acknowledged new risks for Americans in the region.

A senior US intelligence official told Reuters that while the main threat was to US military personnel, cyber attacks on critical US infrastructure were also a possibility.

Major airports across the Middle East, including Dubai — the world’s busiest international travel hub — were shut on Saturday. The disruption followed Iran’s missile retaliation and became one of the most serious shocks to global aviation in years.

Dubai’s landmark Burj Al Arab hotel and the airport, which handles more than 1,000 flights a day, were damaged in overnight attacks across Gulf states. Airports in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait were also hit.

On SaturStrait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which about a fifth of global oil consumption passes. The move raised fears of a sharp jump in oil prices.

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that hundreds of civilians were killed and injured in the US and Israeli strikes. He described Iran’s retaliation as an act of self-defence and said the bases of hostile forces were legitimate military targets.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged an immediate end to the fighting, saying he deeply regretted that an opportunity for diplomacy had been "squandered."

Following reports of Khamenei’s death, witnesses said some Iranians took to the streets in Tehran, Karaj and Isfahan. Videos circulating on social media showed scenes of celebration in some areas, though Reuters said it could not immediately verify them.

US sources said Israel and the United States timed the strikes to coincide with a meeting of Khamenei and his top aides. State media reported that he was working in his office when the attack happened. The strike also killed his daughter, grandchild, daughter-in-law and son-in-law.

In a statement, the Revolutionary Guards mourned the loss of " a great leader"

While, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Iranians to rise up and overthrow their government after the attacks. Israel’s military said the strikes killed at least seven senior military commanders.

Failed Talks

Israeli military operations over the past two years had already killed some senior Iranian military officials. These actions also seriously weakened several of Tehran’s proxy groups across the Middle East.

After Israel carried out a 12-day air war in June, with support from the United States, both countries warned they would strike again if Iran continued its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

At a United Nations meeting, representatives from Russia and China criticised the strikes. They said the attacks were launched while Tehran was still holding talks with Washington.

Russia’s UN envoy, Vasily Nebenzya, said Iran had been "stabbed in the back." He disagreed with the US claim that the strikes were meant to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

China called for an immediate ceasefire. It urged all sides to avoid further escalation and return to negotiations. The official Xinhua news agency also described the attacks on Sunday as "brazen aggression against a sovereign nation."

Advertisement

Senior US officials said recent talks showed that Iran was not willing to stop enriching uranium. Iran says the enrichment is for nuclear energy. However, US officials say it could allow the country to build a nuclear bomb.