The US-Israeli war on Iran entered its ninth day, today, Sunday, March 8, 2026, amid a new field escalation inside and outside Iran, and a clear expansion in the nature of the targeted targets, with continued air strikes, rising death tolls, exchange of threats between Washington and Tehran, and increasing pressure on energy and transportation markets in the region. According to Reuters and the Associated Press, the recent hours witnessed new raids on Tehran, and Iranian strikes on Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, in conjunction with Iranian talk about a conditional cessation of attacks on neighboring countries, in exchange for an American insistence on continuing the war without a settlement for the time being.
In the most prominent development inside Iran, Reuters reported that Israel announced that it had carried out new strikes across Iran, targeting, according to it, missile sites, command centers and fuel depots. According to Iranian media reports, large explosions were heard in parts of Tehran, while the Associated Press confirmed that the overnight strikes hit oil facilities in the capital, including an oil depot and a refinery, causing large fires and thick clouds of smoke that covered parts of the city on Sunday morning. The AP described the strikes as one of the first times a civilian industrial structure of this magnitude has been targeted inside Tehran since the start of the current war.
On the other front, Gulf states reported several new Iranian attacks last night and this morning. Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain reported Iranian drone attacks between Saturday and Sunday dawn, while the Associated Press reported that Iran hit a desalination plant in Bahrain, in a development the agency described as opening a new chapter in the targeting of critical infrastructure in the Gulf. The AP explained that this plant is essential for drinking water supplies in a Gulf environment that relies heavily on desalination, adding that the attack came after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated that a US strike had damaged an Iranian desalination plant on Qeshm Island, saying that the US had set this precedent, not Iran. The Associated Press also noted that the US military has not confirmed that the Iranian facility was targeted.
According to field details published today, the AP reported that the UAE said debris from an interceptor hit a vehicle and killed a driver, bringing the death toll in the UAE since the start of the war to four. Authorities told residents to stay indoors on Sunday morning while troops responded to a drone attack. In Kuwait, authorities reported a wave of drones targeting sensitive infrastructure, including fuel tanks at Kuwait International Airport and a government building in Kuwait City. In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the Associated Press said at least two people were killed in the strikes. Saudi Arabia also announced the destruction of a drone heading to the Shaybah oil field and the interception of four drones over Riyadh, including one heading to the diplomatic neighborhood. According to the Associated Press, Bahrain said that missile fragments landed on a road in Manama, injuring one person and damaging a number of shops.
Politically, Reuters reports that US President Donald Trump emphasized today that he is not interested in negotiating an end to the war at this point, stating on Air Force One that the war may reach a point where no one is left to say we are surrendering, indicating that the war may only end after Iran's leadership and military structure are eliminated. Hours earlier, Reuters had quoted Trump as saying in a post on TruthSocial that Iran would receive a very severe blow today, with a warning that the list of targets would be expanded to include areas and groups that were not previously targeted. He was also quoted by the Associated Press as telling reporters on Saturday that the United States is not looking for a settlement to the war at the moment, although Iran would like to. The remarks came at a time when Washington and Tel Aviv are talking about continued operations, not an imminent lull.
The Iranian presidency has tried to send soothing signals to the Gulf states as the firefight continues. Reuters reported that Iranian President Masoud Bazeshkian apologized to neighboring countries for the attacks on them, and said that the interim leadership council agreed to suspend attacks on neighboring countries unless strikes against Iran are launched from their territories. However, the Associated Press emphasized that this conciliatory approach did not actually stop the attacks, as the attacks continued this morning on Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The AP quoted Bazeshkian as calling Trump's demand for unconditional surrender a dream that they should take with them to their graves. The head of the judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, a member of the interim leadership council, was also quoted as saying via the X platform that intensive attacks on these targets will continue, referring to sites that Tehran considers to be used against it.
On the Iranian leadership front, Reuters reports that the religious body responsible for selecting a new leader may meet as early as Sunday to choose a successor to Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the first strikes of this war according to the version currently circulating in reports. The agency quoted a member of the Assembly of Experts as saying that a major consensus has already been achieved on the name of the new caliph. In a notable escalation, Reuters reported that the Israeli military posted a warning in Farsi on the X platform, vowing to go after Khamenei's successor and anyone involved in the selection process. According to the report, the threat also extends to members of the clerical body authorized to nominate a successor, reflecting a shift in military and political pressure to the succession issue itself.
On the issue of casualties, Reuters today quoted Iran's ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeed Irwani, as saying that the US-Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and injured thousands more. In contrast, Reuters said the Iranian attacks killed 10 people in Israel and at least six U.S. military personnel. The Associated Press said the official death toll so far includes at least 1,230 dead in Iran, more than 290 dead in Lebanon, 11 dead in Israel and six US soldiers. The difference in figures between the two agencies is due to the different hours of updating and the official sources used by each side.
Reuters also confirmed today that the strikes and developments on the ground were accompanied by continued turmoil in energy markets. Brent crude rose above $90 a barrel for the first time since April 2024, according to Reuters, while the Saudi index rose about 2 percent in early trading, benefiting from energy and basic materials stocks. Saudi Aramco rose 4 percent and Yanbu National Petrochemical jumped 10 percent, Reuters said. Meanwhile, the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation began cutting production and declared a force majeure situation, adding new pressure on supplies after shipments from the region were disrupted for the eighth consecutive day, according to the same report.
All in all, the news of the day on March 8 is centered on five main stories: New strikes inside Iran, including fuel facilities in Tehran; Iranian attacks on Gulf infrastructure and cities, including a desalination plant in Bahrain; a declared US intransigence and refusal to compromise; an Iranian political apology that did not stop the strikes; Khamenei's succession becomes a direct threat from Israel; the death toll continues to rise and anxiety in energy and transportation markets escalates; and the issue of Khamenei's succession becomes an area of direct threat from Israel.
References:
Associated Press (2026, March 8). Iranian drone damages desalination plant in Bahrain; regional attacks expand amid war. Associated Press.
Associated Press. (2026, March 8). The latest: Israel hits Lebanon and Tehran oil depot as desalination plants become targets. Associated Press.
Reuters. (2026, March 8). Trump rejects settling Iran war as Tehran nears decision on new leader. Reuters.
Reuters. (2026, March 8). Israeli military says it will pursue every successor of Iran's Khamenei. Reuters.
Reuters. (2026, March 8). Saudi index extends gains as Riyadh warns Tehran over attacks. Reuters.
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