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An Iranian member of parliament called for the annexation of Bahrain to Iran on Wednesday, as regional tensions intensified following coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes that have damaged at least 17 American military and diplomatic sites across the Middle East.
Hamid Resaei, a Basij cleric, stated on X that a resolution condemning Iran for alleged attacks on regional Arab countries was approved in the U.N. Security Council with 13 votes.
"One of the results of this war should, Allah willing, be the recovery of Bahrain and its annexation to Iran," Resaei said.
The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution on Wednesday, March 11, condemning Iran's attacks on Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, as well as Jordan.
The resolution passed with 13 votes in favor. Russia and China abstained.
Presented by Bahrain and co-sponsored by 135 countries, the resolution emphasized "strong support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence" of the GCC states and Jordan.
The annexation call comes as Iran continues retaliatory strikes across the Persian Gulf region.
Bahrain's Ministry of Interior reported Thursday that fuel tanks at a facility in Muharraq Governorate were attacked by Iran.
The ministry told residents in three parts of Muharraq to "remain in their homes, close windows and ventilation openings as precaution against potential effects of smoke from the fire currently being fought."
At least 17 U.S. military, diplomatic and air defense sites across the Middle East have been damaged by Iranian drone and missile strikes since the start of joint attacks against Iran by Israel and Washington, according to a New York Times analysis.
At least 11 of the damaged sites are military bases or installations, representing nearly half of all such American facilities in the region.
Air defense systems have been among the costliest losses. Satellite imagery shows damage to a $1.1 billion early-warning radar near Umm Dahal, Qatar, designed to provide coverage across a 4,800-kilometer (3,000-mile) radius.
Iran has also struck components of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, known as THAAD.
A Pentagon assessment put damage to the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, struck Feb. 28, at around $200 million, according to a congressional official cited by the New York Times.
Iran also targeted U.S. diplomatic facilities, forcing temporary closures of the consulate in Dubai and embassies in Kuwait City and Riyadh. No injuries were reported in any of those strikes.
U.S. officials told the news outlet that the strikes show Iran was more prepared for the war than many in the Trump administration had anticipated.
The escalation in the Middle East began on Feb. 28 when Israel and the U.S. launched a joint attack against Iran, reportedly killing more than 1,200 victims to date, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Approximately 140 U.S. service members have been wounded, with eight killed, since the beginning of the campaign.
In Israel, first responders and country authorities have reported 14 people killed in total. Iranian missile fire has killed 12 people inside the country, including four minors, since the start of the war.
The Israeli military has separately announced the deaths of two soldiers in combat in southern Lebanon.
Authorities in Gulf states and U.S. Central Command have reported 24 people killed, 11 of them civilians, since the start of Iranian attacks.
The rest of those killed were military or security personnel, including seven U.S. service members.
Kuwait's military and health ministry have reported six deaths, two soldiers, two border guards and two civilians, one of them an 11-year-old girl.
The United Arab Emirates' Defense Ministry has reported six deaths, four civilians and two military personnel who died as a result of a helicopter crash blamed on a technical malfunction.
Saudi Arabia's civil defense agency has reported two civilian deaths. Bahrain's interior ministry has also logged two deaths. Oman's maritime security centre reported the death of a mariner at sea. Qatar's Ministry of Interior has reported 16 injuries and no fatalities.
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