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Israel said Saturday that its war with Iran was entering a “decisive phase” as explosions were reported across the Middle East, including strikes on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and a major energy facility in the United Arab Emirates.
Washington’s embassy in Iraq was hit by a drone, security sources told Agence France-Presse (AFP), marking the second time the diplomatic compound has been targeted since Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran.
The conflict has displaced millions and left more than 1,200 people dead in Iran, according to Iranian authorities, as waves of drone, missile, and aerial bombardment continue into the third week of fighting.
Oil prices have surged by about 40% as Iran chokes off the vital Strait of Hormuz with threats to shipping and strikes on Gulf energy facilities.
Clouds of black smoke rose Saturday over Fujairah, home to a major Emirati oil storage and export terminal, shortly after Iran’s military warned UAE civilians to avoid port areas.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that U.S. forces had struck Iran’s Kharg Island, its largest oil export hub, and “obliterated every MILITARY target,” while sparing its energy facilities.
Iranian media confirmed that oil facilities on the island were not damaged. Tehran had previously warned that U.S.-linked oil and energy firms would be “turned into a pile of ashes” if they were attacked.
Analyst Vali Nasr of Johns Hopkins University said the strike could mark a “turning point,” with both sides escalating in an effort to force a surrender.
“The end will likely not be Iranian backing off but inflaming the Gulf,” Nasr said in a social media post.
Trump also said the U.S. Navy would begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz “very soon,” as governments around the world brace for potential economic fallout.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said the strikes on Kharg Island indicated the war had entered a “decisive phase,” though he warned it would “continue as long as necessary.”
Despite facing superior U.S. and Israeli military power, Iran appears determined to continue fighting.
Explosions were heard over Jerusalem on Saturday after the Israeli military detected missiles fired from Iran.
Iran has launched missile and drone attacks against at least 10 neighboring countries since the conflict began.
The Palestinian group Hamas urged Iran to refrain from targeting Gulf neighbors, many of which have supported the Palestinian cause. The statement marked a rare divergence between the allies, although Hamas affirmed Tehran’s right to defend itself.
Qatar said it intercepted two missiles over central Doha on Saturday and evacuated key areas after blasts were heard in the capital, AFP journalists reported.
Strikes have also continued inside Iran, with heavy explosions shaking Tehran late Friday and local media reporting attacks in several provinces through Saturday.
Israel’s military warned residents in an industrial zone in the northern Iranian city of Tabriz to evacuate, signaling a possible imminent strike.
Iran’s Health Ministry says more than 1,200 people have been killed in U.S.-Israeli attacks, though the figures could not be independently verified.
The U.N. refugee agency estimates that up to 3.2 million people have been displaced inside Iran.
Trump described Iran as “totally defeated” and searching for a deal, but he said he was unwilling to consider it.
More than 15,000 targets in Iran have been struck by the United States and Israel over two weeks, the Pentagon said.
A report this week said the first six days of the war alone cost the United States $11.3 billion and left 13 U.S. military personnel dead.
U.S. media reports have raised the possibility of a ground invasion.
The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon has deployed the Japan-based amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli to the region with about 2,500 Marines on board.
Iran’s leadership has sought to demonstrate it remains in control despite the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war.
His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was named the new supreme leader but has not appeared in public and is reportedly wounded.
Reza Pahlavi, the U.S.-based son of Iran’s last shah, said on social media Saturday that he was ready to lead a transition “as soon as the Islamic Republic falls.”
However, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have threatened a severe crackdown on anti-government protests. Thousands were killed during mass demonstrations in January, and authorities have imposed a near-total internet blackout since the war began.
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