Plumes of smoke billowed, residents in Tehran woke up to a blackened sky on Sunday, as oil depots in Iran’s capital city were engulfed in fire after being hit by intense aerial bombardment overnight, with locals reporting multiple explosions.
Multiple videos on social media platforms captured the harrowing scenes – with bright orange-yellow flames lighting up dark skies.
The developments come amid the ongoing Israel-Iran-US conflict which entered its second week on Saturday, 7 March – which also pushed Gulf nations to the brink.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait all reported fresh attacks on Sunday, after loud explosions were heard in Dubai and Bahrain’s Manama on Saturday, mentioned a report by AFP.
Israel-US-Iran conflict
Iran launched a wave of retaliatory strikes after US-Israel jointly attacked the Islamic Republic on Saturday, 28 February. Former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, and other key figures were reportedly killed in the strikes.
Explosions were reported across Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Kuwait – among other West Asian hubs – which are also home to US military bases.
Earlier, Amir Saeid Iravani, the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations, wrote a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the president of the Security Council, warning that US bases, facilities and assets would be Iran’s “legitimate targets” if the United States followed through on its military threats and attacks.
Why Iran targeted US bases in Middle East?
Following its retaliatory missile barrage last Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the strikes were aimed at sites linked to US and Israeli operations.
“The Iranian armed forces consider as legitimate targets the sites from which the US and Zionist operations were carried out,” FM Abbas Araghchi said on Iranian TV.
Strikes, explosions continued for the ninth day on Sunday.
To date, the conflict has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, more than 300 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, reported AP, citing officials.
Meanwhile, Israel Defence Forces (IDF), on Sunday issued a stern warning that they will “continue to pursue every successor and every person who seeks to appoint a successor,” to Iran’s next supreme leader, local media reported.
IDF’s explosive warning
“We want to tell you that the hand of the State of Israel will continue to pursue every successor and every person who seeks to appoint a successor,” a social media post of the Israeli military written in Farsi was cited by The Jerusalem Post on Sunday morning.