Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader on 08 March after the killing of his father, Ali Khamenei, at the start of the conflict. Mojtaba is seen as a hardliner who is unlikely to negotiate with the U.S. He had previously served in Iran's armed forces and fought in the Iran–Iraq war. Israel's defense minister said last week that whoever was chosen as Ali Khamenei's successor would be "an unequivocal target for elimination." U.S. President Donald Trump said that anyone selected to lead Iran without their approval would "not last long."
In an apparent escalation of targets, Iran accused the U.S. of striking Iran's freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, 07 March. Iran retaliated in kind by causing "material damage" to one of Bahrain's desalination plants the following day. Targeting of such critical infrastructure could endanger every resident in impacted areas and increases the chance of Gulf states officially entering the conflict against Iran.
On 08 March, the U.S. State Department ordered the evacuation of non-emergency personnel and family from Saudi Arabia, indicating it anticipates further targeting. It also ordered the departure of non-emergency staff and family from the U.S. Consulate in Adana, Turkey, and urged citizens in southeastern Turkey to leave amid increased threat from Iran. Incirlik Air Base is near Adana and is a major joint U.S.–Turkish base. This comes after Turkey announced it would deploy six F-16 fighter jets and air defense systems to Turkish-administered Northern Cyprus.
Conflicting statements and denials of attacks out of Iran indicate their Command and Control (C2) structure remains disrupted, with IRGC commanders and missile and drone outposts operating off a pre-determined targeting program, and not with direct approval from current leadership.
Situation Report
- Iran has continued to target the Gulf states with drone and missile attacks. Focus remains on oil & gas and commercial infrastructure. While air defense systems have largely been successful, particularly in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), both debris from interceptions and the rare drone strike have caused damage, mostly fires. Targets and impacted sites have included Dubai International Airport, Kuwait International Airport, Bahrain's Bapco and Al Ma'ameer oil facilities, UAE's Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, Kuwait's Shuwaikh Power and Water Distillation Station, and military bases in the region.
- Iran has increased its attacks using drones as missile stockpiles and launcher capabilities remain degraded. Daily missile attacks remain low while drone attacks have ticked up over the last four days.
- The U.S. is reportedly "dismayed" with Israel after it targeted 30 oil depots in Tehran over the weekend, allegedly used by the IRGC to fuel their operations. "The president doesn't like the attack. He wants to save the oil. He doesn't want to burn it. And it reminds people of higher gas prices," a Trump adviser told Axios news. This is the first publicly known "spat" between the U.S. and Israel so far in the campaign against Iran.
- Iran has stated that if Israel continues to target their energy infrastructure, Iran will go after GCC energy infrastructure. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesman for Iran's central military command, told state TV, "...similar measures will be taken in the region, and if you can tolerate oil at more than $200 per barrel, continue this game."
- During the early morning hours on 08 March, Norwegian authorities announced an IED targeted the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, causing minor damage but no injuries. The investigation is ongoing.
- On 06 March, Azerbaijan's State Security Service said it foiled a series of “terrorist” and intelligence operations it attributes to Iran’s IRGC/SEPAH, targeting four main sites: the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Israeli embassy in Baku, an Ashkenazi synagogue, and a leader of the local Jewish community. Azerbaijan withdrew its diplomats from Tehran in response.
- U.S. President Trump reversed course on the Kurdish militias, saying on 06 March that he does not want them to fight in Iran.
Airspace Status
- Bahrain: airspace closed
- Egypt: airspace open
- Iran: airspace closed
- Iraq: airspace closed
- Update: Will likely reopen on Tuesday, 10 March at 0400 EST
- Israel: airspace partially open/restricted
- Jordan: airspace open
- Kuwait: airspace closed
- Lebanon: airspace partially open/restricted
- Oman: airspace open
- Update: Oman Air cancels all flights to and from Amman, Dubai, Bahrain, Doha, Dammam, Kuwait, Copenhagen, Baghdad, and Khasab from 09–15 March
- Qatar: airspace partially open/restricted
- Update: Qatar Airways is operating a limited corridor in Doha, running recent evacuation flights and scheduling departures on 09–10 March to major cities including London, Seoul, Moscow, Delhi, Madrid, Nairobi, Cairo, and Milan
- Saudi Arabia: airspace open
- Syria: airspace effectively closed
- UAE: airspace partially open
- Update: Emirates will return to 100% capacity in the coming days, depending on airspace conditions. The airline has dozens of flights scheduled from Dubai on 09–11 March
- Cyprus: airspace open
STANDING BY TO Support
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