Iran apologises to Gulf but war still rages across region

Israel and Iran exchanged fresh attacks Saturday as their war entered a second week, while Tehran issued an unusual apology to neighboring Gulf states after Iranian strikes hit civilian targets in the region.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to countries affected by Iranian attacks and urged them not to join U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran.

“I personally apologize to neighboring countries that were affected by Iran’s actions,” Pezeshkian said.

He dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand for Iran’s unconditional surrender as unrealistic but said Iran’s temporary leadership council had agreed to suspend attacks on nearby states unless attacks on Iran originated from their territory.

Trump rejected the gesture, describing it as a sign of weakness and warning Iran it would be “hit very hard” on Saturday.

Iran says it targeted US bases

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said its drones struck a U.S. air combat center at Al Dhafra Air Base near Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Reuters could not independently verify the claim.

Iranian state media also reported strikes targeting U.S. forces stationed in Bahrain.

Blasts were also heard in Doha, according to a Reuters witness.

Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, said evidence suggested some regional territories were being used to launch attacks against Iran.

He warned that Iranian forces would continue striking those targets.

The conflict escalated sharply after Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed in an airstrike early in the war.

Gulf states hit by attacks

The conflict has spilled beyond Iran and Israel, with missile and drone attacks reported across several Gulf countries hosting U.S. military bases.

Officials in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq reported missile or drone incidents during the past week.

Several Gulf governments condemned the attacks on civilian infrastructure, including hotels, ports, and oil facilities.

An Emirati official said the UAE wanted Iranian strikes against Gulf states to end immediately.

“We don’t want the war to expand,” the official said, urging Iran to stop attacking neighboring countries.

Israel warns Lebanon

As the conflict widened, Israel warned Lebanon it would face a “very heavy price” if it failed to restrain the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Israeli airstrikes pounded Hezbollah strongholds in southern Beirut and eastern Lebanon.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said at least 294 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since Monday.

Iran’s U.N. ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, said Israeli and U.S. attacks had killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and wounded thousands.

Iranian strikes have killed 10 people in Israel, while at least six U.S. service members have also died in the conflict.

Conflict rattles global markets

The expanding war has disrupted global markets and pushed oil prices to multi-year highs as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed sharply.

About one-fifth of the world’s oil supply normally passes through the narrow waterway.

Iranian state media reported that Revolutionary Guard forces struck a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the strait.

Trump said the U.S. Navy could escort commercial vessels in the Gulf, a proposal Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they would challenge.

Tehran also rejected Trump’s demand that Washington be given influence over the selection of Iran’s next supreme leader.

Iravani said the country’s future leadership would be chosen “without any foreign interference.”