By Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent
The joint United States and Israeli military campaign against Iran, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, has entered a new and more destructive phase, with airstrikes now systematically targeting the country’s energy infrastructure and historic air assets.
As the conflict reaches its ninth day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed hits on multiple fuel storage facilities in Tehran that distribute fuel “to various consumers, including military entities in Iran.” Fars news agency reported that strikes hit four oil storage facilities and a production transfer center in Tehran and Alborz, killing four tanker drivers. Footage geolocated by news agencies and circulating via Vahid Online showed massive plumes of smoke rising from a petrol storage facility in northeastern Tehran. The Israeli military also announced it targeted a fleet of F-14 fighter jets—purchased from the U.S. before the 1979 revolution—at Isfahan Airport, along with detection and air defense systems.
The strikes coincide with a deepening sense of progress within the Israeli security establishment. Former Israeli national security adviser Eyal Hulata, speaking as sirens echoed in the background, noted that the country is making “a lot of progress,” even as he was forced to seek shelter mid-interview. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that Israel and the US have achieved “almost complete control” over Iranian skies and warned that there are “many more targets and surprises prepared.”
Chaos in the Gulf
Despite the escalating pressure on Tehran, retaliatory strikes against Gulf nations have not abated. The Kuwaiti Army reported a “wave of hostile drones” targeted fuel storage at Kuwait International Airport, triggering a “huge fire.” In downtown Kuwait City, the 22-story Public Institution for Social Security headquarters sustained “material damage” after being hit. Two Kuwaiti border security personnel were killed on Sunday morning “while performing their national duty.”
Further south, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense reported intercepting at least 21 drones. In Bahrain, authorities reported the war’s first strike on a desalination plant, an Iranian drone attack that caused “material damage” to the critical water infrastructure.
Shrapnel from a separate missile attack fell over a university building in Muharraq, wounding three people. In the UAE, the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority confirmed air defenses were “responding to a missile threat” early Sunday, as missile alerts sounded across Dubai. These attacks continue despite a Saturday apology from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. However, his office later clarified that “if regional countries do not cooperate in America’s attack on us, we will not attack them.”
Power vacuum in Tehran
The mixed messaging highlights significant divides following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Reports suggest the Assembly of Experts could choose a new figurehead within 24 hours. While some seek diplomacy, hardliners remain focused on revenge. Pezeshkian appeared to backtrack on Sunday from his earlier conciliatory tone, threatening to step up attacks on American targets and accusing the U.S. of “bullying” and “oppression.” Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute, noted that while a new symbolic leader may be named, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will continue to play the “decisive role” in policy direction.
Ali Larijani, Iran’s top security official, claimed President Donald Trump thought he could repeat the “Venezuela model” in Iran but is now “stuck in the quagmire of his own miscalculations.” Larijani added that the US president “must pay the price” for the war.
Ground troop possibility
Aboard Air Force One, President Trump said American ground troops could “possibly” be sent to Iran, but added there would have to be a “very good reason.” When pressed on whether troops would be used to secure enriched uranium at Iran’s nuclear sites, Trump noted it was a possibility for “later on,” adding, “They haven’t been able to get to it. And at some point maybe we will.”
Trump reiterated his desire to be involved in the selection of Iran’s next leader. “We don’t want to come back every five years or every 10 years and do this,” Trump told reporters. “We want to pick a president that’s not going to be leading their country into a war.” Notably, the president expressed a pragmatism regarding the nature of the next regime, telling reporters, “I don’t mind religious leaders. I deal with a lot of religious leaders and they are fantastic.” He ruled out using Kurdish groups, stating, “We’re not looking to the Kurds going in. We’re very friendly with the Kurds, as you know, but we don’t want to make the war any more complex than it already is.”
Toll on Lebanon and Iraq
The regional death toll has surged, with at least 1,230 people killed in Iran and more than 300 in Lebanon. Iran’s Health Ministry reported Sunday that the dead include 200 children and 200 women. In Beirut, at least four people were killed and 10 others wounded after an Israeli strike hit the Ramada hotel. The IDF described it as a “precise strike” targeting key commanders in the IRGC’s Quds Force’s Lebanon Corps. To the north, two explosive-laden drones were shot down over Erbil around “11 p.m. local time,” with debris falling into a residential neighborhood.
In Norway, the US embassy in Oslo sustained minor damage after an explosion hit the consular section entrance. No injuries were reported, and police are searching for suspects.
UN Peacekeepers caught in crossfire
The fallout from the escalating cross-border hostilities between the IDF and Hezbollah has also struck international monitors. The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned a double missile strike that hit a Ghanaian Battalion position on Friday. The attack injured four Ghanaian soldiers serving under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). One soldier required evacuation to Beirut for specialized emergency surgery, while three remain in stable condition.
The Ghanaian government has since lodged a formal protest with the United Nations in New York, describing the attack as a “grave violation of international law” and calling for an immediate investigation. Lebanese officials also cited UN Security Council Resolution 1701 as the legal framework breached by the strikes. “This attack constitutes a serious violation of international law and the relevant Security Council resolutions, foremost among them United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701,” the Ministry declared.
Global diplomatic friction
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty warned that the escalation puts the region at a “critical juncture,” calling for immediate de-escalation. This follows Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s statement that “this was a war that should never have happened, and a war that benefited no one.”
President Trump, however, focused on domestic and allied obligations. After observing the dignified transfer of six US Army Reserve soldiers killed in Kuwait, he called it a “very sad day” but added that such deaths are “a part of war.” He also criticized the
UK’s late offer of aircraft carriers, telling Prime Minister Keir Starmer, “We don’t need them. It’s not the right time. It would have been nice to have had them two weeks ago.”
Controversy over civilian casualties
In New York, anti-war demonstrators gathered in Manhattan, chanting “No war on Iran.” Protester Etan Mabourakh noted that “Americans are sick of endless wars,” and accused Trump of “shifting the goalposts” on the war’s objectives.
The president also moved to deflect blame for a strike on an Iranian elementary school on Feb. 28 that killed at least 168 children and 14 teachers. While UN and human rights monitors cite evidence suggesting a U.S. airstrike was responsible, Trump claimed, “Based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth added, “The only side that targets civilians is Iran,” even as the White House refused to rule out that US personnel carried out the strike.
A region on the brink
As Operation Epic Fury continues through its ninth day, the conflict shows no signs of letting up. The Middle East is at a precarious crossroads between total regional war and a strained diplomatic opening. As Tehran’s leadership remains in flux, the U.S.-Israeli alliance is deepening strikes on critical infrastructure. Human and geopolitical costs continue to mount. The international community now looks toward the next 24 hours. This period will likely see the appointment of a new Supreme Leader in Iran. It will also determine whether calls for de-escalation are heeded or drowned out by the continued roar of fighter jets and missiles.
