The expanding war in Iran entered its second week on Saturday amid renewed uncertainty about how or when hostilities will end, as US President Donald Trump declared he would only accept Tehran's "unconditional surrender" and Israel traded fresh attacks with Iran and Lebanon.
Here are the latest events in the Middle East war:
11:42am
Iran Guards say 'waiting' for US forces at Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Saturday they were waiting for US forces to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway where traffic remains strangled as the regional war rages.
"We are waiting for their presence," said Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini, after the US energy secretary announced the Navy was preparing to escort ships through the strait "as soon as it's reasonable to do it".
"We recommend that before making any decision, the Americans remember the fire of the American supertanker Bridgeton in 1987 and the oil tankers that were recently targeted," Naini said, according to Fars news agency.
AFP
11:40am
Iran army says targeted Israel, US bases in UAE, Kuwait
AFP
11:20am
Interception seen over Dubai airport: witness to AFP
An explosion was heard over Dubai airport on Saturday followed by a cloud of smoke in the air, a witness told AFP.
Dubai Media Office described "a minor incident resulting from the fall of debris after an interception", but dismissed unspecified social media reports about the airport in a post on X.
AFP
11:10am
Saudi defence minister warns Iran against 'miscalculation'
Saudi Arabia's Defence Minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, urged Iran on Saturday to "exercise wisdom and avoid miscalculation", following repeated missile and drone launches at the kingdom.
After meeting with Pakistan's military chief, the Saudi minister posted on X: "We discussed Iranian attacks on the Kingdom and the measures needed to halt them... We stressed that such actions undermine regional security and stability and expressed hope that the Iranian side will exercise wisdom and avoid miscalculation."
AFP
10:55am
Blasts in Dubai, Manama
AFP journalists heard explosions in Dubai and Bahrain's capital, Manama, on Saturday, one week into Iran's retaliatory attacks on targets around the Gulf.
A warning siren sounded in Manama, with Bahrain's interior ministry urging residents in an X post to "head to the nearest safe place".
AFP
Third Carrier Surge: USS George H.W. Bush Heads to Middle East as Iran War Escalates, Fox Reports pic.twitter.com/MkbaYHTBKI
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) March 7, 2026
10:43am
Tehran's Mehrabad Airport hit in latest round of strikes
Footage on social media and photos provided by news agencies showed Mehrabad Airport on fire after Israel's military announced a new round of strikes.
Huge explosions rocked areas in western Tehran near Mehrabad Airport and Ekbatan neighborhood early Saturday, videos shared by @Vahid show. pic.twitter.com/wrf2VP0N44
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) March 6, 2026
Mehrabad Airport is located within Tehran's city limits. The airport, which is owned by the Iranian government, is considered the busiest in the country. It only has domestic flights, in contrast with Imam Khomeini International Airport, located outside the city.
DW
10:35am
Saudi Arabia intercepts 4 drones
A spokesperson for Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense said the Gulf country intercepted four drones.
The spokesperson said the drones were intercepted in the "Empty Quarter" desert in southern Saudi Arabia. The Defense Ministry said the drones were heading towards the Shaybah oil field, which is on the northern edge of the desert.
DW
10:20am
US Treasury Secretary Bessent: 'Tonight will be our biggest bombing campaign'
In an interview with US outlet Fox Business, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said "tonight will be our biggest bombing campaign" in Iran.
"We'll do the most damage to the Iranian missile launchers, the factories that build the missiles," Bessent said. "We are substantially degrading them."
Trump and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth have both suggested that the US military has not yet launched its biggest attacks on Iran.
DW
10:05am
US approves weapons to Israel
The US State Department approved the "emergency" sale of 12,000 bomb casings to Israel on Friday as the countries engage Iran in an escalating Middle East war.
"The proposed sale will improve Israel's capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats," the State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs said.
DW
09:53am
Israel responding to missile attacks
The Israeli military said that air defenses were responding to Iranian missile attacks on Saturday that sparked air raid alerts across the country.
Iran has been striking Israel in retaliation for the US-Israeli campaign that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and has pounded sites around the country.
AFP
09:40am
Clashes on Lebanon-Syria border
Lebanese official media said on Saturday that clashes had erupted on the Lebanon-Syria border as Israel attempted a landing operation, with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah saying its fighters were involved.
Israel has sent troops into Lebanon since Tehran-backed Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on Monday to avenge the killing of Khamenei.
AFP
09:33am
Saudi Arabia intercepts attacks
Saudi Arabia's defense ministry said Saturday it intercepted a ballistic missile fired at an air base which houses US military personnel, as Iran pressed attacks across the Gulf.
The oil-rich nation's state news agency said it thwarted a drone attack on an oilfield near the Emirati border, following at least two reported drone attacks earlier this week that targeted the Ras Tanura refinery in the east.
AFP
09:20am
Israel launches 'broad-scale' strikes
The Israeli military said Saturday it had launched a "broad-scale wave of strikes" on targets in Tehran, as the Iranian state broadcaster reported an explosion in the western part of the capital.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said earlier it had detected another round of Iranian missiles headed towards Israel after a series of explosions were heard in the Israeli commercial hub of Tel Aviv following the Iranian launches.
AFP
09:15am
Israel says Iran using cluster bombs
Israel accused Iran on Friday of launching cluster munitions "multiple times" since the start of the war -- referring to bombs that explode in mid-air and scatter bomblets.
Iran and Israel are not party to a convention that prohibits the use, transfer, production and storage of cluster bombs -- which can cause casualties over time, particularly children, as some of them do not explode on impact.
AFP
09:13am
Russia feeds Iran intel, US 'aware'
The White House downplayed a report Friday that Russia was helping Iran target US forces in the Middle East, with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth telling CBS News's "60 Minutes" program that "our commanders are aware of everything."
The Washington Post, citing officials familiar with the intelligence, said Russia has provided Iran with the locations of US military assets, including ships and aircraft.
AFP
09:10am
Iran rejects Trump's succession overtures
Iran's ambassador to the United Nations condemned US interference on Friday, after President Donald Trump insisted that he should be involved in selecting the successor of Khamenei.
"The selection of Iran's leadership will take place strictly in accordance with our constitutional procedures and solely by the will of the Iranian people, without any foreign interference," Amir Saeid Iravani told reporters in New York.
AFP
09:03am
US to boost weapons production
Major US defense companies have agreed to quadruple production of advanced weapons, Trump said.
The United States struck more than 3,000 targets during the first week of the conflict, the military said.
AFP
08:53am
Oil prices surge
Crude prices surged on mounting fears about oil supply disruption as the US-Israel strikes and Tehran's retaliatory attacks across the Gulf region upended the world's energy and transport sectors.
West Texas Intermediate crude rose 12 percent to $90.92 a barrel on Friday, topping off the biggest weekly gain on record.
AFP
08:43am
Rockets target Baghdad airport complex
Rockets targeted the Baghdad airport complex that hosts a military base and a US diplomatic facility.
A shadowy group called Saraya Awliyaa al-Dam (Guardians of Blood), which claims to be part of the Tehran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq, said it was behind the attack on the base.
AFP
08:33am
Trump to attend return of dead troops
Trump said Friday he will attend the arrival of the remains of six soldiers killed in an Iranian attack on Kuwait, the first US dead from the Middle East war.
The troops "returning home for the last time," as Trump put it, were killed when a drone struck in Kuwait's southern industrial hub of Port Shuaiba.
AFP
08:20am
UN peacekeepers wounded in Lebanon
Several Ghanaian members of a United Nations peacekeeping were wounded when their base was hit in southern Lebanon, state media reported, without specifying the source of the attack.
Israel has been hitting southern Lebanon in its battle against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.
AFP
08:13am
Trump demands 'unconditional surrender'
Trump demanded Iran's "unconditional surrender" as the only acceptable outcome to end the Middle East war, promising to help rebuild the country's economy if it complied.
His new stance appeared to be a major expansion of US aims for the war, which Washington has previously said was focused on Iran's missile program and naval forces.
AFP
08:10am
UN chief slams 'unlawful attacks'
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned "unlawful attacks" across the Middle East and warned that the war could spiral out of control.
Guterres said the crisis was causing "tremendous suffering and harm" and posed a "grave risk" to the global economy.
AFP
08:05am
Only nine commercial ships navigate Hormuz
Just nine oil tankers, cargo and container ships have been recorded passing through the Strait of Hormuz since Monday, according to MarineTraffic data analyzed by AFP.
Nearly 20 percent of the world's crude oil and about 20 percent of liquefied natural gas (LNG) usually transit the waterway, but the conflict has virtually shut it down.
AFP
08:00am
France deploys helicopter carrier
France has sent a helicopter carrier to the Mediterranean in response to the war, the French military told AFP.
Paris decided to deploy its flagship aircraft carrier and a frigate earlier in the week.
AFP
